Alicante - A Guide to Finding Property
Alicante is the engine at the heart of Spain’s Costa Blanca – it’s the province that has the highest percentage of foreign residents in Spain. Favoured for its climate, beaches and the increasingly popular city of Alicante, the hot spots of the province for British expats include the resorts of Torrevieja, Orihuela, La Zenia, Denia and Javea. It’s not surprising that Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández is the fifth busiest airport in Spain in 2023, with visitors up 19.2% on the previous year.
Alicante province is also the most popular location in Spain for international buyers: in the first half of 2023, the market grew by 6%, with foreign buyers accounting for 40 per cent of transactions. Affordability adds to its attraction: when Spanish regions are listed by average price per square metre, Alicante is the 13th highest at €2,055 per sq m – below other overseas buyer favourites including the Balearics, Madrid, Barcelona and Malaga.
It’s not just a holiday area. Only two hours from Madrid by highspeed train, Alicante is a growing R&D hub with lower operating costs than Madrid and Barcelona. It’s also home to the headquarters of the European trademark body EUIPO, a university and 28 international schools.
Find your place: the buyer hot spots
The city of Alicante is a vibrant port with history, culture and superb beaches. Highlights include its busy marina and its elegant palm lined ‘Explanada de Espana’. With pavement cafes, music and free concerts it’s a cosmopolitan city that is very different from the resorts of the Costa Blanca.
You can buy a small apartment for €60,000- €80,000, and maybe a sea view with €100,000. For villas with outside space you’d do better (for value and choice) looking outside the city, at the resorts up or down the coast.
South of the city
Very popular for such space but only 10 minutes’ away by car, is Gran Alacant - a buzzy residential area just past the Santa Pola salt flats dotted with its pink flamingos - with restaurants and supermarkets, and the dune-backed Carabassi beach.
It’s become popular with TV property hunters, last year you might have seen Jane and Neil buying a place there for £106k that only costs €50 a month to run. Two-bedroom townhouses now start off around €160,000; a three-bed one with a small pool is €250,000-€300,000.
Going south again, Guardamar del Segura is a big coastal resort with a selection of purpose-built tourist residences, predominantly apartments, many overlooking its sweeping beach. It’s much less rugged than north of Alicante, with its salt pans and flat plains of the Orihuela Costa. Torrevieja remains a stand-out favourite with buyers. It was the single most searched-for location on aplaceinthesun.com in 2022, 2023 and 2024 so far.
Sitting between two lakes and the Mediterranean Sea, it has beautiful sandy beaches and seafront promenades, golf clubs, waterparks, international schools and a vibrant nightlife. You can still find an apartment for around €60,000-€70,000. Inland from Guardamar is the expat hotspot of Rojales, with its neighbouring urbanisation Ciudad Quesada. ‘Quesada’ as it’s known for short, is now a real hot spot.
Less than 50km from Alicante, it is ideally located to reach the many Blue Flag beaches of the Costa Blanca, Guardamar Del Segura, La Marina, Playa Flamenca, La Zenia and Cabo Roig – these are all popular buyer locations. People often search for Torrevieja as it’s a well-known place, but often end of buying in the surrounding areas that are a bit more peaceful location, such as Villamartin or Benijofar.
North of Alicante city
Head north from Alicante, as far as Moraira and you'll find a coastline of imposing mountain backdrops and pine-covered hillsides and sandy coves. The key resorts start at Benidorm and end at Dénia, but there are also popular inland spots in the unspoilt Jalon Valley. These include Calpe, with its landmark Rock of Ifach, and the pretty Moraira, and the very desirable stretch known as Benissa Costa.
Beyond Moraira, Benitachell and Cumbre del Sol offers great panoramic sea views, and beyond this is the fashionable resort of Jávea.
What can I buy?
For anyone shopping with a budget of €100,000 to €150,000 the area south of Alicante city is highly popular, although you’ll pay €200,000 plus for a new-build apartment, or the same price for a second-hand three-bed townhouse. Property prices tend to be higher in the Northern Costa Blanca, as development has been less high-volume (even in Benidorm which is perhaps breaks the mould!).
In Javea – as per Moraira and Denia - you’ll need €250,000 for an apartment but you can find villas from around €450,000 but many more cost €600,000 plus. Inland, around Jalon, prices are lower, with two-bedroom houses are priced from under €200,000 or three-beds €200,000-€300,000.
