In this article, we will delve into the variations in house prices across Spain’s regions. We will begin by examining a chart that showcases the price per square meter in different autonomous communities. To further assist in the search for affordable properties, we will explore a map highlighting the municipalities with the lowest prices per square meter. Additionally, we will turn our attention to Idealista, the largest real estate web portal in Spain, which serves as an excellent starting point for anyone interested in buying property in Spain. Please note that while we mention Idealista, we have no affiliation with the website.
To help readers in their property search, we will share tips on finding good houses for sale in Spain. By sticking to a search plan, using basic search terms, and focusing on provinces or coastal areas instead of specific towns, individuals can efficiently navigate the vast selection of properties available. Additionally, we will highlight the option of utilizing real estate agents who can conduct personalized searches based on individual preferences and requirements.
Finally, we will outline some of the best regions to consider when buying houses in Spain. Madrid, Valencia, Seville, Galicia, Barcelona, and Granada are among the top choices, each offering unique advantages such as quality of life, cost of living, transport infrastructure, and availability of services and entertainment.
How are house prices in Spain?
Spain has 17 autonomous communities which can be roughly compared to states in the US or provinces in Canada. Some of them collect different taxes and they also happen to have some different laws, apart from the fact that they can be culturally very different with some of them even having their own languages. The differences do not stop there, as we can see from this chart, prices per square meter in these regions can also be significantly different. Using this as our point of start we can have an idea on where to start to look for cheap apartments and houses in Spain.
We can then move to this map that shows which are the cheapest municipalities in Spain in terms of price per square meter and finally we can look at idealista, which is the largest real estate web portal in Spain. I’m not an affiliate of this website but if you want to look for real estate in Spain this is probably the best place to start, they also have a pretty strong presence in Portugal and Italy. The website is pretty intuitive as you can see let’s do a quick search.
First Option: 32.000 euros/78m²
Now let’s take a look at some examples i randomly chose for this article. So the first example i want to bring to you is this beautiful apartment in Talavera de la Reina, which is not extremely far from Madrid. You can get a train from Talavera de la Reina to Madrid and you will be in the city center of Madrid in about 1:30hr, actually a little bit under that. So this apartment list price 32 000 euros, 78 square meter and three bedrooms.
Below you can see the description in English or Spanish, has three bedrooms one bathroom kitchen and living room. From the pictures it is it is actually not in a dire need for renovations but you may want to do it actually the entrance hall is pretty nice but the apartment is a bit old let’s say, maybe need renovation works, but you can just move in right away and then renovate slowly to your taste if you want to live in a place like this.
Actually this small city is quite nice, i really like the architecture of this quaint picturesque street, it looks like a decent place that you can live if you want to retire in spain for example it seems to be an okay option if you are on a very tight budget here’s the price per square meter 32 000 euros is the price list price and then per square meter you’re gonna pay 410 euros if you want to do. If you want to get a mortgage for 30 years, you’ll pay just 108 euros per month if you give up down payment of 9600 euros so, as you can see in the image below.
Second Option: 31.260 euros/79m²
Here is our second example which is a nice apartment in the city of Oviedo, which is the capital of Aasturias. The listing price is 32.260 euros and it has 79 square meters approximately 850 square feet. In the description you can read it in English, they have the translate option here in idealista. Building looks actually quite nice as you can see in the images below, but inside the apartment there are many pictures and it definitely needs some renovations.
Price per square meter 396 euros which is quite amazing. I think for Spain considering the prices in Madrid and Barcelona. Right below you can see how much you’ll pay if you would want to get a mortgage for this apartment, in 30 years giving, 30 percent as a down payment, you would pay 120 euros.
From this location which is in Oviedo, has good transport connections to most parts of Spain, direct trains to Madrid, it’s a pretty good city overall, the city center of Oviedo is one of the most beautiful i’ve seen in Spain, even if you don’t want to invest in the city i definitely recommend you to visit this city.
Third Option: 31.260 euros/79m²
Now let’s talk about our next example. Here we have an apartment for sale in the town of Cabra, list price 64 000 and it has 85 square meters and two bedrooms.
As we can see here in the description in English, three-bedroom apartment, kitchen, terrace, bathroom and living room. It is actually in a better condition but the price per square meter is also higher. The listed price is 64 000, price per square meter 753 euros, it’s a bit more expensive than the other examples but still relatively acceptable that’s the mortgage calculation, let’s say if you would go 20 years that would mean you’d have to pay 236 euros per month with a down payment of 30 percent. It’s a slightly isolated but not completely desolate, let’s put it this way you have Cordoba, you have Granada and Seville, somewhere in between all these cities which is reasonable, but you’ll probably need a car if you want to live in this place, otherwise transport wise it’s probably not the easiest option to not to have a car in this place.
Now after we checked some properties in Spain let’s do some considerations when buying a cheap house or apartment in Spain.
The first consideration: Depending on the location you will need a car. Public transport in Spain is widely available but most of these cheap houses or cheap apartments they tend to be in areas which are not in very high demand and then you’ll probably need a car or you will have to rely on transportation that does not run very frequently.
The second consideration: If you want to buy an apartment to rent it as an investment it will be very difficult to find tenants, unless you get something very special at a decent price and at the same time in a in a location with a decent demand.
The third consideration: The property will have very low liquidity in case you want to sell it, so if we are talking about something below 700 euros per square meter it will probably be a house or an apartment in a very low demand area, so it is a good thing if you want to buy an apartment to live in it, for example, if you want to retire in Spain, but if you want to flip it or get a profit it’s probably not going to be the best option because these are very low liquidity properties.
The fourth consideration: You can probably bargain the price heavily since there is low liquidity, there aren’t many buyers interested in this property and even if the list price is something like 40 000 euros it does not mean that you can’t get it lower.
How to find good houses for sale in Spain?
Once you have done your homework regarding the preparations on the purchase of a Spanish property, now it is time to start the search for your home in Spain. section I will give you some tips on where to look for your Spanish property, how to search for it and what you should avoid to keep this process as smoothly as possible. As I have helped so many satisfied people in another articles on buying their dream home in Spain, I know the easiest way to get what you want, so let me explain to you how to find your property in Spain.
Although it is exciting to start looking for your Spanish property, it can also be very time consuming. When you are surfing the internet and visiting all the different portals, you can easily get lost as you see so many nice properties. Like I explained in the other articles, you now should know what kind of property you want, where you want it and how much you can spend on it. Because you more or less know where you are looking for it is no use to start scrolling through the listing on portals and websites.
- First tip: Stick to your plan! Just look for the search boxes and fill in the most basic search terms like the type of property, the number of bedrooms you need and the price range you are looking in.
- Second tip: you can put the maximum price a little higher than the purchase price you have in mind, as most asking prices are negotiable, but stay realistic.
- Third tip: Try not to fill in an exact town or village, but a province or a costa, depending on the location in Spain. Searching like this you will get a wider selection of properties to choose from and that is exactly what you want.
You make the decisions, so don’t leave it to a search engine. This way you will see all properties that meet your requirements and are within your price range. Now the only thing you have to do is to look at the information, watch the photos and videos and narrow it down to a list of properties you really like. If you are not ready to purchase a property in Spain yet, you also can use this way of searching to get a feeling for the property market, so you know what you can expect when you are ready to proceed. Another good way of finding the perfect property is through an agent. You just have to explain in detail what kind of Spanish property you prefer and the estate agent will do the search for you. The agent will look in their own listing and contact other agents to see what they have for sale and you will receive a list of properties that suit you best according to the requirements you discussed with the agent.
If you start looking for a property in a lower price range, although you already know that this is not realistic, you are wasting a lot of time as you will need to start all over again in a realistic price range if you would like to find the perfect property for you.
Which Are The Best Regions to Buy Houses in Spain?
Talking about the best places to live in Spain, whether you’re considering moving to Spain for a few months or permanently, you will definitely find some of these places to be good options for your stay in the country. For this list i have considered a number of important factors, such as: quality of life, cost of living, transport infrastructure, availability of services and entertainment. The best regions to live in Spain are:
- Madrid, the capital of Spain. Madrid is also the most important financial center in Spain, this certainly has a number of advantages as the city has the highest average salaries in the country, but at the same time Madrid is also the most expensive city in Spain. In terms of cost of living overall, the pros outweigh the cons. In the case of Madrid, the city has an excellent transfer infrastructure with direct flights to many European cities, north and south American cities, at the same time it is a great railway hub to travel to all directions in continental Spain. The same applies to urban mobility which is above the average for european capitals.
- Valencia is one of the best options if you want to live near the beach, but at the same time enjoy a highly developed infrastructure of a modern large city in western Europe. Valencia is actually the third largest city in Spain, just behind capital Madrid and Barcelona. The advantage of Valencia is that it is a little bit off the radar, so you definitely see less tourists while strolling around Valencia than in the two largest cities in the country. For the same reason, Valencia is also slightly cheaper than Madrid and Barcelona, at the same time you’ll be paying less you’ll not lose much in terms of quality of life.
- Seville is the fourth largest city in Spain and the capital of the Andalusia region, just like Valencia. Sevilla is also city with a highly advanced infrastructure and you won’t miss a thing compared to the availability and quality of services when compared to the capital Madrid. Prices in Seville are also definitely more inviting than in the capital Madrid and even lower than in Valencia, as a matter of fact the region of Andalusia is also known for being one of the most affordable in Spain.
- Galicia’s region in the northwestern part of Spain known for its lush green forests, scenic hills and unsane beaches on the atlantic ocean. This region is probably a good option if you want to live in a calm place with a high quality of life, clean air and extremely low levels of crime. Prices in Galicia are also quite inviting, especially when we compare real estate in Vigo or A Coruña, with cities like Madrid, Barcelona or even Valencia.
- Barcelona is the next city in our list city of the best places to live in Spain, and i guess you are not surprised at all to see the largest city in Catalonia, feature among the best cities to live in the country. Barcelona is a city in Spain that receives the highest number of international tourists and it is easy to understand why, it has everything you can expect for a short visit, amazing cultural attractions like the Parque Güell, and the Sagrada Familia, a good nightlife and of course the beach. On the other hand, Barcelona has some disadvantage, that maybe a deal breaker for some, it definitely has a problem with overtures and real estate is not on the cheap side. If you still like Barcelona and want to avoid such problems you can try to find a place in one of the smaller towns close to Barcelona.
- Granada is a city in the Andalusian region of southern Spain, mostly known for its iconic Alhambra, a palace complex overlooking the city. Granada is a mid-sized city with slightly more than 200 000 inhabitants and the ideal place if you don’t want to live in a metropolis in Spain. It has a high level of safety and quaint streets full of places to enjoy the most exquisite spanish tapas. The cultural side of Granada is certainly one of the most attractive factors of the city, but it is definitely not the only one. From Granada you can easily reach the Sierra Nevada Ski Resort just 30 kilometers from the city center, and finally even if Granada itself doesn’t have a beach, from Granada you will be just a 70 kilometers drive to the closest spanish Mediterranean beaches.
Types of Houses That You Can Find in Spain
After the preparations on buying a Spanish house, you now know what you want, where you want it and how you are going to pay for it. This is the moment to think about your requirements, so you can really start the search for your property in Spain.
We’ll give you more information about the various types of properties you will find in Spain. Here we show you Spanish properties and you will get general information about living in Spain. When you tell your friends and family that you are thinking about buying a house in Spain, one of the first questions you will get is whether they can already book a room. Of course they are just joking…or not?! Too many times I have seen people looking for a house in Spain asking for properties with 3 or 4 bedrooms although there is only two of them. When I ask them why they need so many rooms they tell me that they need extra rooms for when family and friends come to visit.
Beware of this pitfall as you will end up with a property that is way too big for you and, of course, you will pay a lot more than when you just stick to a house that suits you. Family and friends won’t come all at once, so 1 extra room may be enough to accommodate them. If they are coming all together, they have to realize that your home is not a hotel, so they can book a real hotel, bed & breakfast or a rental property in the neighborhood. Besides, people won’t visit you all year round, but you would have to purchase a house in a higher price range, pay more tax and have more work in maintaining your home. So, buy a property for yourself and invite the people you would like to stay with you! This way it makes it easier to decide what your requirements are and it will save you money in the end. When you know what you want or need it is time to have a look at the various types of houses in Spain. If you have been looking on the internet or in ads you will have seen all kinds of names for properties, but what do they mean? Let me explain.
Apartment
We start with an apartment, in Spanish: apartamento or piso. An apartment is a unique part of a bigger building. If you buy an apartment you buy the exclusive right to use or live in that part of the complex. The apartment becomes yours, but you will never become the owner of the plot it is built on. In most cases the owner of an apartment has to become a member of the community it belongs to. All the owners together pay for the communal services like lifts, cleaning, maintenance, etc. These costs are divided per square meter of property so you know the community fees every individual owner has to pay.
Bungalow
Bungalow is a house on one floor. This can be attached, detached or even in a row with other properties. A bungalow can have a flat roof, sometimes with a roof terrace, or with a sloping roof with tiles. This type of property is perfect for older people or for people with physical issues as everything is on the ground floor, so without stairs.
Duplex or Triplex Houses
Duplex or Triplex properties are proper houses with various floors. Most of this kind of houses are attached with two or more together, and then they are called adosado or semiadosado. A duplex-property consists of a ground floor with living room, kitchen and sometimes a bedroom and a bathroom. Then there are internal stairs to the first floor with bedrooms and bathrooms and maybe there is a roof terrace. With a triplex-property there is an extra floor or a garage underneath.
Villa or Chalet
A villa or chalet is a detached property built in an individual plot. The size of a villa depends on the planning permission of the Townhall, that states how many square meters can be built depending on the plot size. This number is a fixed percentage of the plot size. Also the maximum height and the distance to the border of the plot is stated in the general plan of the Townhall. Most villas have a private garden and often some extras like a pool or a garage.
Cortijo
The last property type I would like to mention is a Cortijo, often mistaken for a finca. A cortijo is a country house or a farm whereas a finca is just a plot. Many people buy a cortijo to transform it into a bed & breakfast or other accommodation as most cortijos are very big with sheds or stables that can be converted into guestrooms if you get the permission to do so. A finca is not a building, but a plot of land, but the confusion comes because most fincas have a cortijo built in it, so when a Spanish owner says ‘I go to my finca’ he means the cortijo with the land surrounding it. I know this is a lot of information to take in, but now at least you know what you have to look for to find the perfect property for you.
If you have any questions, please let me know so I can make sure that everything is clear before you really start your search for a Spanish houses.
How to sell your Spanish property better?
if you are thinking about selling your house in Spain, i will give you five tips of things that you might do to get more interest in your house and sell it for a higher price.
As you know, potential buyers always look for a reason to knock down the asking price of your property, they are looking for excuses to convince you to sell them your property for a lower price. The trick is to take away any reason, why potential buyers would make a silly offer, so here we go.
- Tip number one: Make sure that your property is tidy and decluttered, remove magazines private paperwork and store your children’s toys. Present your home as spacious as possible not only for the photos and video but also when there is a viewing.
- Tip number two: Pay some extra attention to the kitchen and bathrooms, take away the dishes from the worktop, empty the sink and clean the toilet and the bathroom, check the sealant around the washbasin, the bath, and shower to see if it needs to be replaced and put away the shampoo bottles and shower gels as nobody is interested in the products you use. The aim is that people can imagine themselves living in your property.
- Tip number three: Have a look around to see if you need to carry out any paintwork. Maintenance is always a big thing if someone is looking for excuses to negotiate the price of a property, so make sure that everything is up-to-date, better to invest a small amount and maintenance then to reduce the price by a big amount because buyer always estimates the cost higher.
- Tip number four: Take a walk in your garden and have a look at the terrace, make sure to take out any weeds, prune the trees and cut the hatches, clean the terrace and put out the table and chairs.
- Tip number five: Clean the pool and check if there are any loose or missing tiles, maybe it also needs some regrouting.
These five tips seem so obvious, but the secret is to look through the eyes of the potential buyer and take away any excuse for them to knock down the price of your property. Just have a quick look at the different real estate portals or website and watch the photos, then you know exactly what I mean.
Is it Possible to Buy a House in Spain to Get Citizenship?
Now we’re going to talk about the golden visa in Spain, if you want to be a real estate investor there are different types of golden visas in Spain, but we are just going to cover here the golden visa if you want to invest in real estate.
Spanish Residency Permit
The first requirement is: You have to invest 500 000 euros to apply for a golden visa in Spain, but the key advantage is that it can be one or multiple properties, so you can buy let’s say, four apartments, live in one of them, rent the other three, and you’ll still be eligible to apply for the golden visa in Spain. Then, another advantage is that you can renew it indefinitely, as long as you keep the investment of 500 000 euros in real estate in one or multiple properties, you can renew your golden visa and come to Spain stay as much as you want it, will be fine. Another advantage is there’s no minimum time to stay in the country to be able to renew it, so if you come to Spain and just spend one month per year it will be good enough for you to renew your golden visa in Spain, but if you want to apply for permanent residency or citizenship, you have to live in Spain at least six months per year, which makes you a tax resident in Spain. So, if you want to take the route of permanent residency and citizenship you have to be a tax resident in Spain, but if you just want to spend some time of the year in Spain you can still keep renewing the visa and indefinitely have access to all of the Schengen area and you will not be a tax resident in Spain.
Spanish Citizenship
After 10 years living in Spain, if you spend more than six months per year you’ll be able to apply for citizenship, that’s the double of Portugal, for example, in which you can apply for citizenship after five years living in the country, but if you are a citizen of former Spanish colonies, for example, like Mexico or Colombia and even some countries like Brazil, Portugal or Andorra, you can apply for citizenship just after living two years in Spain that’s it for today’s article, if you want to travel, move or invest abroad you know what you have to do, just check another articles we have.
See you next time.
