British buyers account for one of the largest non-Spanish buyer groups on the Costa del Sol, and the corridor between Fuengirola and Estepona remains the most active stretch. Yet the area is not homogeneous: purchase prices, property types, municipal taxes and access to Málaga Airport vary considerably depending on which town you target. Málaga Airport is roughly 20 minutes by road from Fuengirola and around 45–55 minutes from Benahavís — a difference that matters both for rental potential and for owners who travel frequently.
Before looking at specific locations, one number every buyer must anchor to: on a resale property in Andalucía you pay Impuesto de Transmisiones Patrimoniales (ITP) at 7% of the declared purchase price. On a new-build — which includes all five projects below — you pay IVA at 10% plus Actos Jurídicos Documentados (AJD) at 1.2% of the purchase price. On top of those taxes, budget roughly 1–2% for notary and land registry fees combined, and 1–1.5% for an independent lawyer. In round terms, new-build buyers on the Costa del Sol should add 12–14% to the asking price to cover all acquisition costs before moving in.
Fuengirola: apartments from €455,000 with pool access
Fuengirola sits approximately 30 kilometres west of Málaga city and has a functioning town centre, a commuter rail link to Málaga (the Cercanías C-1 line), and one of the longer urban beaches on this coast. For buyers who want a property that works as both a holiday base and a lettable asset, the established infrastructure matters.
Within the current new-build supply in Fuengirola, Naven offers ground-floor apartments and apartments with one to four bedrooms, priced from €455,000 to €1,890,000. The development includes a swimming pool. The four-bedroom upper end of that range is priced competitively against comparable stock in Marbella, which makes Fuengirola worth evaluating if budget is a constraint but apartment living suits your use case.
Mijas and Las Lagunas de Mijas: two distinct markets sharing one municipality
Mijas municipality contains both the hillside village of Mijas Pueblo and the lower coastal district of Las Lagunas de Mijas — they are governed by the same ayuntamiento but feel like different towns and attract different buyer profiles.
Alya Mijas — Mijas
Alya Mijas is a three-bedroom townhouse priced at €532,000. The property includes a swimming pool. Townhouses in Mijas tend to appeal to buyers who want more private outdoor space than a standard apartment affords, without the maintenance commitment of a detached villa. At €532,000 for three bedrooms with a pool, this is within reach for buyers who have sold a family home in the UK and are reinvesting equity.
Valley Views — Las Lagunas de Mijas
Down in Las Lagunas de Mijas, Valley Views covers a different segment. The development offers penthouses, ground-floor units and apartments with two or three bedrooms, priced from €383,000 to €589,000. A communal pool is included. The €383,000 entry point is one of the more accessible figures in current Costa del Sol new-build supply, and at the €589,000 ceiling a three-bedroom penthouse with pool access represents reasonable value relative to equivalent square metreage in Marbella or Benahavís.
Las Lagunas de Mijas sits between Fuengirola and Marbella, roughly five to ten minutes by car from either town centre, which keeps both the A-7 coastal road and the AP-7 motorway accessible.
Marbella: the established benchmark
Marbella's name carries weight with buyers from across Europe, and prices reflect that. The town has its own municipal amenities, a private hospital (Hospital Quirónsalud Marbella), international schools and a long-established community of British residents, particularly in urbanisations east of the town centre.
Sirocco Villas is a four-bedroom villa in Marbella priced at €3,400,000. At that price point, buyers should factor in that IVA on a new-build villa above €1,000,000 is still charged at the standard 10% rate in Andalucía — meaning acquisition costs on this property would add roughly €408,000–€476,000 before legal and notary fees. Buyers at this level typically instruct a Spanish tax lawyer alongside a conveyancing solicitor, particularly if they are purchasing through a corporate structure.
Benahavís: the highest-priced municipality per square metre on this coast
Benahavís is a small inland municipality bordering Marbella and Estepona. It consistently records among the highest average property prices per square metre in Andalucía, and new-build supply is limited relative to demand. The town itself is known for its restaurant street and for the golf urbanisations — including Los Flamingos — that spread across its hillsides.
Villa Selene Los Flamingos is a five-bedroom villa in Benahavís priced at €4,950,000. Los Flamingos is an established urbanisation within the municipality. At this price, the all-in acquisition cost — IVA at 10%, AJD at 1.2%, plus professional fees — is likely to exceed €600,000, which is a material planning figure for any buyer financing part of the purchase.
Key buying steps for British buyers on the Costa del Sol
Regardless of area, the process follows the same sequence. You obtain a NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) — this can be done at a Spanish consulate in the UK or at a police station in Spain. You open a Spanish bank account, which is required for the mortgage (if applicable) and for ongoing costs such as IBI (the annual property tax, broadly equivalent to council tax) and community fees. You sign a reservation contract and pay a reservation deposit — typically €6,000–€10,000 on a new-build — which takes the property off the market while due diligence proceeds. A private purchase contract follows, at which point 10% of the purchase price is commonly paid. Completion takes place before a notary, at which point the balance is paid and keys are handed over.
Post-Brexit, British nationals are non-EU buyers. Spain's golden visa programme has historically offered residency to buyers spending €500,000 or more, though legislative changes to this programme were under active parliamentary discussion as of 2024 — verify the current rules with a qualified Spanish immigration lawyer before factoring residency into your purchase decision.
