Foreign buyers remain highly active in Spain’s housing market, with over 70,000 transactions recorded in the first half of 2025 alone, according to the latest notary data. Non-resident Chinese buyers, in particular, have paid the highest prices, with an average of €4,116/m²—the top figure this semester and the second-highest on record.
Meanwhile, Chinese residents in Spain are also investing heavily, paying an average of €2,081/m², the highest since the 2008 property bubble. Their purchases exceeded 2,420 homes in just six months, setting a new record.
Where Chinese buyers are searching
Data from idealista/data, the proptech unit of Spain’s leading property portal, reveals the trends behind Chinese buyer demand. Analysing portal visits in Chinese versus all foreign-language searches shows that:
- In areas with incomes up to €30,000/year, Mandarin-language searches account for 51.1% of all Chinese demand.
- Interest in mid-range areas (€30,000–50,000/year) is 43.4%, while high-income districts above €50,000/year attract 5.5% of searches.
- Peak demand in high-income areas occurred in 2023, with Chinese-language users representing 6.4% of all searches.
Overall, Chinese buyers prefer major cities and suburban developments over coastal areas.
Madrid: prime neighbourhoods in high demand
In Madrid, almost 20 districts with incomes above €50,000/year have seen Chinese buyer activity. Notable areas include:
- Peñagrande (€5,016/m²) and La Paz (€5,195/m²) – Fuencarral district
- Valdebebas–Valdefuentes (€5,351/m²) – Hortaleza district
- Salvador (€6,224/m²) – San Blas district
Suburbs in north-west Madrid are particularly popular:
- Boadilla del Monte – Chinese searches make up nearly 17% of all property inquiries, with hotspots including El Olivar de Mirabal (23%) and Sector B (19.7%)
- Majadahonda – Los Satélites–Roza Martín attracts 20% of foreign demand in Chinese
- Pozuelo de Alarcón – Montealina (14.8%) and La Cabaña (10%)
- Las Rozas – Monte Rozas (9.5%) and El Pinar–Punta Galea (8.4%)
- Alcobendas Norte – 8.7% of foreign demand, reaching €5,200/m² in Arroyo de la Vega
Luxury homes for sale in Madrid
Barcelona: elite districts attracting Chinese buyers
In Barcelona, the affluent Sarrià-Sant Gervasi district stands out, with average prices at €6,661/m². In some neighbourhoods, foreign buyers represent over 25% of searches, with Chinese buyers accounting for more than 2% in areas exceeding €7,000/m².
Other notable areas:
- La Maternitat i Sant Ramon de Les Corts (€4,893/m²) – 10.2% of foreign demand in Chinese
- Pedralbes (€7,999/m²) – 3%
- Diagonal Mar i el Front Marítim del Poblenou (€9,954/m²) – 3%
- L’Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample (€6,739/m²) – 3%
In the province outside the city, Teià and Serraparera (Cerdanyola del Vallès) attract growing interest, with Chinese buyers representing 4.4% and 6.7% of foreign searches respectively, and average prices around €3,300–3,350/m².
Luxury homes for sale in Barcelona
Methodology
This analysis uses data from idealista/data, focusing on portal visits by users browsing in Chinese versus all foreign-language users. Income data for municipalities and high-income districts comes from Spain’s National Statistics Institute (INE).
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