Foreign buyers' interest in finding a home in Spain is evident, even in towns of less than 5,000 inhabitants. Besides towns in areas traditionally attractive to foreign tourists, there are other towns in less obvious regions, including one in Asturias. All places in the study have a common feature: they are coastal towns or just a few kilometres from the sea.
According to a study by idealista, the southern European real estate marketplace, analysing the views received in its database during June and July, Benitachell (Alicante) recorded the highest volume of property searches from abroad. The next three spots were taken by towns in the province of Girona: Begur, Pals and Llança. Arenales del Sol (Alicante) completes the top five.
Next, come the Malaga villages of Frigiliana and Competa before the Mallorcan village of Ses Salines. In ninth place is Ponga in Asturias, followed by Alcossebre (Castellon), Els Poblets and El Verger (both in Alicante), Cala d'Or (Balearic Islands), Busot and Algorfa (also in Alicante).
The final five places in this 'top 20' of towns are Sencelles (Balearic Islands), Ojen (Malaga), Formentera del Segura (Alicante), L'Ampolla (Tarragona) and San Juan de los Terreros (Almeria).
2023 | Foreigners' favourite towns to live in
Villages that have more interest from abroad
On the other hand, 18 Spanish towns received more searches for houses from potential foreign buyers. The biggest difference in interest is in the Asturian municipality of Ponga, where 69% of the visits to housing listings came from abroad. It is followed by Cala d'Or (Balearic Islands) at 63%, Competa (Malaga) at 61% and Rubia (Ourense) at 60%.
With less than 60% of foreigners, we find Garafia (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), Deya (Baleares) and Vallehermoso (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), which share 57%. With 56% of international searches, we find Canillas de Albaida (Malaga), Valle Gran Rey (Santa Cruz de Tenerife), Sayalonga (Malaga) and Benitachell (Alicante).
In Frigiliana (Malaga), the weight of foreigners is 55%, while Hondon de las Nieves (Alicante) stands at 54%, followed by Algueña (Alicante) at 53% and Jete (Granada) at 52%. Lliber (Alicante), Bedar and Arboleas (both in Almeria) close the list of towns with more searches by foreigners than by locals, with 51% of the total.
2023 | Towns with more demand from abroad than from Spain
The study also shows the town with the highest number of views from abroad in each autonomous community, which, although in many cases, are far from the interest shown in provinces such as Girona, the Balearic Islands, Alicante or Malaga, are relevant for the local markets.