by Most buyers arrive with a single number in their head — “Marbella is two million” — and then spend three weekends discovering that the same budget buys a three-bedroom apartment in one village and a villa with a pool in another. The gap is not small. In our own portfolio of 633 new developments, the median price in Mijas is €352,000. In Marbella it is €1,250,000. In Benahavís it is €6,695,000.
Those figures come from 90 randomly selected developments currently listed on this site. They are indicative rather than a market index — several areas have only three to five entries — but they show the shape of the market better than any single asking price can.
What €500,000 buys
At this level you are choosing between a smaller home close to the coast and a larger one fifteen minutes inland.
In Mijas, seven developments in our sample run from €225,000 to €1,599,000 with a median of €352,000. That is apartment and townhouse territory, often in a gated community with a pool, and it is where most first-time buyers on the coast end up.
Estepona is the widest market in the sample: thirteen developments from €321,000 to €2,500,000, median €785,000. At €500,000 you are looking at a two- or three-bedroom apartment in a new complex, usually a short drive from the old town rather than inside it.
Cancelada, between Marbella and Estepona, has three developments from €259,303 to €522,400. It is the quiet option: no seafront promenade, but ten minutes to both towns.
What €500,000 does not buy in Marbella itself: the six Marbella developments in our sample start at €375,000, and that entry point is a small unit in a larger complex, not a villa.
What €1,000,000 buys
This is where the market splits most sharply.
In Marbella, the median is €1,250,000, so a million is slightly below the middle: a good apartment in a good building, or a smaller townhouse. The ceiling in the sample is €5,060,000.
In Estepona, a million sits above the median of €785,000 and buys a three-bedroom with a terrace and sea views in one of the newer complexes.
La Cala de Mijas has a median of €890,000 across three developments, ranging €647,800 to €1,423,900 — here a million buys a frontline golf apartment with a genuinely large terrace.
San Pedro de Alcántara is the value play close to Marbella: three developments, median €592,200, maximum €1,370,000. You are ten minutes from Puerto Banús without paying Puerto Banús prices.
What €2,000,000 buys
At two million the conversation changes from square metres to land and privacy.
In La Cala Golf, three developments run €470,000 to €2,495,000 with a median of €1,550,000 — a villa on the golf course with a private pool is realistic here.
In Marbella, two million is above the median but below the top of the market: a detached villa in a mature urbanisation, or a large penthouse.
And in Benahavís, two million does not reach the entry point. The five developments in our sample start at €3,495,000 and reach €7,450,000. Benahavís is not an expensive part of Marbella; it is a separate market with its own logic — gated estates, large plots, and buyers who are not comparing it to anything else.
Why the same budget behaves so differently
- Land. A development in Benahavís is built on plots measured in thousands of square metres. The same money per unit is impossible.
- Distance to the coast. Mijas and Cancelada trade sea proximity for space. Marbella and San Pedro sell proximity.
- Supply. Estepona has the deepest pipeline in our sample — thirteen of ninety developments — which keeps prices competitive across the range.
How to use this when you shortlist
Set the budget first, then choose the area from the data rather than the other way round. If €500,000 is the ceiling, Mijas, Cancelada and outer Estepona are the realistic field; Marbella is not. If the budget is €2m and privacy matters more than the beach, Benahavís is out of reach and La Cala Golf is in it.
Two practical checks before you visit anything: ask for the community fees per month, and ask what the completion date is on paper, not from the sales office.
Frequently asked questions
Is Benahavís more expensive than Marbella?
In our sample, yes, by a wide margin: a median of €6,695,000 against €1,250,000. The two are not comparable markets — Benahavís is dominated by large villas on big plots.
Where is the cheapest new build near Marbella?
Mijas, with a median of €352,000 and an entry point of €225,000 in our sample, followed by Cancelada from €259,303.
Does a higher price mean a better location?
No. Estepona’s median is €785,000 and Marbella’s is €1,250,000, but the cheapest Estepona development in the sample is €321,000 — location within an area matters more than the area’s average.
Figures are based on 90 randomly selected developments listed on this site in October 2026. Prices change; always confirm the current price list with us before making a decision.
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