by 
There are 632 new-build developments on our books on the Costa del Sol. Thirty-one of them start below €300,000, and the cheapest entry point is not where most buyers expect it. This page ranks the towns by their lowest advertised starting price, using our own portfolio rather than portal averages. It covers towns with eight or more developments. The single cheapest unit in the whole portfolio is a studio in Málaga city from €89,500, but with only two developments the city is a market of its own.
The ranking
| Town | Developments | From | Median start |
| Las Lagunas | 11 | €196,000 | €338,000 |
| Torremolinos | 16 | €212,000 | €519,000 |
| Fuengirola | 49 | €215,000 | €695,000 |
| Mijas | 55 | €225,000 | €590,000 |
| Estepona | 84 | €229,000 | €695,000 |
| Manilva | 21 | €288,000 | €398,000 |
| Casares | 25 | €301,000 | €584,500 |
| Benalmadena | 22 | €338,900 | €1,307,500 |
| La Cala de Mijas | 19 | €340,000 | €868,000 |
| Marbella | 39 | €395,000 | €1,700,000 |
| Benahavís | 44 | €400,000 | €3,822,500 |
| La Cala Golf | 23 | €410,000 | €1,661,940 |
| San Pedro de Alcántara | 11 | €440,000 | €1,204,970 |
| Mijas Costa | 8 | €455,000 | €1,062,475 |
| New Golden Mile | 11 | €469,000 | €1,372,710 |
| Málaga Este | 8 | €472,440 | €1,472,500 |
| San Roque | 8 | €524,000 | €5,525,000 |
| Sotogrande | 9 | €850,000 | €4,950,000 |
Towns with eight or more developments in our portfolio. “From” is the lowest advertised starting price in that town.
Las Lagunas — €196,000
The cheapest town-level market on the coast is not a resort town. Las Lagunas is the flat, workaday district behind Fuengirola: supermarkets, schools, the bus, and a ten-minute drive to the beach. Eleven developments, from €196,000, median €338,000. The cheapest is a project from €196,000 with one to three-bedroom units of 44–103 m².
What you get at that price is a compact home of 32–74 m², one or two bedrooms, in a residential community. What you do not get is a sea view or a street that looks like a postcard. For a buyer who wants new build at the lowest possible entry and intends to live there year-round, it is the most sensible market on this list.
Torremolinos — €212,000
Sixteen developments, and a train line that runs to Málaga airport. The entry level is a one or two-bedroom unit of 69–85 m², from €212,000. The median starting price of €519,000 tells you something the entry price does not: most of the new build here is not cheap. Torremolinos has both a budget market and a seafront market, and they barely touch.
Fuengirola — €215,000
Forty-nine developments — the second deepest market on the coast after Estepona — starting at €215,000, with a median of €695,000. Fuengirola is where the spread is widest: five developments start below €300,000 while others run past €2m. It is a town with a real centre, a long beach and a train line, which is why the middle of its market is expensive. The cheapest entry is a one to two-bedroom unit of 48–88 m² at €215,000.
Mijas — €225,000
Fifty-five developments, from €225,000, median €590,000. Mijas is really three markets wearing one name: the pueblo up the mountain, the coastal strip, and the golf courses at La Cala. The cheap end is in the coastal districts, not in the village. The cheapest project offers one to three-bedroom units of 40–86 m² from €225,000.
Estepona — €229,000
Eighty-four developments, the deepest new-build market we cover, from €229,000. Twenty-five of them start at €500,000 or below. Estepona is the unusual case on this list: one of the cheapest entry points is also the market with the most choice, which is why it appears in most of our buyers’ shortlists. The entry point is a one to three-bedroom unit of 71–175 m² at €229,000.
What the cheap end actually is
At this level the units are compact: nineteen of the thirty-one developments under €300,000 offer nothing larger than 115 m², and every one of them has a unit of 60 m² or less. Only three offer four bedrooms or more. The exceptions are inland — Alhaurín de la Torre, Ojén, Coín — where the same money buys more space and a longer drive to the sea.
Two things move the price more than anything else: distance from the beach, and whether the unit has a view. A development 800 metres inland can start at half the price of one on the front line, in the same town, built to the same standard.
The trap in a low starting price
The cheapest unit in a development is usually the worst one: ground floor, facing the road, or with a terrace that looks into a neighbouring block. Developers price it to advertise a number. If you want the layout and orientation that made you like the project, expect to pay 15–30% above the starting figure. Budget for that before you fall in love with a headline price.
On top of the price come buying costs: 10% IVA on new build in Spain, plus notary, land registry, legal fees and stamp duty. Budget 10–13% on top. We have the full breakdown in what buying really costs in Spain.
How these numbers were produced
Every figure comes from the 632 new-build developments currently in our portfolio, using the lowest advertised price for each development as published by the developer. The median is the middle starting price in that town. Prices change without notice, units sell, and a development that is cheap today may have nothing left under €400,000 next month. Confirm any figure that matters before you decide.
Common questions
What is the cheapest new build on the Costa del Sol?
The lowest starting price in our portfolio is a studio in Málaga city at €89,500. Among towns with a real new-build market, Las Lagunas is the cheapest at €196,000, followed by Torremolinos at €212,000 and Fuengirola at €215,000.
Is a new build cheaper than a resale?
On the price tag, usually not: resale stock in the same area is often lower. On total cost the gap narrows, because a new build carries 10% IVA while resale carries transfer tax, and a new build usually needs no renovation. The two taxes are different, not one cheaper than the other, so compare the final figure rather than the asking price.
How much do I need on top of the purchase price?
Budget 10–13% of the price for IVA, notary, land registry, legal fees and stamp duty. On a €300,000 apartment that is roughly €30,000–€39,000 that is not in the advertised figure.
The cheapest developments on the coast right now
