Alicante, Europe's Magnet: Foreign Buyers and Digital Nomads Reshape the Costa Blanca (2020-2025)

The province of Alicante has, in just five years, become Spain's leading property market for foreign buyers. The pandemic, the normalisation of remote work and Spain's Startup Law (digital nomad visa) have accelerated a trend that was already structural along the Costa Blanca.

Almost 1 in 2 homes in Alicante is bought by a foreigner

According to the 2024 Report on Foreign Property Buyers in the Province of Alicante by the Notarial College of Valencia, 30,290 homes were sold to foreigners in Alicante in 2024 — +1% vs 2023 and +254% vs 2010 [1]. Foreign buyers now account for nearly 50% of all transactions in the province, ahead of Málaga and the Balearic Islands [2][3].

Source: Notarial Information Centre, quarterly statistics for the province of Alicante [1][4].

Who is buying? Nationality map

The most visible post-COVID shift is demand diversification. While British buyers historically dominated the Costa Blanca, Dutch purchasers now lead in many areas, with strong growth from Belgians, Poles and French buyers. British nationals remain the largest non-EU group but have lost relative share since Brexit [5][6].

• Netherlands — #1 in much of the province (Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa, Pilar de la Horadada, Altea). Focus on new builds, energy efficiency, proximity to Alicante-Elche airport [6].
• United Kingdom — Largest non-EU buyer; concentrated in Torrevieja, Jávea, Villamartín and Quesada. Post-Brexit they pay 24% IRNR with no deductions on Modelo 210.
• Germany — Steady demand for second homes and retirement in Dénia, Jávea, Moraira and Altea.
• Belgium & France — Rising fast since 2021; attracted by climate, pricing and the favourable 19% EU non-resident rate.
• Poland, Sweden, Norway, Ireland — New growth profiles, largely linked to long-stay remote work.
• Italy — More concentrated in Valencia city, but with growing presence on northern Alicante's coast [6].

The COVID effect: from holidaymakers to permanent residents

The pandemic transformed buying logic. CaixaBank Research shows that since 2021 resident foreigners have gained share over non-resident buyers — people are no longer buying just for holidays, but to live and work year-round [7].

Three factors explain the shift:

1. Remote work is here to stay. Professionals from northern Europe can keep their jobs and relocate to the Mediterranean coast without losing income.
2. Connectivity. Alicante-Elche airport closed 2024 with a record number of passengers and direct routes to most of Europe.
3. Relative pricing. The Costa Blanca price per square metre remains competitive versus the Balearics, Costa del Sol or southern France.

Digital nomads: the new Costa Blanca buyer

Spain's Startup Law (Law 28/2022) created the international remote worker visa (digital nomad visa) in late 2022. The impact is measurable:

• The Spanish Government counts 138,803 digital nomads, up 42% year-on-year [8].
• Counting senior expats and remote workers, 185,000 residents have been regularised through fast-track schemes [9].
• The province of Alicante alone has welcomed close to 2,800 digital nomads in two years under the specific visa [10].
• Alicante city has hosted the International Congress on Remote Work and Digital Nomads since 2024 [11].

Spain is the world's #3 destination for digital nomads (Nomad List), and the Costa Blanca consistently ranks among Europe's top-rated destinations for climate, cost and community [12].

Why Alicante and not another Mediterranean province?

• Climate. 300+ days of sunshine and an 18 °C annual average temperature.
• Healthcare. Access to public healthcare and a well-developed private network in Torrevieja, Dénia and Alicante.
• International education. 30+ British, German, French and Scandinavian schools across the province.
• ITP transfer tax. The Valencia region cut the general ITP rate to 9% in 2026, boosting resale property appeal.
• New-build supply. Local and international developers (TM, AEDAS, Habitat, Taylor Wimpey, Sonneil…) concentrate a major share of foreign-buyer housing in Alicante.

Tax implications for the new buyer

Buying in Alicante as a non-resident involves recurring AEAT obligations worth planning before you sign:

• Annual imputed income (Modelo 210) even if the property is not rented.
• Rental income tax — 19% for EU/EEA residents with expense deductions; 24% with no deductions for British and non-EU owners.
• Capital gains & 3% withholding refund on sale.
• If the buyer becomes tax resident via the digital nomad visa, they may opt into the Beckham regime (24% flat on Spanish-source income up to €600,000).

Conclusion

Alicante is no longer just the coast of retired British expats. In 2026 it is Spain's most internationalised province in property terms, with an increasingly young, professional and permanent profile driven by remote work and attractive tax rules for digital nomads. According to notaries and registrars, far from running out of steam, the trend consolidates year after year.

Related guides

• Costa Blanca: Modelo 210 by locality
• Dutch owners hub
• British post-Brexit guide
• Belgian owners: tax in Spain

Sources

• 1[1] Notarial College of Valencia / PROVIA — Foreign buyers report 2024
• 2[2] TodoAlicante — Alicante #1 province for foreign buyers
• 3[3] Olive Press — Foreigners = half of Alicante sales
• 4[4] Notarial College of Valencia — Quarterly Alicante sales series
• 5[5] Euro Weekly News — Dutch and Polish buyers drive growth
• 6[6] elEconomista — Dutch lead in Alicante
• 7[7] CaixaBank Research — Foreigners' appetite for homes since the pandemic
• 8[8] TheObjective — Digital nomads in Spain +42%
• 9[9] El País — 185,000 fast-tracked foreign residents
• 10[10] Información — Alicante: 2,800 digital nomads in 2 years
• 11[11] AAPET — Alicante remote work and digital nomads congress
• 12[12] Libertad Digital — Spain, world's #3 for digital nomads
• 13Registrars of Spain — Annual Real Estate Statistics 2024