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].

Who is buying? Nationality map

• Netherlands — #1 in much of the province (Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa, Altea). Focus on new builds, energy efficiency, proximity to Alicante-Elche airport [6].
• United Kingdom — Largest non-EU buyer; concentrated in Torrevieja, Jávea, Villamartín. Post-Brexit they pay 24% IRNR with no deductions.
• Germany — Steady demand in Dénia, Jávea, Moraira, Altea.
• Belgium & France — Rising fast since 2021; EU 19% rate.
• Poland, Sweden, Norway, Ireland — New growth profiles, largely linked to long-stay remote work.

The COVID effect: from holidaymakers to permanent residents

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].

Digital nomads: the new Costa Blanca buyer

Spain's Startup Law created the 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 the 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 hosts the International Congress on Remote Work and Digital Nomads since 2024 [11].
• Spain is the world's #3 destination for digital nomads (Nomad List) [12].

Why Alicante

• 300+ days of sunshine, 18 °C annual average.
• Public + private healthcare network.
• 30+ international schools.
• Valencia region cut ITP transfer tax to 9% in 2026.
• Huge supply of new-build housing aimed at international buyers.

Tax implications for the new buyer

• Annual imputed income (Modelo 210)
• Rental income tax — 19% EU / 24% non-EU
• Capital gains & 3% withholding refund
• Digital nomad residents can opt into the Beckham regime (24% flat on Spanish-source income up to €600,000).

Related guides

• Dutch owners hub
• British post-Brexit guide
• Costa Blanca local hubs

Bronnen

• 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[5] Euro Weekly News — Dutch and Polish buyers drive growth
• 5[6] elEconomista — Dutch lead in Alicante
• 6[7] CaixaBank Research — Foreigners’ appetite for homes since the pandemic
• 7[8] TheObjective — Digital nomads in Spain +42%
• 8[9] El País — 185,000 fast-tracked foreign residents
• 9[10] Información — Alicante: 2,800 digital nomads in 2 years
• 10Registrars of Spain — Annual Real Estate Statistics 2024