When foreign buyers are split into residents and non-residents, the map of home buying in Spain changes completely: across the country, 61% of the homes bought by foreigners are now purchased by people who live here, while in the province of Malaga seven in ten foreign purchases are signed by non-residents. These are notarial figures for the first half of 2026, published by the Ministry of Housing.
The lender UCI describes a deep shift in international demand: foreign buyers are no longer looking only for a second home or an investment, but increasingly for a home to settle in for work or for good. According to its analysis, the average amount foreigners pay for a home is around €204,365, 40% more than in 2019. The question is whether that trend has also reached the Costa del Sol.
Do foreigners buy in Spain to live or to invest?
Nationally, the balance has clearly tipped towards those who live in Spain. In 2015, resident foreigners signed 49% of the purchases made by foreigners; in 2019, 57%; in 2025, 60%; and in the first half of 2026, 61%.
Between January and June 2026, resident foreigners bought 34,985 homes, almost 10% fewer than a year earlier, and non-residents bought 22,610, 17% fewer. Both figures are down, but purchases by buyers from abroad fell almost twice as fast. An important nuance: the statistics classify buyers by where they live, not by how they will use the property.
Where do resident foreigners buy most, and where do non-residents?
The national average hides very different markets. The table compares, for the first half of 2026, the weight of each profile in each province's total sales and the share of foreign purchases made by residents.
| Province | Foreign purchases (% of total) | Resident foreigners (% of total) | Non-resident foreigners (% of total) | Residents as share of foreign purchases |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Malaga | 38.1% | 11.3% | 26.8% | 29.7% |
| Alicante | 47.7% | 15.4% | 32.3% | 32.2% |
| Balearic Islands | 32.8% | 11.7% | 21.2% | 35.5% |
| Girona | 23.7% | 11.9% | 11.9% | 50.0% |
| Tarragona | 16.7% | 13.1% | 3.6% | 78.2% |
| Barcelona | 15.1% | 13.7% | 1.4% | 90.7% |
| Lleida | 13.2% | 12.6% | 0.5% | 96.1% |
| Madrid | 8.6% | 7.9% | 0.7% | 91.7% |
| Spain total | 16.3% | 9.9% | 6.4% | 60.7% |
Source: Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda, home transactions by buyer residence (notarial data), January to June 2026.
The province of Málaga sits alongside Alicante and the Balearic Islands: coastal markets where foreign buyers carry a lot of weight and most of them do not live in Spain. In Catalonia, by contrast, the pattern described by UCI is clearly visible. In Girona, home to the Costa Brava, foreign purchases are now split evenly between residents and non-residents; in Tarragona, almost eight in ten foreign buyers live in Spain, and in Barcelona and Lleida, more than nine in ten.
Is the profile of foreign buyers in Málaga changing?
| Period | Foreign purchases | By residents | By non-residents | Residents' share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | 10,962 | 2,549 | 8,413 | 23.3% |
| 2019 | 10,353 | 3,158 | 7,195 | 30.5% |
| 2022 | 16,778 | 4,293 | 12,485 | 25.6% |
| 2025 | 13,774 | 4,025 | 9,749 | 29.2% |
| January to June 2025 | 7,163 | 2,112 | 5,051 | 29.5% |
| January to June 2026 | 6,336 | 1,880 | 4,456 | 29.7% |
Province of Málaga. Source: Ministry of Housing and Urban Agenda (notarial data).
Foreigners who live in the province have gained some ground: they went from signing fewer than one in four foreign purchases in 2015 to around three in ten. But the progress has stalled. Since 2019 their share has hovered between 25% and 30%, and the big jump of 2022 was driven by non-residents, with more than 12,400 purchases, a record for the series.
In the first half of 2026, purchases by residents and by non-residents fell by almost the same amount, around 11% each. In other words, Málaga is not seeing the shift towards resident buyers that is visible across Spain as a whole.
Why do non-residents still dominate on the Costa del Sol?
- Connections and climate: Málaga airport has direct flights to much of Europe, which makes it easy to use a home for a few weeks or months a year without moving.
- Budget: according to Spain's General Council of Notaries, in the first half of 2026 non-residents paid an average of €3,493 per square metre in Spain, compared with €2,102 for resident foreigners. That higher-budget buyer fits the coastal supply.
- Rent first, buy later: many families who move to the Costa del Sol rent for a while before buying, and by the time they do, they already count as residents.
- Mixed markets: in towns such as Marbella, Estepona or Fuengirola , second homes, rental investment and families who live here all year round sit side by side.
What changes if you buy to live here or as a non-resident?
| Aspect | Buying to live here (resident) | Buying as a non-resident |
|---|---|---|
| Mortgage | Banks usually lend up to 80% of the appraised value | The usual range is 60% to 70% of the appraised value |
| Annual tax for owning the home | A main residence is not taxed on deemed income | Non-Resident Income Tax (form 210) on deemed income: 19% for the EU and EEA, 24% for everyone else |
| What to look at | Schools, work, healthcare and year-round transport | Yield, rental rules, services and upkeep while you are away |
Conclusion: Málaga is still a non-resident market
Foreign buyers who come to stay are gaining weight in Spain, but in the province of Málaga the engine is still the buyer from abroad: seven in ten foreign purchases. For sellers, this means a large part of demand decides from a distance and values remote management; for buyers, it means defining from the outset what the home is for, because it changes the area, the financing and the taxes.
At EVS Property Group we can help whether you are moving here, looking for a second home or making an investment. You can check asking prices by town in our Costa del Sol market report or contact us to start your search.
FAQ
What percentage of foreign buyers in Málaga live in Spain?
In the first half of 2026, 29.7% of foreign home purchases in the province of Málaga were made by residents of Spain. The remaining 70.3% were made by non-residents.
How many homes did foreigners buy in Málaga in 2026?
Between January and June 2026, 6,336 of the province's 16,617 home sales, or 38.1%, according to notarial data from the Ministry of Housing.
Where do foreigners who live in Spain buy most?
Proportionally, in provinces such as Barcelona, Madrid or Lleida, where more than 90% of foreign buyers already live in Spain. On the most touristy stretches of the Mediterranean coast, such as Málaga, Alicante or the Balearic Islands, non-residents dominate.
Can a non-resident get a mortgage in Spain?
Yes. Spanish banks lend to non-residents, although they usually lend a smaller share of the property's value than to a resident and ask for more documentation on income.
What next? The most useful thing after reading is to look at the real market: browse properties by city or tell us on WhatsApp what you are looking for — area, budget, timing — and we will prepare a tailored selection, with no obligation.
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