Buying property on the Costa del Sol and in Marbella with a Spanish mortgage

The short answer

Marbella is one of the most expensive markets on Spain’s Mediterranean coast, and one of the simpler ones for purchase tax. Andalusia charges a flat 7% transfer tax on resale homes, with no bands.

For a non-resident buyer, the tax is not the hard part. The deposit is. Spanish lenders typically finance 60–70% for non-residents, so on a Marbella budget the cash you bring can run into six figures before any costs.

What money buys in Marbella

Marbella averaged €5,956 per m² in August 2026, 4% more than a year earlier, according to idealista’s price report. At that average:

Averages hide wide differences. A frontline flat, a villa in the hills and an apartment in the town centre can sit far apart per square metre. The lender will value the specific property, and the mortgage is based on the lower of price and valuation.

The wider Costa del Sol, from Estepona and Benahavís to Fuengirola and Málaga, follows the same Andalusian tax rules. Our areas guide compares prices and taxes across the coast.

Andalusian purchase taxes

The Andalusian Government confirms the general rates in force since 28 April 2021:

On an €800,000 home, that means €56,000 for a resale property and €89,600 for a new build (€80,000 VAT plus €9,600 stamp duty). The same resale home in Catalonia would pay €82,000, because the Catalan tax rises through bands above €600,000.

These are general rates. Reduced rates exist for specific cases, such as young buyers or large families, and are linked to buying a main residence, so they do not apply to a second home.

A worked example: €800,000 resale, non-resident buyer

Plan the 60% column until a lender has assessed your case and the valuation is known. If the valuation comes in at €760,000, 60% gives a €456,000 loan, and you fund the other €24,000.

Under Law 5/2019, the lender pays the notary fees for the mortgage deed, its registration and the agency that processes it; you pay the valuation. Try your own figures in the purchase costs calculator, which includes Andalusia.

Resale or new build?

Much of the new supply on the Costa del Sol is sold by developers, often off-plan. The tax is higher and the cash arrives in a different order:

With a new build, the lender values the finished property close to handover, not when you reserve. Staged payments usually come from your own funds, and the mortgage offer can only be final once the valuation is done. Our guide to buying off-plan in Spain covers the timing and the guarantees on those payments.

What lenders look at for a Costa del Sol purchase

The location matters less than the file. A Spanish lender assessing a non-resident will look at:

• stable net income and its currency, with tax returns from your country of residence;
• existing debts, including the mortgage on your main home, so that total payments stay affordable;
• the cash for the deposit and costs, and where it comes from;
• the use of the property: a second home is assessed on your income, and expected holiday-rental income rarely counts in full;
• the term, which can be shorter for non-residents and depends on your age at the end of the loan.

Our guide to second-home mortgages in Spain explains why lenders tend to be more conservative here than with a main home.

The plusvalía and the 3% withholding

Two items catch buyers by surprise when the seller is also a foreigner.

The municipal plusvalía. This local tax on the increase in land value is, in a normal sale, paid by the seller, under article 106 of the Local Finance Act. The exception: when the seller is an individual not resident in Spain, the law makes the buyer the substitute taxpayer. In practice, the amount is estimated and withheld from the price at completion.

The 3% withholding. When the seller is a non-resident without a permanent establishment in Spain, the buyer must withhold 3% of the price and pay it to the Spanish Tax Agency on account of the seller’s tax, under article 25.2 of the Non-Resident Income Tax Act. On €800,000, that is €24,000. The buyer pays it on form 211 within one month of the purchase; if it is not paid, the property itself remains liable for it, up to the lower of that amount and the seller’s tax. The seller then deducts the 3% from their own non-resident tax return, so it is a payment on account, not a separate charge.

Neither is an extra cost for you. Both are deducted from what the seller receives. But if they are missed, the buyer can be held responsible. Our partner lawyer will confirm the seller’s status and the amounts before signing.

Timing on the Costa del Sol

A typical resale purchase follows three steps:

1. Reservation, to take the property off the market.
2. Deposit contract, commonly around 10% of the price, with a date for completion.
3. Completion at the notary, where the mortgage is signed on the same day.

The mortgage needs time: valuation, lender approval, the binding offer and the legally required waiting period before signing. Agree the completion date only once the financing timetable is clear, and make sure your lawyer reviews any financing condition in the deposit contract.

Law 5/2019 also gives you at least ten calendar days with the mortgage documents before you are bound, and requires you to appear before the notary in that period for an explanation of the terms, recorded in a separate notarial act. Plan that visit, or ask our partner lawyer how it works if you will sign through a power of attorney.

How RCG coordinates it

RCG Finance is a real-estate credit intermediary registered with the Bank of Spain under number E760. Our office is in Salou, and we work remotely with non-resident buyers anywhere along the coast, including the Costa del Sol.

We prepare the mortgage file once and present it to the lenders that finance non-residents. Around it we coordinate:

• our partner lawyer, for the NIE, the Spanish bank account, a power of attorney if you cannot travel, the plusvalía and withholding checks, and the review of the contracts;
• a currency exchange partner, to convert and send the deposit and costs in euros, and provide transfer confirmations that form part of the payment trail the lender and notary ask for.

We do not give legal or tax advice. Your lawyer or tax adviser will confirm any point specific to your situation.

What to do next

Start with the purchase costs calculator and set it to Andalusia. Then gather your documents with the non-resident mortgage checklist.

If you are comparing Marbella with other parts of the coast, the areas guide sets out prices and taxes side by side. When the numbers work, our non-resident mortgage service puts the file in front of the right lenders.