Torrevieja

A lively, year-round seaside city on the Costa Blanca South, set between the Mediterranean and two pink salt lagoons, where Blue Flag beaches, a real marina and one of the largest international communities in Spain meet some of the most affordable coastal prices on this coast.

At a glance: around 40 to 45 minutes to Alicante airport · 13 km of coastline and a string of Blue Flag beaches · two protected salt lagoons on the doorstep · a town of roughly 100,000 where more than half the residents are foreign · over 300 days of sun a year.

Why Torrevieja is different

Torrevieja is the big, beating heart of the Costa Blanca South. Where neighbours like Guardamar and Ciudad Quesada are quieter and more residential, Torrevieja is a proper city by the sea, with a working marina, a long seafront promenade, shopping centres, hospitals and a nightlife and dining scene that runs all year rather than closing down in October.

It grew up as a salt-mining town, and that history still shapes the place. The town sits between the Mediterranean on one side and two protected salt lagoons on the other, including the famous pink Laguna Salada de Torrevieja. That setting gives the area a microclimate widely reputed as one of the healthiest in Europe, with salt-laden air and very mild winters. For a foreign buyer, the draw is simple: a genuine year-round community, full city amenities, and some of the lowest entry prices for beachfront living anywhere on the Spanish Mediterranean.

Location and getting around

A coastal city, with the airport and the wider Costa Blanca both close

Torrevieja sits on the Costa Blanca South in Alicante province, on 13 km of coastline that runs from Torre La Mata in the north down to La Caleta and Mar Azul in the south. It is bordered by Guardamar del Segura to the north and the Orihuela Costa resorts to the south, with Alicante city around 50 km up the coast. The N-332 coastal road runs straight through the city and the AP-7 motorway is close by.

Alicante-Elche Airport is around 40 to 45 minutes by car on the N-332 and AP-7, which matters a great deal when family and friends are flying in from the UK and Ireland.
Murcia-Corvera Airport is roughly 45 minutes to the south, giving a useful second set of routes.
Beaches are on the doorstep, from the long sands of La Mata in the north to the coves and promenades of the town centre, so coast days never involve a drive.
Regular buses and good road links connect Torrevieja to Alicante, Cartagena and the neighbouring towns for shopping, hospitals and days out, and there are direct airport bus services for those who would rather not drive.

For buyers weighing up where to settle, Torrevieja offers the most in the way of amenities and convenience on this stretch of coast: everything a city provides, with the beach a few minutes away.

Beaches, lagoons and the great outdoors

Blue Flag sand on one side, pink salt lakes on the other

Torrevieja is built around water. The coast strings together a series of Blue Flag beaches and rocky coves, from the wide golden sands of Playa de La Mata and Playa del Cura to sheltered swimming spots right by the centre, all backed by a long seafront promenade lined with bars and restaurants.

Inland and to the north sit the two great natural gems. The Parque Natural de las Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja protects two salt lakes, including the striking pink Laguna Rosa, home to flamingos and a magnet for walkers, cyclists and photographers. The salt air here is the reason the local microclimate is so often praised for those with respiratory and joint conditions. Add the marina, water parks for the summer, and a calendar of festivals, and outdoor life carries on comfortably through the winter, with over 300 days of sun a year.

A quick word on the seasons. Summer is warm, with August often around 30°C, tempered by the sea breeze. Winters are notably mild, with January and February daytime highs around 16°C, far warmer than the UK, which is exactly why so many residents stay all year rather than only in season. Many buyers favour spring and autumn, when the days are pleasant and the town is calmer.

Lifestyle: who Torrevieja suits

For families

Torrevieja is a full-service city, with international-friendly schooling, two hospitals including the well-regarded Torrevieja University Hospital and the private Quirón, sports facilities, water parks and safe, walkable beachfront neighbourhoods. The breadth of amenities and the large established expat community make settling in straightforward for children and parents alike.

For retirees and second-home owners

This is one of the most established choices on the whole Costa Blanca. The mild climate, the much-praised salt-air microclimate, excellent healthcare and a very large international community make Torrevieja a long-standing favourite for those buying a place in the sun for the long term. English is widely spoken, day-to-day life is easy, and there is a real year-round social scene rather than a resort that empties out of season.

For investors and rental buyers

Torrevieja offers the lowest entry prices for Mediterranean beachfront living on this coast, with central apartments within walking distance of the sea starting at very modest figures. Combined with low running costs and strong year-round rental demand from both holidaymakers and long-stay visitors, that makes the town a popular choice for buyers with one eye on yield as well as lifestyle.

For food and culture lovers

The marina, the promenade and the old centre are lined with bars and restaurants serving everything from fresh local seafood, arroz a banda and paella to international favourites reflecting the town's diverse community. The big Friday street market is a fixture of the week, and Torrevieja has a genuine cultural life too, from its famous habanera choral festival to elaborate Semana Santa processions and a full summer calendar of fairs and concerts.

The Torrevieja property market

What your money buys, and what really moves the price

Torrevieja has one of the widest ranges of property on the Costa Blanca South. City-centre and beachside apartments dominate, but the surrounding area also offers townhouses, semi-detached quads, and detached villas with private pools in residential zones such as Los Balcones, La Siesta, El Chaparral and the areas around the salt lakes, in both established neighbourhoods and newer developments. The town is known above all for value: it remains one of the cheapest places to own a home by the sea on the Spanish Mediterranean, although strong foreign demand has been steadily pushing prices up.

As a guide, here is the kind of spread currently available through Sunshine Homes:

From around €95k	€155k apartment	€265k townhouse	€450k+ villa
2-bed apartment	2-bed sea-view apt	3-bed townhouse	3/4-bed detached

As with any new build or resale, the headline figure is only the start. Distance to the beach, the presence of a private pool or solarium, sea views, the orientation, the floor and lift access in an apartment block, and the age of the build can move the price of two otherwise similar homes by tens of thousands of euros. That is exactly the detail we help buyers see clearly before they travel.

A note on buying costs. Torrevieja is in the Alicante region of the Valencian Community, where resale purchase tax (ITP) is charged on top of the price at 9%, alongside notary, registry and legal fees, while new builds carry IVA (VAT) and stamp duty (AJD) instead at 10%. We always recommend taking advice from a qualified independent Spanish lawyer before you commit, and being especially careful with off-plan contracts and stage payments. We are happy to introduce you to recommended local solicitors, and the choice of who advises you is always yours.

What the numbers say about the last five years

Torrevieja has tracked the wider southern Costa Blanca, one of the stronger-performing coastal markets in Europe since the post-2015 recovery. As a rough guide, average values in the area have climbed steadily over the decade, with the Alicante province posting double-digit annual growth at the 2025 peak. The figures below give a sense of the trend. They are drawn from public asking-price indices, which vary between sources and sit above final sold prices, so treat them as direction of travel rather than a valuation.

Entry level: central apartments still start from around the mid €90,000s to €120,000, among the lowest beachside prices in Spain.
By 2025: average values across the town had risen well above their post-recovery lows, with sea-view and new-build stock commanding a clear premium.
Mid-2025 peak: Alicante province was up around 15.9% year on year.

Sources: idealista, indomio and INE / CaixaBank regional data, 2015 to 2025. Asking prices; final sold prices are typically lower.

The broad picture across the decade to 2025: a steady climb in the calmer years, accelerating sharply in 2024 and 2025 as foreign demand returned in force and the supply of quality new build stayed tight. In Torrevieja specifically, the priciest stock sits frontline to the sea and in the newest gated developments, while the most affordable is found among the older central apartments set back from the beach. International buyers, led by British, Scandinavian, Belgian and Irish families, make up a very large share of the local market, and more than half the town's residents are foreign.

New build versus resale: a benchmark

The two parts of the market behave differently and carry different costs. This is the honest comparison we walk buyers through:

Share of foreign sales (Alicante)	Resale About 88%	New Build About 12% and rising
Purchase tax	ITP transfer tax (Alicante region)	IVA (VAT) at 10% plus stamp duty (AJD)
Typical price position	Lowest entry point on this coast	Premium for modern spec and efficiency
Move-in	Immediate	On completion, or off-plan wait
Energy efficiency	Varies, often older standards	Built to current high standards
Guarantees	As inspected	Developer warranties on the build

Total acquisition costs on the Costa Blanca generally run around 11 to 15 per cent above the purchase price once tax, notary, registry and legal fees are included. Tax rates and reliefs change, so confirm current figures with your lawyer.

What this means for a buyer. Resale gives you an established location and a quicker, often cheaper, entry. New build gives you modern efficiency, developer guarantees and lower running costs, usually at a premium per square metre. Neither is automatically the better buy. It depends on your budget, timescale and how you intend to use the home, which is exactly the conversation we are here to have with you. You can compare both live: pre-owned in Torrevieja and new build in Torrevieja.

Why buy in Torrevieja with Sunshine Homes

We are an independent agency working right across the Costa Blanca South, with deep local knowledge of Torrevieja, the salt-lake neighbourhoods and the surrounding coast. Rather than pushing a fixed stock list, we start with what suits you and then find it across the market, including new build developments that are never advertised on the portals. From the first conversation through viewings, negotiation, the legal process and key handover, you have one honest point of contact who knows the area and is working for you.

You can browse all Torrevieja listings, explore our new build developments in Torrevieja, or get in touch to start a tailored search. Selling instead? Request a free property valuation.

Torrevieja buyer questions, answered

Where is Torrevieja and how far is the airport?

Torrevieja is a coastal city in Alicante province on the southern Costa Blanca, on the sea between Guardamar del Segura to the north and Orihuela Costa to the south, with Alicante city about 50 km away. Alicante-Elche Airport is around 40 to 45 minutes by car via the N-332 and AP-7, and Murcia-Corvera Airport is roughly 45 minutes to the south.

Is Torrevieja a good place for foreign buyers?

It is one of the most established choices on this coast. More than half of residents are foreign, mainly British, Scandinavian, Belgian and Irish, drawn over the decades by the value, the beaches and the climate. You get a genuine year-round community, full city amenities, two hospitals and schooling nearby, and a lively setting rather than a purely seasonal resort.

What does property cost in Torrevieja?

Expect central apartments from around the mid €60,000s to €85,000, sea-view apartments and townhouses from the high €100,000s to mid €200,000s, and detached villas with pools typically from the high €300,000s into the premium bracket. The right figure depends heavily on distance to the beach, sea views, the pool, the build age and the exact neighbourhood, so it is best confirmed with an agent against live availability.

What is there to do all year round?

Blue Flag beaches and a long seafront promenade, the marina, walking and cycling around the La Mata and Torrevieja salt lagoons, water parks in summer, the big Friday market, shopping centres, and the bars and restaurants of the centre and the port. With over 300 days of sun a year, outdoor life continues right through the winter.

Is Torrevieja better than Guardamar or Ciudad Quesada?

It depends on what you want. Torrevieja is the largest and liveliest of the three, a real city with the most amenities, the lowest entry prices and beaches on the doorstep, but it is busier and more built up. Guardamar gives you pine forest and Blue Flag sand in a calmer setting, while Ciudad Quesada is inland, greener and built around golf, with more space and often better value for a villa with a pool. Many buyers compare all three, and we are happy to talk you through the trade-offs honestly.

Thinking about Torrevieja?

Let us bring you a genuine shortlist of Torrevieja homes that fit what you are actually looking for, with the real price and the full picture before you ever step on a plane.

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