Calpe is among the four municipalities with the highest property prices in the entire Valencian Community

Property purchase prices have soared by more than 19% in just one year across the four major coastal property markets of the Marina Alta. Xàbia leads the ranking at €3,455 per square metre, and an average household would need to allocate the equivalent of 69% of its disposable income to purchase a property.

The most expensive housing in the Valencian Community is no longer in the city of Valencia.

• Nor in Benidorm.
• Nor in Alboraia.
• It is in the Marina Alta.
• And not in just one municipality.

Xàbia, Teulada-Moraira, Dénia and Calp occupy the top four positions in the regional ranking of coastal property prices, according to data from the Vivienda en Costa 2026 report for the first quarter of the year.

The figures show just how much pressure has intensified on the property market in this part of Alicante.

Xàbia reaches €3,455 per square metre.

Teulada-Moraira stands at €3,292.

Dénia reaches €2,837.

And Calp stands at €2,830 per square metre.

All four markets have also recorded year-on-year increases of around or above 20%.

But the most concerning figure is not just the price.

It is the financial effort required to buy.

In Xàbia, an average household would need to allocate the equivalent of 69% of its disposable income to purchase a property.

In Teulada-Moraira, the figure reaches 64%.

In Calp, 60%.

And in Dénia, 55%.

All of them are well above the 30% generally used as a benchmark for a reasonable level of housing affordability.

The Marina Alta therefore consolidates an increasingly evident paradox: it is one of the most attractive areas in the entire Valencian Community in which to buy property, but also one of the most difficult places to live if household income comes from the local labour market.

Xàbia leads the ranking at €3,455 per square metre

The most extreme case is Xàbia.

The municipality reached €3,455 per square metre during the first quarter of 2026.

This represents a year-on-year increase of 22.8%.

To put this figure into perspective, an 80-square-metre property would have a theoretical value of around €276,400 if the average price per square metre were simply applied.

A 100-square-metre property would reach approximately €345,500.

Naturally, the actual price will depend on location, condition, views, residential complex, distance from the sea and other characteristics.

However, the average helps illustrate the scale of the market.

Xàbia therefore ranks above every other coastal municipality in the Valencian Community analysed in the report.

And the increase does not appear to be the result of a temporary anomaly.

For years, the municipality has competed with other destinations in the Marina Alta for the top positions in the regional property market.

Its coastline, residential developments, the presence of foreign buyers and demand for second homes have created a market with its own distinctive characteristics.

DSAlicante offers several guides to the municipality, including one about Cabo de la Nao and its viewpoints, one of the areas that helps explain Xàbia’s residential and tourist appeal.

But living alongside this landscape is becoming increasingly expensive.

Calp approaches €2,830 per square metre and requires 60% of disposable income

Calp completes the top four positions.

The price reaches €2,830 per square metre.

The year-on-year increase is 20.4%.

And the financial effort required to purchase a property stands at 60% of disposable income.

The municipality has one particular characteristic.

While prices continue to rise sharply, property transactions fell by 10.6% during 2025, to around 1,038 transactions.

This could indicate several different trends.

Part of the demand may be reaching its limits due to high prices.

There may be fewer properties available.

Or the market may simply have normalised after several years of intense activity.

What has not happened is a fall in prices.

Quite the opposite.

The market has become more than 20% more expensive.

A 100-square-metre property valued at the average price would theoretically cost around €283,000.

And in certain areas close to the sea, residential complexes or buildings with views of the Peñón de Ifach, prices can be considerably higher.

Benidorm is no longer among the most expensive property markets

The ranking reveals another striking picture.

Benidorm appears behind the four municipalities of the Marina Alta.

Its average price stands at €2,786 per square metre.

This means that Xàbia, Teulada-Moraira, Dénia and Calp are currently more expensive according to this indicator.

Altea, the city of Valencia, Alboraia and l’Alfàs del Pi also rank below them.

The geographical concentration is remarkable.

The top four positions belong to neighbouring municipalities within the same region.

We are not talking about four markets spread across Castellón, Valencia and Alicante.

They are all in the Marina Alta.

And all on the Mediterranean coast.

Prices rise by around 20% in just twelve months

The picture becomes even more striking when annual price trends are analysed.

• Xàbia: +22.8%.
• Dénia: +21.3%.
• Calp: +20.4%.
• Teulada-Moraira: +19.5%.

In property market terms, these are extremely high increases for a period of just twelve months.

A property valued at €250,000 that increased by 20% would theoretically rise to €300,000.

That is a difference of €50,000 in one year.

This pace of growth has two sides.

For a property owner, it can represent a significant increase in the value of their asset.

For someone trying to buy for the first time, it means the goal is moving further away.

Savings that seemed sufficient a year earlier may no longer be enough.

And while buyers try to save a larger deposit, prices may continue to rise.

This dynamic is particularly difficult for young people.

Their ability to save is usually lower during the first years of their working lives.

And salaries do not increase at the same pace as property prices when the market records rises of around 20%.

The problem is not only how much housing costs, but who can afford it

Property statistics can give the impression that rising prices are always good news.

If a property increases in value, its owner holds a more valuable asset.

But the residential property market does not work in exactly the same way as other financial assets.

Housing is also a basic necessity.

And when property prices move too far away from local incomes, imbalances begin to emerge.

Workers living increasingly far from their workplaces.

Young people delaying leaving the family home.

Families unable to buy property in the municipality where they grew up.

Essential professionals struggling to live close to their workplace.

Hospitality businesses unable to find staff during the tourist season because rents are too high.

Teachers.

Healthcare workers.

Police officers.

Shop assistants.

Waiters.

Cleaning staff.

Supermarket workers.

The tourism economy needs workers.

But those workers need housing.

When the property market is increasingly geared towards buyers with significantly greater purchasing power than the local population, these two realities begin to clash.

International demand plays a particularly important role

The Marina Alta has had a strong presence of foreign property buyers for decades.

• British.
• German.
• Dutch.
• Belgian.
• French.
• Scandinavian.
• And buyers from other European countries.

For many of them, buying a property on the Costa Blanca can be competitive compared with prices in their countries of origin.

There is also an emotional component.

• Climate.
• Sea.
• Services.
• Air connections.
• Gastronomy.
• Safety.
• And a Mediterranean lifestyle that remains one of Alicante’s greatest attractions.

This sustains demand even when local property prices rise.

International buyers do not necessarily compare Xàbia with Elda or Alcoy.

They may compare it with a city in the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Germany or Belgium.

And that difference in economic reference points completely changes the market.

Permanent housing competes with second homes

Another factor is the structure of the housing stock.

A large proportion of properties along the Marina Alta coast are second homes.

Properties used during holidays.

Homes occupied only during certain months of the year.

Properties used for holiday rentals.

Or properties purchased as investments.

This reduces the number of homes available for permanent residence.

When the population and permanent demand increase but a significant proportion of the housing stock does not enter the traditional residential market, the result tends to be greater pressure on prices.

The problem is also evident in the rental market.

DSAlicante has previously reported that Dénia, Xàbia, Calp and other coastal municipalities are among the areas of Alicante where rents have risen most sharply in 2026.

The purchase and rental markets are therefore sending similar signals.

What it means to spend more than 50% of income on housing

In all four municipalities analysed, the financial effort required to purchase a property exceeds 50%.

This indicator affects the entire household budget.

If a very high proportion of income is allocated to housing, less money remains available for everything else.

Food.

Transport.

Education.

Savings.

Leisure.

Repairs.

Insurance.

Unexpected expenses.

And this increases financial vulnerability.

A family may be able to manage a high monthly payment while everything is going well.

The problem arises when circumstances change.

Sick leave.

Job loss.

An increase in interest rates.

An unexpected repair.

A new child.

Or any other major expense.

The higher the percentage of income committed to housing, the smaller the financial safety margin.

That is why affordability indicators are so important.

The price of a property alone does not tell us whether it is expensive for a particular family.

It must be considered in relation to their income.

And in the Marina Alta, this relationship has clearly deteriorated.

Alicante is already one of the Spanish provinces with the strongest property price growth

Pressure in the Marina Alta is also contributing to the overall trend across the province.

The report places Alicante among the Spanish provinces with the largest increases in coastal property prices.

The province records an increase of around 18.9%, practically on a par with Santa Cruz de Tenerife and above other traditionally high-pressure markets such as Málaga or Valencia.

The Alicante coast has become one of the major hotspots of the Spanish property market.

Its international appeal benefits the economy.

It generates investment.

Construction activity.

Renovations.

Real estate services.

Retail.

Hospitality.

And consumer spending.

But at the same time, it creates enormous pressure on access to permanent housing.

The challenge is to ensure that these two realities can coexist.

A 100-square-metre property in Xàbia now exceeds €345,000

Prices per square metre provide a simple comparison.

Taking a hypothetical 100-square-metre property:

In Xàbia, the average price would be approximately €345,500.

In Teulada-Moraira, approximately €329,200.

In Dénia, approximately €283,700.

And in Calp, approximately €283,000.

These figures do not include taxes or purchase costs.

Nor do they reflect differences between neighbourhoods.

A seafront property can cost considerably more.

Another property in a less sought-after area may be available for less.

But the comparison helps illustrate the scale of the market.

Furthermore, to finance a €300,000 purchase, buyers normally need to have a significant amount of savings available beforehand.

Banks do not usually finance 100% of the transaction.

This makes the deposit an additional barrier.

The map of the Valencian Community’s most expensive housing markets has shifted towards northern Alicante

For years, when discussing the most expensive property markets in the Valencian Community, the same predictable locations tended to appear.

The city of Valencia.

Benidorm.

Alboraia.

Altea.

Now the picture has changed.

The top four positions are concentrated in the Marina Alta.

Xàbia.

Teulada-Moraira.

Dénia.

Calp.

Four municipalities separated by only a few dozen kilometres.

Four markets whose prices have risen by approximately 20% in just one year.

And four places where the financial effort required to purchase a home is far above the level considered reasonable.

For those who already own a property, these figures reflect a strong increase in value.

For those trying to enter the market now, they mean exactly the opposite.

The starting point is moving further and further away.

The big question for the coming years will be whether salaries, housing supply and housing policies can keep pace.

Because the Marina Alta may continue to be one of the most desirable places to live on the Mediterranean.

But if buying a home requires between 55% and 69% of disposable income, more and more residents may discover that wanting to live there is one thing.

Being able to afford it is quite another.

SOURCE: https://dsalicante.com/vivienda/vivienda-xabia-moraira-denia-calp-precios-2026/