Property

Almeria is one of the Spanish provinces most attractive to foreign buyers

A study ranks the province seventh in the country with Brits, Dutch and Germans making up the majority of the market

M.C. Callejón .

Almería

31/08/2026 a las 12:50h.

Spain's Almeria province continues to be one of the most attractive destinations in the property market for international buyers. More specifically, for British buyers, ... who top the list alongside buyers from the Netherlands and Germany.

A report compiled by Idealista, the country's largest online property portal, puts the proportion of residential demand in the province coming from abroad at 17.4 per cent, placing it among the most attractive destinations in the Spanish Mediterranean. The study also highlights the municipality of Oria, which is experiencing an unusual phenomenon whereby foreign interest exceeds domestic interest, reaching almost 60 per cent.

According to the latest data on website traffic and property viewings published by Idealista, which was released on Friday 28 August, 17.4 per cent of demand from outside the region for property purchases in Almeria places it in a prominent second place in terms of international interest at a national level.

While the domestic market continues to be dominated by traditional mass holiday destinations – namely Alicante, which tops the table with 32.3 per cent; the Balearic Islands, with 28.2 per cent; Malaga, with 27.1 per cent; and Santa Cruz de Tenerife, with 26.5 per cent, Almeria manages to outperform its direct competitors within its own geographical and cultural sphere, surpassing the neighbouring Murcia (15.8 per cent) and Granada province (15 per cent).

British citizens continue to lead the way in property searches and transactions in the province, a long-standing trend that has remained unchanged despite the regulatory and macroeconomic changes of recent years and the impact of Brexit.

This type of buyer is looking for a combination of factors in Almeria that makes it highly competitive compared with other coastal areas: a superb climate, unspoilt, authentic countryside and crucially, a price per square metre that is significantly more affordable than that of the overcrowded Costa del Sol or the Costa Blanca.

Almeria city centre

The situation in Almeria city is entirely different, demonstrating that the province is operating at two very distinct speeds. In Almeria city the influence of international buyers is significantly diluted, according to the study’s data, due to the enormous volume of domestic and national demand and they account for only 8.2 per cent of all viewings of properties for sale.

This urban trend, the report notes, is common in the country’s major population centres. For example, in residential markets on the scale of Barcelona province, foreign interest stands at 8.1 per cent; in Seville it falls to 4.7 per cent; and in Madrid it drops to 3.9 per cent, as local demand absorbs almost all of the available stock.

However, the most significant aspect of Almeria city is not the volume, but the composition of its international clientele: unlike the rest of the province, where the UK holds an undisputed monopoly, the city has a much more cosmopolitan and diverse profile. British buyers continue to top the city’s search rankings, but second place is held by French citizens, followed very closely in third place by the German market.

Foreign demand for property in Spain has continued to be concentrated on the Mediterranean coast and the islands at the start of the year, with Alicante (32.3 per cent), the Balearic Islands (28.2 per cent), Malaga (27.1 per cent) and Santa Cruz de Tenerife (26.5 per cent) as the main destinations of interest, according to data on visits to properties for sale from idealista.

Oria ranks among the country’s ‘top 20’, with claims exceeding 58.5 per cent

One of the most striking and unexpected findings from the detailed analysis of the Almeria property market carried out by the property website Idealista is that the highest peak in international demand is not found in the beachfront towns, but in the interior of the province.

The municipality of Oria has, in fact, taken centre stage in the report by featuring in the select ‘top 20’ of Spanish towns where foreign interest in buying a property exceeds that of domestic buyers.

Demand from overseas buyers in Oria accounts for between 50 per cent and 60 per cent of the total local market, standing at 58.5 per cent. This phenomenon, in which British buyers dominate overwhelmingly, reflects a shift in the preferences of a section of buyers from northern Europe.

In the wake of the pandemic, there has been a growing trend towards rural and peaceful settings, detached houses or traditional farmhouses with land, and a lifestyle far removed from the crowds of major tourist centres.

Oria shares this exceptional performance with a very small number of Spanish municipalities, such as the Mallorcan towns of Canyamel and Cala d’Or (where foreign searches account for over 60 per cent), or the towns of Cómpeta, Frigiliana and Nerja in Malaga.