“It’s blingier on the Costa del Sol,” says Iain Begg, sales director at QP Savills Algarve, Portugal. “The Algarve is more reserved.” His southern Spain-based colleague, James Stewart of QP Savills Sotogrande, shrugs: “It’s got a certain cachet and it’s fun and buzzy.”
The two European golf meccas have long drawn international buyers — from the UK, US and Scandinavia in particular — but the landscape is changing. Since Portugal concluded its golden visa scheme in 2023, and Spain last year, both destinations are upping the ante for second-home owners, digital nomads and families — and not just the golf crazy.
The Costa del Sol, nicknamed the Costa del Golf, stretches 144km across Andalusia, from Nerja in the east to San Roque on the border with Gibraltar in the west. Alongside Michelin-starred restaurants, world-class international schools and gated residential communities are 70 golf clubs with elite championship courses — including Spain’s number one course, Valderrama in Sotogrande, on the region’s western coast. In 1997 it became the first outside the British Isles to host the Ryder Cup, and today it is surrounded by eight courses within 10 minutes of each other, Stewart says. The designer boutiques, super-yachts and beach clubs of Marbella’s Golden Mile, a 40-minute drive west of Málaga airport, ratchets up the area’s glitz factor.
Approximately 400km further west along the coast, the Algarve spans 160km from the Guadiana River on the Spanish border to Sagres on Portugal’s western tip. The 43 courses include Monte Rei Golf & Country Club, the North and South courses at Quinta do Lago, and the Dom Pedro Victoria course at Vilamoura. According to Begg, it’s “quieter” than the Costa del Sol and arguably less flash.
Property prices in both regions are similar — the average price per square metre in Algarve is €3,467 as of August 2025, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE) in Portugal, compared with €3,842 on the Costa del Sol, according to Idealista in Spain — yet they draw very different buyers, estate agents say.
Those with deep pockets are drawn to apartments on Spain’s Golden Mile, a 5km-long stretch of pristine coastline between western Marbella and Puerto Banús, where prices range from €4mn to more than €20mn. A villa in La Zagaleta, a private estate in Benahavís, recently broke the €30mn barrier, according to Stewart.
Mindful of last year’s end of the golden visa programme — which granted residency to non-EU buyers investing at least €500,000 in property — much is being done at the top end of the market to keep interest buoyant. Since 2024, €3.2bn has been invested in luxury developments across the Costa del Sol, including exclusive residences at the golf and hotel estate of Finca Cortesin in Casares, where prices start at €2.68mn for villas with a concierge on the first line of the golf course, with views over the Mediterranean. Nine branded residence schemes are also under way in Marbella, including Design Hills by Dolce & Gabbana and Karl Lagerfeld Villas overlooking the beach on the Golden Mile; Four Seasons residences are in progress on the other side of town.
“These new five-star schemes will transform the region,” says Setareh Mohregi, director at Dils Lucas Fox. “There are still modest hotels and affordable restaurants but we also have high luxury now, which was missing.”
Most prospective property buyers in Costa del Sol are shopping for secondary homes, and about 15 per cent are looking to move to the area full-time, according to Stewart, who has lived there for 45 years. “The international schools have been a driving factor in creating a year-round destination — there is always a buzz here, even in winter.” He finds it an easy place to live. “Everything is 10 minutes away — the office, golf, beach, polo club, restaurants.”
While English is only spoken by about a quarter of Spanish citizens nationally, the locals around Marbella and Sotogrande tend to have a good command, he adds, due to the high volume of permanent British residents. (There are around 74,000 British residents formally registered in Málaga province, according to early 2026 data from Spain’s national statistics office INE.)
“I have access to everything in Marbella that I had in London — gyms, shops, restaurants — plus world-class golf, polo, museums and a far better climate,” says Rory Hughes (who preferred not to give his real name), a semi-retired oil broker who moved permanently to the Costa del Sol two years ago. “With a little local knowledge you can find authentic Spanish places and quiet bays.”
The percentage of full-time residents is also growing in the Algarve, where English is frequently spoken and the majority of restaurants and shops now stay open in winter. “Golfers can play all year round, while others come to escape harsher winters elsewhere,” Begg says, noting that temperatures remain mild at 15-18 degrees Celsius in the coldest months of the year, even if the sea temperature is colder.
The best properties are found in the central part of the region, in and around the “golden triangle” of Almancil, Vale do Lobo, which has the Royal and Ocean golf courses and a tennis academy, and Quinta do Lago, where prices can stretch above €20mn — although it’s possible to get a villa for €3mn-€4mn. Average prices in Val do Lobo and Quinta do Lago stand at €10,000 and more than €12,600 per square metre respectively according to QP Savills Algarve, higher than those of La Zagaleta on the Costa del Sol (€6,500-€7,000).
The town of Vilamoura — home to one of Begg’s favourite courses, Els Club Vilamoura — is the closest contender to Marbella. It has a way to go, Begg says, but more than €900mn is being invested in sports facilities, shops and restaurants.
Prices in Algarve climbed 9.3 per cent in 2025, according to QP Savills Algarve, and 61 per cent over the decade to 2022, according to Knight Frank. Begg, who moved to the region from London with his wife and two children after the pandemic and is currently house hunting in the Algarve, attributes the surging values to a short supply of homes within a finite number of top resorts. Buyers are having to look further afield — Silves and Tavira, further inland, recorded double-digit annual price growth last year.
Like the Costa del Sol, the region is also refining its offerings: here, the shift is distinctly towards lifestyle and wellness, with residential communities such as Quinta do Lago offering professional-level sports facilities including tennis, padel and all-weather football pitches. There is also a shift towards hospitality-led residential developments, with Viceroy-managed homes at the Ombria Algarve development near Loulé and Marriott servicing the Salgados resort, west of Albufeira.
“The new generation of buyers aren’t looking to play golf every day: they want to cycle, visit the local markets, spend time on the beaches and in the mountains,” says Patrícia Barão, head of residential for Dils Portugal.
Following the conclusion of the golden visa schemes, digital nomad visas, which offer favourable tax rates (24 per cent flat rate in Spain; 20 per cent in Portugal) are luring British remote workers to both the Costa del Sol and the Algarve. Families are still being drawn by the lifestyle — the weather, healthcare and schools, say Stewart and Begg.
In Spain, the Sotogrande International School, one of the top schools in the world for the International Baccalaureate, has expanded by about 300 pupils since the pandemic; other popular schools include Aloha College in Marbella, the British International School of Marbella and the British School of Málaga. In total there are 15 schools, four of which opened between 2020 and 2024, according to ISC Research. Schools such as the nature-immersive Alma Forest School and the Brave Generation Academy for flexible learning are also diversifying the offering.
“It’s a serious place for education and sport — the region’s golf academies are producing players who reach the DP World Tour, and the tennis schools are developing international competitors,” says Stewart.
Portuguese immigration data suggests that the number of UK nationals living in Portugal tripled between 2014 and 2024, and Begg says families are continuing to relocate to the Algarve from the UK. The international school scene isn’t as established as that on the Costa del Sol, he maintains, but it’s catching up, with 14 schools including Colégio Internacional de Vilamoura, Aspire International School in Almancil and Bright International School in Loulé. “Expats also make use of the excellent Portuguese system — my daughter attends an international school but my son started in the local system aged five and is now fluent in Portuguese,” Beggs says.
He doesn’t regret choosing the Algarve over the Costa del Sol. If he wanted to play the “more established” courses of Sotogrande, he could drive there in 2.5 hours, but he’d pay more, he says. The two regions can also share each other’s airports, he says, although there is a catch. “When I’m using the airport at Seville, I have to remember the time difference — I lose an hour when I cross over into Spain.”
On the market
Costa del Sol
A modern five-bedroom villa in Los Flamingos Golf Resort with generous outdoor living areas, a roof terrace with Jacuzzi, outdoor kitchen, fire pit, infinity pool, gym, sauna, cinema room and wine room. €6.25mn through lucasfox.com
Sotogrande
A recently renovated Andalusian-style villa with a large outdoor entertaining area with BBQ, large private pool, established gardens and views of the 14th hole of the prestigious Valderrama golf course. €1.96mn, lucasfox.com
Quinta do Lago
A six-bedroom house with a grand entrance hall, living area with gas fireplace and separate kitchen and dining room. The basemant has a garage, gym, sauna and cinema. The rooftop has 360-degree views, a heated pool and bar; there is a second pool in the extensive gardens. €22mn, savills.com
Quinta do Lago
A ground-floor apartment with golf and lake views, a short walk from the beach. There is a private garden, open-plan living and kitchen and two en suite bedrooms plus a shared pool and tennis court. The property also includes membership to the golf club which is available separately. €1.15mn, savills.com
Find out about our latest stories first — follow @ft_houseandhome on Instagram
