The British love affair with Spanish homes is still alive and well. Despite the Dutch catching up fast, and some animosity towards foreign homeowners, expats from the UK remain the biggest group of overseas buyers in the country.
But there’s much more competition for properties these days. In addition to the traditional golf, retiree and newer digital nomad markets, there’s a growing cohort of “plan B” buyers from the Baltics, Middle East and the US who are helping drive up prices by an average of 12.2pc year-on-year, according to INE, the Spanish statistics office.
As a result, it’s now far harder to find a “cheap” place in Spain – but not impossible. Last year, the average amount spent by a British holiday home buyer in Spain was €2,874 (£2,500) per sq m, according to data from the Spanish notaries; £100,000 roughly buys a 40 sq m apartment.
That’s still a lot more than it buys in the UK. On the portal A Place In The Sun (aplaceinthesun.com), 30pc of enquiries for Spanish homes for sale last week were for £100,000 or less. However, you will need to look for pockets of Spain that offer village houses, dated townhouses or apartments, or a fixer-upper.
If you are buying a rural renovation project, ensure your lawyer fully checks the legality of the building, and that you budget for buying costs in Spain: 10-14pc of the purchase price, depending on which autonomous region.
So, where best to look?
Axarquía, Andalusia
Better known as inland Andalusia, or east of Málaga, this comarca (county) offers better value than the nearby Costa del Sol and its hinterland hotspots like Ojén and Ronda.
With fewer big-hitting resorts and a less developed feel, some buyers like the fact that resorts such as Rincón de la Victoria, Vélez-Malaga and Torre del Mar still feel more authentic. But those on a £100,000 budget must look beyond fashionable Nerja.
Inland, white-washed mountain villages such as Cómpeta, Cútar, Colmenar and Comares – 30 to 40 minutes from the coast – remain popular and affordable.
The Moorish village of Salares at the foot of the Almijara mountains is a good area to try, says Michelle Conner, of BluCee Real Estate. “It’s a well-looked after village with an outdoor public swimming pool.”
There’s a two-bed townhouse here, with impressive views from its roof terrace for €87,000 (sold through thinkspain.com).
Ms Conner also suggests the pretty village of Canillas de Albaida. There, you might even find a three-bedroom house to fit the budget. There’s one for sale at €98,000, or a small one-bed finca towards nearby Competa for €70,000 (both through Idealista).
At the top of the budget, having been reduced in price, is a three-bed townhouse in Periana for €119,900 that offers local charm without renovation. If you are brave enough to take on a fixer-upper, there’s a small country house just six minutes’ drive from the coast in Torrox Pueblo, for €86,000. These are both listed by Idealista.
Alicante province
Thanks to a mix of climate, coast and affordability, Alicante is home to more British expats than any other province. Around 76,000 live there full-time.
Thousands of holiday homes have been built over decades, so supply is not an issue. Torrevieja remains a good place to look for an apartment, according to agent Spain Property Specialists, referring to the lively city with strong demand for holiday rentals if you want to recoup running costs.
If that’s too built-up, drive up to 15 minutes inland and you can find pockets that combine authentic Spanish towns with the expat community.
Rojales is a town that retains some traditional flavour – a six-mile drive from Guadamar del Segura, a fantastic stretch of long, sandy beaches backed by pine trees. You can find a one-bedroom apartment on a development with a shared pool for €105,000 (thinkspain.com).
Alternatively, in San Miguel de Salinas, you can find a two-bedroom apartment for €109,000 (from green-acres.es).
Galicia
With summer temperatures in southern Spain becoming unbearable for some, both Spaniards and foreign buyers – especially the French – are increasingly looking at the greener north-west. This includes the regions of Galicia and Asturias (see below) where property prices tend to be lower than the southern costas.
That said, the Galician coast – especially Vigo and Pontevedra – has become very fashionable, so you now need to look deeper inland to find options for £100,000.
“If you venture into the more rural parts of Ourense and Lugo, the property market changes considerably and can still find houses at a much lower price point,” says Caroline Harris, of agent Galicia & Green Spain.
“Many will require updating or substantial restoration, but this area offers a wonderful sense of peace and space – stone villages, vineyards, forests, rivers and mountains ideal for rural living.”
But there is also culture nearby. Ourense is a lively, year-round university city, as is Lugo, best known for its extraordinary Roman walls, she says.
In Vilalba, Lugo province, you can find a charming three-bedroom townhouse with wraparound balcony for €110,000, or a two-bedroom rural stone house to restore on a substantial plot for €80,000 (both through GaliciaGreenSpainProperty.com).
Murcia
With its sporting heritage and mild climate – its “warm coast” is known as the Costa Cálida – Murcia is another region that has seen punchy price rises and is especially popular for those buyers priced out of the nearby Costa Blanca.
Murcia’s international airport, opened in 2019, gives buyers a choice of two airports within easy reach (along with Alicante) and some owners love the fact they can be on a golf course within 20 minutes.
A new high-speed rail corridor linking Madrid to Murcia next year will increase the area’s appeal, including around Balsicas-Mar Menor, one of the railway stations.
If you fancy a crash-pad for golfing weekends, apartments on the nearby golf resorts that have bounced back from the 2008 property crash are still just about an option for around £100,000.
You can find a one-bedroom apartment on La Torre Golf Resort, or Las Terrazas de la Torre, for around €115,000 – but they sell quickly. In Condado de Alhama, a large golf complex, you can even buy a two-bedroom property for €110,000 (Idealista).
If golf is not your bag, there are the towns and villages nearby. Mark Rawlings, of Your Dream Home, picks out Sucina: “It’s a nice town with some expats, and is close to golf.”
Also nearby there’s the village of Avileses, where you can find a small house for €99,000, or in the popular coastal villages such as Pila de la Horadada – near the Mar Menor salt water lagoon – you can find a studio with a balcony for €105,000 (both through thinkspain.com).
Asturias
This is another tranche of northern “Green Spain” that has benefited from unbearably hot summers in the south.
Buyers are drawn to its rugged coastline – the Costa Verde – of pristine beaches and fishing villages such as Llanes, but don’t expect to find warm waters akin to those on Spain’s south-east coast.
Others look to the mountains and lakes of the Picos de Europa.
In the first half of 2026, prices in Asturias rose by 15pc year-on-year, the highest increase in mainland Spain, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
Buyers are commonly Spaniards from the south, retirees from America and Northern Europe, and remote workers in cities such as Oviedo and Gijón, with areas picked for their safety and walkability. Properties here are 30-40pc more affordable than Barcelona, where petty crime can be another deterrent.
On the outskirts of Oviedo, you can find a turnkey three-bedroom apartment for €89,900 (through Idealista).
With an average price of €1,882 per sq m, you can find endless rural fixer-uppers for less than €30,000, but you can even find a rural home or cabin that is habitable, if needing some upgrading.
For €60,000, there’s a three-bed house with a typical granary (horreo) ripe for conversion (through Idealista), located south of Cudillero, one of the prettiest fishing villages in Spain.