Apartments for Sale on the Costa Blanca and Mar Menor

The north is greener and hillier, and the apartment stock sits in a few towns. Villajoyosa had 31 apartments on the feed and Finestrat 28, almost all new builds with a pool. That is where a first 2-bed under €400,000 is realistic. Calpe had 18, but its median asking price was about €560,000 because so much of it faces the Peñón de Ifach and the sea.

Dénia and Jávea together had 26 apartments, mostly 2 and 3-beds between €235,000 and €650,000. You pay more per square metre. In return you get towns that still feel lived in during February, with a market, a port and restaurants that stay open. If you will use the apartment outside summer, that matters more than the pool.

Moraira, Altea and Benissa had no apartments at all this week. If those are the towns you love, you are shopping for a villa. The Finestrat first-buyer guide goes deeper on the cheapest end of the north.

The south is flatter, sunnier and much deeper. Torrevieja alone had 84 apartments on 9 October, from €116,000 for a studio. Guardamar del Segura had 56, Pilar de la Horadada 26 and Orihuela Costa (La Zenia, Cabo Roig, Playa Flamenca) 10. Almost every one is a new build.

This is where your euro goes furthest. A 2-bed with a pool and a short drive to the beach often asks between €220,000 and €300,000. Guardamar is the calmer pick, with pine forest behind the dunes. Torrevieja is the busiest, with the most year-round life and the widest price range. The Guardamar guide and the Torrevieja guide walk the neighbourhoods.

One honest note: cheap studios in central Torrevieja are a different product from a 2-bed in a gated block. Check the community fees and the walk to the sea before you compare prices.

Just over the regional line into Murcia, Los Alcázares had 42 apartments and San Pedro del Pinatar 26. Nearly everything here is a new build with a pool. 2-beds start at about €230,000, and the middle of the market sits around €300,000. The lagoon is shallow and warm, which suits families with small children and anyone who wants to sail or paddle rather than surf.

Remember that Murcia is a different tax region from Alicante. Resale tax rates and some local rules differ, so run your costs on the actual town. The Región de Murcia airport at Corvera is about half an hour away, and Alicante about an hour.

Almost every apartment above is a new build, so the tax is 10% VAT plus stamp duty, not the resale transfer tax. Budget roughly 13% on top of the price. On a €280,000 2-bed that is about €36,000 before furniture.

Pick one coast, open its filter and put a real asking price through the Purchase calculator, then the Annual costs calculator. If you need a loan, read mortgages for first-time buyers first, and if you are torn between types, villa or apartment lays out the trade-off.