Spain · Almería
Property for sale in Almería runs from hill villages and beach apartments on the Costa de Almería to country houses in the inland Almanzora valley, at official prices less than half the Costa del Sol's: €1,416 a square metre in the year to June 2026, against €3,254 in Málaga (land registrars). British buyers are still the largest foreign group, but the province also has a well-documented history of illegally built homes, so the paperwork matters as much as the view.
Looking at a home in Spain? Four quick questions, then Rory tells you plainly what your budget reaches and whether the timing works.
See what fits →The Costa de Almería is the coastline of Almería province, in Spain's south-east. From the west it runs past Roquetas de Mar and Aguadulce to Almería city, round the volcanic headland of Cabo de Gata, then north through Carboneras, Mojácar, Garrucha and Vera to Villaricos and San Juan de los Terreros, close to the border with Murcia.
The Cabo de Gata-Níjar coast has been a UNESCO biosphere reserve since 1997, taking in land and sea in what UNESCO calls the most arid part of Europe. Inland, the Almanzora valley holds a chain of towns and villages, among them Albox, Arboleas, Zurgena, Cantoria and Huércal-Overa.
| Town | Character | Residents | Foreign nationals (share) | Largest foreign group | UK nationals, 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mojácar | Hill village above 17 km of coast | 7,680 | 3,767 (49%) | British | 2,213 |
| Garrucha | Harbour town | 10,845 | 3,210 (30%) | Peruvian | 116 |
| Vera | Inland town; Vera Playa 8 km away | 20,282 | 6,028 (30%) | Moroccan | 1,019 |
| Turre | Village 5 km from Mojácar | 4,361 | 2,016 (46%) | British | 870 |
| Cuevas del Almanzora | Inland town; coast at Villaricos | 15,526 | 4,359 (28%) | Moroccan | 632 |
| Pulpí | Inland town; coast at San Juan de los Terreros | 12,214 | 4,307 (35%) | Ecuadorian | 290 |
| Carboneras | Coastal town | 8,458 | 1,296 (15%) | Moroccan | 50 |
| Níjar | Hill town (353 m); coast at San José | 33,319 | 14,890 (45%) | Moroccan | 100 |
| Roquetas de Mar | Coastal town, with Aguadulce | 111,240 | 33,653 (30%) | Romanian | 534 |
| Almería | Provincial capital | 205,468 | 24,985 (12%) | Moroccan | 250 |
| Huércal-Overa | Inland town (280 m); public hospital | 20,860 | 4,735 (23%) | Moroccan | 1,043 |
| Albox | Valley town (424 m) | 12,799 | 3,909 (31%) | British | 1,269 |
| Arboleas | Valley village (281 m) | 4,215 | 2,759 (65%) | British | 2,450 |
| Zurgena | Valley village (241 m) | 3,059 | 1,375 (45%) | British | 926 |
Foreign share: IECA's padrón count divided by INE's residents (our calculation). INE's town-by-town nationality counts end at 1 January 2022, when that series gave way to the annual census. Altitudes: IECA.
The British cluster in the north-east, the Levante, and the valley behind it: IECA's 2025 figures show them still the largest foreign group in Arboleas (75% of foreign residents), Zurgena (67%), Mojácar (52%), Turre (45%) and Albox (28%), while Moroccans now lead in Vera and Cuevas del Almanzora.
AEMET, Spain's state weather agency, publishes official averages for its Almería airport station, 21 m above sea level east of the city. Winters are mild and dry: highs of about 17–18°C from December to February, nights of 8–10°C, fewer than four rain days a month and no frost in an average year.
| Month | Average high | Average low | Rain | Rain days (1 mm or more) | Sunshine |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| November | 20.5°C | 12.3°C | 28 mm | 3.6 | 183 hours |
| December | 17.9°C | 9.6°C | 30 mm | 3.3 | 178 hours |
| January | 16.9°C | 8.3°C | 24 mm | 2.9 | 194 hours |
| February | 17.6°C | 9.0°C | 25 mm | 2.9 | 191 hours |
| March | 19.6°C | 10.6°C | 16 mm | 2.6 | 232 hours |
| Whole year | 23.4°C | 14.7°C | 200 mm | 25.4 | 2,994 hours |
Valley towns such as Albox (424 m) have cooler winter nights than this coastal station; summers are hot, with July and August highs averaging 30.5°C and 31.0°C.
For winter 2026/27 Almería airport keeps only two UK routes, Liverpool and London Gatwick. Its routes to Birmingham, Bristol, Leeds Bradford, Luton, Stansted, Manchester and Southend stop after the summer, La Voz de Almería reported on 25 August 2026.
The alternatives are further away: Murcia's Corvera airport has year-round UK flights from Gatwick, Luton, Stansted, Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol, and Alicante from most large UK airports (Wikipedia route tables for Murcia and Alicante, a secondary source; check airline timetables).
| From | Almería airport | Murcia (Corvera) | Alicante |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mojácar (pueblo) | 76 km | 127 km | 219 km |
| Vera (town) | 79 km | 110 km | 201 km |
| San Juan de los Terreros | 105 km | 86 km | 178 km |
| Carboneras | 58 km | 164 km | 256 km |
| Roquetas de Mar | 41 km | 215 km | 306 km |
Distances: OpenStreetMap routing (OSRM), 28 September 2026. Mojácar's town hall quotes about 55 minutes to Almería airport (which it puts at 90 km), 1 hour 15 to Murcia and 2 hours 30 to Alicante.
Long winters must also fit the Schengen rule of 90 days in any 180 for British visitors without a visa, and since the EU Entry/Exit System became fully operational on 10 April 2026 overstays can be picked up automatically: the 90-day rule and EES explained. Longer stays need a visa such as Spain's non-lucrative visa.
The Ministry of Health's 2025 catalogue lists these public hospitals in the province, all in the Andalusian health service (SAS). For the Mojácar–Vera coast and the Almanzora valley, the closest by road is Hospital La Inmaculada at Huércal-Overa.
| Hospital | Where | Beds | Road distance from |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hospital La Inmaculada | Huércal-Overa | 184 | Arboleas 21 km; Vera 26 km; Mojácar 44 km |
| Hospital Universitario Torrecárdenas | Almería city | 779 (plus 204 in its mother-and-child hospital) | Almería city centre 4 km; Carboneras 64 km |
| Hospital de Alta Resolución El Toyo (part of Torrecárdenas) | El Toyo, east of Almería city | 44 | Níjar 20 km; Carboneras 50 km |
| Hospital Universitario de Poniente | El Ejido | 281 | Roquetas de Mar 22 km |
Every town in the first table has at least one public health centre or consultorio (SAS data via IECA, 2025), where residents register. How UK State Pension holders obtain Spanish state healthcare with the S1 form is explained in our retirement guide.
Foreign buyers made 17.47% of home purchases in Almería province in 2025 and 20.96% in the second quarter of 2026, according to the land registrars (Registradores). In 2025 the British were the largest foreign group, with 22% of foreign purchases, ahead of Moroccan (20%) and Romanian (8%) buyers.
Nationally the British community is shrinking: INE counted 266,462 British nationals living in Spain on 1 January 2025, 2.2% fewer than a year earlier. In Almería province their number rose from 15,106 in 2019 to 17,272 in 2022 (INE padrón).
On parts of the coast, non-resident buyers are in the majority. Notariado figures reported by La Voz de Almería on 8 June 2026 give these shares for the latest year, and name British buyers among the main nationalities in Mojácar and Vera:
| Area | Non-resident buyers |
|---|---|
| San Juan de los Terreros (Pulpí) | 94.78% |
| Carboneras | 56.14% |
| Vera | 54.01% |
| Mojácar | 52.89% |
| Aguadulce (Roquetas de Mar) | 13.33% |
Non-resident means not registered as living in Spain. A British buyer who has already moved here counts as a resident, so these are not shares of foreign buyers.
The registrars' average prices put Almería well below the better-known costas:
| Area | Average per m² |
|---|---|
| Almería province | €1,416 |
| Almería city | €1,582 |
| Murcia province | €1,457 |
| Alicante province | €2,194 |
| Málaga province | €3,254 |
Averages across every registered sale, old and new, coast and inland; individual towns and property types differ.
Most homes change hands as resales; Pulpí stands out, with 150 new builds sold against 336 resales in 2025 (Ministry of Housing figures, as published by IECA). The national picture is in British buyers in Spain: the official numbers.
In March 2011 the Junta de Andalucía's planning minister told the Andalusian Parliament that 12,697 irregular properties had been identified on land not zoned for building in ten Almanzora valley municipalities, among them Albox, Arboleas, Cantoria, Partaloa and Zurgena, as Spanish Property Insight reported. The owners' campaign group, AUAN (Abusos Urbanísticos Almanzora No), pressed their case for years.
One case shows the risk: the Priors'. The couple's villa in Vera had a town-hall licence granted in 2002, yet it was demolished in 2008; in 2018 Vera town hall paid them almost €236,000 in compensation, less than they said the house had cost them (Euro Weekly News). A licence, in other words, was not proof on its own.
For houses that can no longer be demolished because the enforcement deadline has passed, Andalucía uses AFO status (asimilado a fuera de ordenación), regulated by Decreto-ley 3/2019 and now by the regional planning law, LISTA (Ley 7/2021). Both say it in terms: an AFO declaration does not legalise the building.
What AFO gives is practical: utility connections can be authorised, conservation and some reform works are allowed under licence, and the status is noted in the land registry. The house stays outside the town plan, and LISTA's article 153 lists land where enforcement never times out, including rural land at real risk of flooding or landslips, rural land in the coastal influence zone, and public domain.
An independent abogado, acting only for you, should confirm each of these in writing; the full process, with taxes and fees, is in our guide to buying in Spain.
A purchase also needs an NIE, the identification number Spain issues to foreigners: how to get an NIE.
Beyond the purchase, budget for the annual property tax (IBI) set by each town hall, community fees in shared developments, rubbish and water bills, insurance, and tax as a non-resident owner, which the Tax Agency explains. Our guide to retiring in Spain covers these running costs.
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Talk to us about Spain →It can be, provided the paperwork is checked rather than assumed. The problems centred on houses built on rural land without valid permission: in 2011 the Junta counted 12,697 irregular properties in ten Almanzora valley municipalities, and AFO status still does not legalise a house. An independent lawyer should check the registry entry, planning status and occupation paperwork before any deposit.
Mostly in the north-east of the province. INE's last town-level count, for January 2022, found 2,450 British nationals in Arboleas, 2,213 in Mojácar, 1,269 in Albox, 1,043 in Huércal-Overa and 1,019 in Vera, out of 17,272 in the whole province. Almería city and Roquetas de Mar, the largest towns, had a few hundred each.
Yes, but from only two UK airports this season: for winter 2026/27 Almería keeps its Liverpool and London Gatwick routes and drops seven others. Murcia's Corvera airport, roughly 110–130 km by road from the Mojácar and Vera area, and Alicante, around 200–220 km, have year-round flights from many more UK airports.
Official averages are low by Spanish coastal standards. Registered sales in Almería province averaged €1,416 per square metre in the year to June 2026, and €1,582 in Almería city, against €3,254 in Málaga province (land registrars). Their 2025 average for a whole home in the province was €127,662; individual towns differ.
No. The Golden Visa, which gave residence to large property buyers, closed on 3 April 2025 under Organic Law 1/2025. Owning a home lets British citizens stay only as visitors, for 90 days in any 180 across the Schengen area. Living in Almería for longer needs a residence visa; for retirees who will not work in Spain that is normally the non-lucrative visa, which requires proof of sufficient income and health insurance.
Last checked 2026-09-28. Rules and rates change; this is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Confirm your own position with an independent Spanish lawyer or tax adviser before you act.