Orihuela Costa is a prestigious resort area and part of the municipality of Orihuela. It’s named after the center and the ancient city of the same name. This magnificent getaway is situated on the east coast of Spain in Alicante, south of the famous Costa Blanca.
This elite and expensive area attracts millions of visitors every year. It’s especially popular with tourists from Northern Europe and the UK.
Come and journey with us as we visit the magnificent Orihuela Costa and what it buying and investing property in the housing market here looks like. We will provide information about how much housing costs and whether it’s possible to make a profit from it.
Content:
About Orihuela Costa
Orihuela Costa is a district in Orihuela in the capital of Vega Baja del Segura.
Orihuela Costa consists of several main residential areas:
- La Zenia
- Cabo Roig
- Dehesa de Campoamor
- Playa Flamenca
- Punta Prima
To get to Costa, you have to take a direct flight to Alicante Airport. It will take you about 45 minutes to reach your destination.
You can also use the airport in Murcia and this will take about 30 minutes to get to Orihuela.
Costa (translated as “coast”) is designed for wealthy single tourists as well as, large families.
The area has about 16 km of beaches, golf courses, numerous developments (residential complexes that are a type of “city within a city”), bars, restaurants, cycling routes, markets, and various other properties.
The climate in the region is mild in winter and summer. It is sunny here for almost the entire year. Additionally, nature and the beautiful surrounding environment are great for one’s health, and not just beneficial for the tourism industry.
Back in the mid-00s, the entire region including the Costa Blanca and Orihuela Costa was declared by WHO as one of the most useful and valuable regions in the world to improve one’s health. For instance, 10-15 km to the west, you can find the breathtaking mountain ranges of Murcia.
Because of this, investments in this area aim to improve tourism from a health and wellness perspective.
Beaches and places of interest
In addition to one’s health and the picturesque landscapes, tourists and potential real estate buyers come to the region to relax on the beach and experience the culture.
So it’s only natural to wonder what this area has to offer in this regard.
First of all, there’s an organization known as FEE.
FEE (Foundation for Environmental Education) is a major international organization dedicated to promoting an environmental agenda and pro-environmental education.
This organization issues several prestigious awards including Blue Flag Beaches. Different beaches in various parts of the world can receive this status but several criteria need to be met to obtain it. Some of these are related to and include the quality of beaches, safety, environmental friendliness, quality of services, and so on.
The main aspect to note is that this is a prestigious award, specifically presented based on the quality and attractiveness of a beach. Amazingly, all the beaches in Orihuela Blanca boast this title and every tourist advertisement mentions this.
This is important because it helps marketers determine who Orihuela’s most popular audiences are.
This type of marketing focuses on a specific target audience that includes wealthy people who are interested in environmental awareness. Investors looking to purchase real estate in this area should keep this information in mind.
Additionally, there are about a dozen different beaches in Costa and each of them is located in the heart of a small property cluster.
Another important aspect regarding marketing and attracting tourists/expats are the cultural activities in Orihuela Costa.
Costa and its surroundings allow one to visit the picturesque Cabo Roig Tower that was built in the 16th century. Additionally, if you find yourself outside of Costa and on the way to Orihuela, you can visit many historical churches, palaces, museums, and other ancient attractions.
Orihuela is a traditional city with a rich history. This is especially evident when looking into its history in relation to the reign of the last Roman emperor. What’s more, visitors even have a chance to see historical Spanish relics and cultural artifacts from the Cordoba Caliphate.
This is a good marketing place for tourists and expats who want to get something more out of their vacation experience than just sunbathing on beaches.
What to purchase
The district has several advantages, namely, logistics and infrastructure.
While Orihuela Costa is a small area in the district of Orihuela, it offers several places for shopping, recreation, sports, and entertainment. It also has the largest shopping center in Alicante.
Costa also has a well-developed road network and public transport outlets that are readily accessible. For instance, it takes about an hour to get to any main area including airports. Moreover, everything is within walking distance.
There are both luxury and affordable real estate available in Costa. Moreover, before the COVID-19 pandemic when real estate prices in Spain fell significantly, one could purchase 2-and 3-bedroom apartments in Orihuela for no more than $70,000, or a 2-bedroom villa for about $120,000.
Today, you can purchase an expensive 3-bedroom villa for $500,000. However, if you are looking for luxury accommodation, you can find villas, semi-detached houses, and other types of real estate for $1,000,000 or more.
As you can see, this district is still developing. Thus, in the next few years, it’s reasonable to expect about 3,000 new housing units. Based on this, real estate construction in Costa will attract more than 6,000 new residents.
Residential areas and prices in Orihuela Costa
Let's take a closer look at the residential districts and housing prices.
In Orihuela Costa, you can purchase one of the following properties:
- Villas
- Townhouses
- Apartments
- Semi-detached houses
- Quad houses
- Luxury villas
- Country houses
- Commercial properties
Real estate in Orihuela Costa is diverse due to long-term development and has been this way since the middle of the last century. There are various designs, structures, materials, and technologies used in the construction process.
We will outline the average prices for apartments and villas in the major market sectors. The average prices for all other properties are either about the same price or cheaper. Semi-detached houses, quad houses, or studio apartments can be up to 3-5 times cheaper.
.jpg "Attractive property in Orihuela Costa")
Residential districts
Below are 5 residential districts of interest. We’ll be analyzing them in the order of geographical location from north to south.
Punta Prima
This district starts in the south near Torrevieja.
The majority of the population here are British or people from Nordic countries.
Real estate, business and public institutions are divided according to jurisdiction between the municipal authorities of Torrevieja and Orihuela. You should take this into account when choosing a property here.
The development of this area began in the 60s so Punta Prima has a wide variety of real estate with diverse designs, features, and aesthetics.
The oldest housing units are located closer to the coast/beach. The newest property is built further into the mainland. Most of the properties are medium-sized single-story villas on extensive plots of land. However, several residential complexes are part of new developments.
There are many beautiful Mexican and Australian palm trees in Punta Prima as residents have begun planting them in the region for the first time.
What’s more, there's a large shopping center in this area that caters to various tastes; you’re spoiled for choice with the availability of brand name shops as well.
Prices:
- Apartment prices on the secondary market start from $58,000 while new properties are sold from $100,000.
- Villa prices start from $200,000.
Playa Flamenca
Playa Flamenca is located to the south of Punta Prima, 4 kilometers from Torrevieja. This area is popular with tourists and expats all year.
There is a vast natural and undeveloped area to the northeast of Playa.
The history of this area began in the 1970s. Several Danish investors found this area attractive and invested in developing the coastal region, creating Playa Flamenca Beachfront. All the housing on the mainland was built later, from the second half of the 1980s. Thus, the further you are from the coast, the newer the property is.
Furthermore, to the west of the N-332 highway, there is a property that is 5-8 years old. This is an elite area where the cost of housing is twice as high as in Punta Prima.
Real estate in this coastal district rarely enters the market and always sells quickly even though prices are much higher than other housing in the neighborhood. These types of properties are mainly large villas on medium-sized land plots.
On the west coast, one can find a variety of apartments, villas, townhouses, and quad houses. All of them are newer developments.
Unlike Punta Prima, much of the commercial real estate belongs to the gastronomy sector. These include both inexpensive and expensive cafés, restaurants, and other eateries.
However, there are also many sports venues such as tennis courts and go-kart racing facilities.
Prices:
- Secondary market apartments and new building projects start from $210,000 – $230,000.
- Villas start from $165,000 in the affordable secondary market housing. On average though, prices typically start from $400,000 – $450,000.
- Since there are more new properties here, prices are lower and start from $280,000 – $ 300,000.
La Zenia
This residential district is a large development. It is popular during the summer and most of the buyers are tourists not emigrants.
About 2000 people live in La Zenia. However, this number may increase by up to 5 or 6 times during the peak season.
The area was developed around Villamartin Golf Club, a large golf club in La Zenia. Also, while this residential district was built in 1972, the first residential properties began to be built in 1974.
In 2012, La Zenia adapted itself to the development of resort life. As such, there are now many shops, cafés, restaurants, and other commercial real estate.
All the accommodation in this area is affordable.
Most residential real estate here consists of 1-and 2-story large villas on medium-sized plots of land. As in other areas, the further you are from the coast, the newer the property is.
The new accommodation consists of townhouses, apartments, and villas.
Prices:
- Apartments on the secondary market start at $71,000 while new projects start at $120,000.
- Villas on the secondary market start at $140,000 while new properties are sold from $200,000.
Cabo Roig
Like La Zenia, Cabo Roig is a residential complex designed primarily for tourists who stay in the country during the summer. However, this area is much smaller as the permanent population rarely exceeds 700 people. It can increase 6 times during peak periods.
Cabo Roig has two main areas::
- The old part began developing in the 1950s and was built around the famous Cabo Roig Tower.
- The new part continues further onward into the mainland and was built in the 90s and 00s.
Cabo Roig has 2 beaches and other public places such as bars where you can eat, unwind and just enjoy yourself.
Visitors to the area will be both interested and impressed by the wide selection of culinary choices given that diverse cuisine is a distinctive feature of Cabo Roig. There is also a high-quality medical center here called Medical Centre Orihuela Costa in the south of Cabo Roig near the district, Dehesa de Campoamor.
Most of the properties here are large 2-story villas. These are luxury housing units with high prices so competition among buyers is demanding.
You can find newer real estate further into the mainland. These are apartments, townhouses, and cozy villas. Plus, new accommodation is smaller, cheaper to purchase and easier to maintain.
Prices:
- Apartment prices start from $90,000 – $100,000. Additionally, prices for new villas start from $175,000 to $230,000.
- The cost of an old property can exceed $ 3,000,000.
Dehesa de Campoamor
Dehesa de Campoamor is the southernmost and largest residential district in Orihuela Costa.
This area is popular throughout the year, attracting both tourists from other regions of Spain and foreigners. Moreover, there is also a large expat community here.
The population of Dehesa de Campoamor consists of about 33,000 people. In addition to this, this district has upheld traditional Spanish culture more than other districts and is popular with Spanish families who want to purchase a second home.
The residents here are quite diverse with 60% of the population being Spanish, 20% British, and 3% Irish, Bulgarian and Moroccan. The remaining 11 % is made up of various nationalities.
The neighborhood can be divided into 2 zones — Lomas de Campoamor (Campoamor Hills) in the mainland and Dehesa de Campoamor (Campoamor Meadows) on the coast.
The history of Dehesa de Campoamor goes back centuries to antiquity. However, when considering the real estate market began in the 1940s when 2 large landowners bought the local land and began to develop it.
In the early 1960s, residential real estate projects began actively being implemented and developed.
Furthermore, Dehesa de Campoamor also has 3 large beaches, access to a yacht club, several expensive and inexpensive coastal restaurants, a large sports center (The Sports Centre Montepiedra), an 18-hole golf club, and an elite 4-star hotel.
Unlike other residential areas, the coastal district consists of many residential complexes. Also, there are plenty of villas located further inward towards the mainland.
Residential buildings here are mostly 15-story while villas are single-story on medium-sized plots of land.
There are affordable apartments available in Dehesa de Campoamor. What’s more, most of the area has many new buildings and there is almost no free space left; the competition and demand for accommodation in Dehesa de Campoamor is high.
Prices:
- Apartments are sold from $130,000 – $150,000 while new properties start from $175,000 – $190,000.
Secondary market villa prices start from $600,000 and can go up to $950,000 to $1,000,000.