Let’s get to know Estepona and find out how much properties in Estepona costs.
Estepona is located on the Costa del Sol, in the province of Malaga in Andalusia. The population is about 70,000 people. This is one of the most promising coastal settlements in terms of home purchase: among Estepona’s trump cards is the neighborhood of Marbella, where show business, politics and sports stars live and spend their holidays. This gives the area a strategic advantage: developers have no doubt that in the near future Marbella and Estepona will merge into a single agglomeration, and local property prices will rise.
Unlike Marbella, Estepona has enough free building plots to offer buyers a large selection of new homes. The “threshold of entry” into the city’s real estate market starts from € 100,000. Of the foreigners in Estepona, the majority of the British are attracted here by the large number of golf courses and the proximity to Gibraltar airport. Estepona is suitable for both emigration and summer residence. In addition, investors are looking for new buildings at different stages with an eye to further sale or lease. The city is administratively divided into eight districts. In this article, we analyze each of them, talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each zone, and provide examples of prices. You are ready?
Benamara-Atalaya
We disembark in the east of the city, where the Guadalmina River separates the municipal borders of Estepona and Marbella. The Benamara-Atalaya area is quite quiet, located at the foot of the hill and close to Marbella – a major plus for those who want to be closer to the heart of glamorous life. It takes 5-7 minutes by car, but prices are about 20% lower than those of the “star neighbor”. There is a beach line to the AP-7 highway. The subareas of Hacienda del Sol, Benamara, Saladillo and Villacana are densely packed with resort properties, especially the first sea lines. This is a “secondary housing” built in 1984-1996, the average price is € 250,000 for a two-bedroom (three-room) apartment.
Benamara-Atalaya is a remote area. Although it is officially included in the city limits, in fact, it is a quiet suburb. At the same time, schools and kindergartens, a golf academy and other institutions operate here. Further from the sea, behind the AP-7 highway, there are numerous golf courses that cover a significant part of the area. Mansions are also being built here, options can be found in the Nueva Atalaya and Paraiso-Barronal and Canselada zones (Velvet urbanization). These are private villages of villas, they are decorated in high-tech style, they are laying out gardens and building a new road. A new-build villa with three bedrooms, sea views, a plot of 1000m² and a pool will cost about € 1 million.
Recommended for: golf lovers and those who want to be closer to Marbella. In addition, taxes on land and real estate are much lower here: if in Estepona you pay about € 1,500 annually for 1000 m², then in Marbella for a similar plot – at least € 2,500.
Selwo
Selwo has few properties. For the most part, this is the Selwo Aventura nature reserve and the huge, adjacent safari zone with cheetahs, tigers, flamingos and other animals. This is an excellent tourist route for travelers with children, but you should not settle very close: there are many wild animals, which is why there are screams at night. And if the wind blows from the mountain – then the corresponding smell.
However, almost all real estate in this area is concentrated on the descent from the hill and closer to the sea. Selvo is a relatively new area: there are still few roads here, it can be dark in the evening, and there is still no “sense of the city”. Now the zone is being actively developed, the Estepona administration invests a lot of money here. For those who are going to move here and now, this is a minus, but it means a benefit for investors: in a few years, when construction is over and the area receives all the necessary infrastructure, prices for local houses and apartments will rise. Selwo has new buildings for € 189,000. For this money, you get a three-room apartment in a closed urbanization with a swimming pool and a gym. Most often, 2-3-storey buildings are built here.
The beaches in this area are wild. More precisely, there are no equipped municipal beaches, and the coastal sections belong to restaurants whose employees keep order. In the morning, they bring sun loungers and umbrellas to the beach, which can be rented. One of these beaches is Playa Bella, which offers breathtaking views of Marbella, Africa and Gibraltar. As in Benamara-Atalaya, Selwo will appeal to golf lovers: Resina Golf is located on picturesque courses with lakes, which is called one of the most optimal in terms of price / quality ratio. In addition, there are few hotels here, and the British come to play golf all year round.
A three-room apartment can be rented from € 100 per day.
Punta Plata
The Padron River separates the Selwo and Punta Plata districts. Here begins the dense urban development and “Estepona itself”. Huge hotels Kempinski and Mar Azul are striking at the entrance, hotel complexes are located on the first line and have an impressive territory, where you can buy apartments from € 750,000. Among the advantages are not only the first line of the sea and high-quality infrastructure, but also high profitability and permanent rent …
Upon purchase, these properties bring a guaranteed income from the Kempinski hotel in the amount of 7% -8% percent of the cost of housing per year (despite the fact that you yourself will live there for at least a month a year). Emigrants often buy apartments here, they all overlook not just the sea, but the south side, which means the sun throughout the day.
Further along the coast, there is a large shopping center where you can find a wide variety of fish and seafood (Estepona is one of the most important fishing ports on the Costa del Sol). In addition to Carrefour and chain clothing stores, there is a daily sea market and a fish auction.
The Punta Plata area does not end there: if you go further along the sea you can find different types of resort properties. It is worth highlighting the Alcazaba Beach complex with pools and Andalusian-style white houses.
A three-room apartment without a sea view on the second line will cost about € 260,000. Alcazaba Beach also has a guaranteed rental service, this will be done by the administration of the complex: rental agents, concierges, cleaners – a whole staff of specialists. Off the AP-7 highway, there are fewer resort options; in the Reinoso and Los Llanos districts, local farmers grow fruits and vegetables, and there are orange finches. The remote areas also attract beekeeping enthusiasts. Real estate in these areas includes Finnish and secondary villas from the 80s-90s.
Estepona Pueblo
Finally, we get to the heart of the city, the area where it all began, where the city hall is located, life is in full swing all year round and many tourists walk. This is the Estepona Pueblo area, which in turn is divided into four sub-areas: Pabellon Municipal, Centro, Puerto de Estepona and Zona Calvario. The city center, like the rest of Estepona, is called the “garden of the Costa del Sol” because of the abundance of flowers.
From the border with Punta Plata to Avenida Andalusia Avenue lies the Pabellon Municipal Zone. There, every July, the main events of the San Juan Fires (Saint Juan is considered the patron saint of the city) take place, bonfires and processions are held here. The center of Estepona has all the infrastructure of a modern European city and conditions for permanent residence. In this area, new buildings can be found higher: up to eight to ten floors. They are located further from the sea: a new apartment 20 minutes walk from the sea costs € 190,000.
Old Town
Closer to the coast, everything is built up with “secondary housing”. Townhouse built in 1996 on the first line of the sea will cost € 260,000. Centro is the Old Town. Only secondary housing is found here, and, like in Pabellon Municipal, mostly Spaniards live. The most popular boutiques open their doors in Centro, most of them are located on the Avenida Real shopping street. There are many squares and squares, restaurants and cafes in this area: Spanish families come here on weekends to spend time and walk with their children. It is also often invited here for dinner. Another point of attraction for tourists from all over the world is the Orchidarium, the largest in Europe. More than 8000 plant species grow there.
Estepona center is suitable for both permanent residence and tourism or rental. The only problem in the area is the almost complete lack of parking (narrow streets and little space). A two-level townhouse built in the 90s will cost from € 110,000 (60m²) to € 500,000.
The port of Estepona, after which the adjacent Puerto de Estepona sub-district is named, is planned to be improved – to add a new berth for cruise ships (now the nearest sea “stops” are in Malaga and in Gibraltar). The city hall and the bullring are visible next to the port. New housing is located around the Bulls Square (Plaza de toros de Estepona), there are still enough free plots here, this is the most actively developed part of the city. Walk to the beach no more than 10 minutes. One of the complexes under construction is called Las Mesas (urbanization is located on the hills, all apartments are oriented to one side and overlook the sea and the Old Town).
New “three rubles” in Las Mesas start at € 320,000. A similar option in Marbella costs twice as much. They are planning to build a commercial center with the largest cinema in Spain, which is why prices are expected to rise, so this zone can be recommended for investment. The entire embankment of the district is planted with flowers and equipped with benches. Elite real estate is located behind the port on the first line. Townhouses in Doncella Beach cost around € 2,000,000.
Seghers
Behind the center and the port area begins the Seghers district, the smallest in area. It will appeal to people looking for premium new buildings, in this regard, it is worth noting the VIP-complex The Island. Real estate on the first line of the sea will cost from € 850,000.
Secondary options requiring renovation with sea views can be found for € 350,000. Palm avenues are planted at Seghers, this is an extremely well maintained area with many flowers. In addition, this is almost the only site on the first line of the sea, where there are still plots for construction. As a result, Seghers is in great demand among investors who make money from resale.
Altos de Estepona
We go north to Altos de Estepona – geographically the largest area of the city. Altos de Estepona is located on an elevated position in the hills overlooking the rest of Estepona, the Mediterranean Sea and Gibraltar. So far, only one road has been laid here, there is no other way to climb the mountains. So you shouldn’t settle in this area if you don’t have a car.
Let’s take a look at the last two areas of our virtual tour. The first one is called Costa Natura. There is one specific detail that defines the nature of this area – the nudist beach. A section of the coast has been allocated for these needs. As well as the eponymous hotel and residential complex, built specifically for people of all ages who like to sunbathe without clothes. If this does not bother you, it should be said that due to such an atmosphere, prices in the Costa Natura area are much lower than the average for the city. A spacious apartment on the first line of the sea can be purchased for € 120,000. But, again, the neighbors will walk naked. Some realtors refuse to travel with clients to view these places. However, there are other properties in this area that have nothing to do with nudists.
For example, the Valle Romano apartment complex. It is one of the largest and most popular golf courses in the city. In apart-hotels you can buy an apartment-room with a guaranteed income from the administration of the complex (at least 5% of the cost of housing per year). It will be possible to live here no more than eight weeks a year, so this option can be recommended to investors. The rest of the year, your property will be rented out to tourists. Most often these are the British who have flown to the Costa del Sol to play golf, the local climate allows them to do this all year round. The price of apartments in Valle Romano is from € 112,000.
At some distance from the sea (and towards the hills) there are several new buildings next to the hospital under construction. It is expected that in the coming years the hospital will become one of the “city-forming” enterprises, so that the surrounding housing will be in demand among doctors and other hospital workers. New “treshki” with a view of the sea here cost from € 143,000. There is a pedestrian path to the sea from the new buildings, a walk to the beach takes no more than 10 minutes.
New villas in this area cost from € 495,000. There is also a new shopping center with supermarkets Mercadona, Aldi, etc., the prestigious international school Colegio Diocesano Juan XXIII. Moving even further into the mountains, the popular Alcazaba Lagoon residential complex can be found behind the AP-7 highway. It is located around the largest artificial lake on the Costa del Sol with clear blue water.
Buyers of real estate at Alcazaba Lagoon feel like they are living in an oasis. Animators and instructors work on the lake (for homeowners it’s free), so you can safely leave your child frolic in the water and go to one of the restaurants on the territory of the complex. A two-bedroom apartment in Alcazaba Lagoon complex will cost from € 280,000.
Playa Bahia Dorada
Finally, we reach Playa Bahia Dorada. There are several large urbanizations in the area: Finca Cortesin, Buenas Noches and others. We highlight them for a reason, they are privileged gated complexes for buyers with a high budget. Frontline golf villas and Michelin-starred restaurants are being built here.
Check out the options for sale in our real estate directory in Estepona