The Real Cost of Buying Property in Marbella: A Line-by-Line Breakdown
On this page
The short answer
If you read nothing else on this page, read these three numbers.
Almost every guide to buying in Spain tells you to budget “10 to 12 per cent on top of the price.” Almost every guide then illustrates it with a €200,000 apartment.
Neither is much use if you are buying in Marbella. The percentage is wrong in both directions, and the €200,000 example hides the costs that only appear further up the market — where a single annual tax can run to five figures and most buyers never see it coming until the first demand letter arrives.
So here is the version nobody publishes: every line item, with the statutory source, worked through at €1.5 million, €3 million and €8 million. Resale and new build. Purchase costs and the annual bill that follows.
1 · The purchase costs, line by line
Transfer tax (ITP) — resale only: 7%
Andalucía charges a flat 7 per cent transfer tax on resale residential property. At Marbella price points the regional comparison is stark: Catalonia now reaches 13 per cent above €1.5 million, and Valencia charges 11 per cent above €1 million. On a €3 million purchase, buying in Andalucía rather than Catalonia saves roughly €180,000 in transfer tax alone.
Do any reduced rates apply to me?6% and 3.5% rates exist — and why none of them will help you
Reduced rates of 6 and 3.5 per cent exist for habitual residences capped at €150,000, and 3.5 per cent for large families and buyers with a recognised disability capped at €250,000.
No international buyer purchasing at €1.5 million or above qualifies for any of them, on either the value cap or the vivienda habitual requirement. Assume 7 per cent.
The rate has been flat since Decreto-ley 7/2021 replaced the old 8/9/10 per cent sliding scale, was made permanent by Ley 5/2021, and the 2026 Andalusian budget left it untouched. The tax is self-assessed on Modelo 600 within two months of the deed.
New build: VAT 10% + stamp duty 1.2%
Buy from a developer and you are outside the transfer tax system entirely. You pay 10 per cent IVA on the dwelling (including up to two garage spaces) plus 1.2 per cent AJD stamp duty — 11.2 per cent in tax alone. A third garage space or a storeroom bought separately is charged at 21 per cent, as is a building plot.
The valor de referencia trap
Since January 2022 the taxable base is the higher of the price you actually pay or the Catastro’s reference value. This matters in Marbella more than almost anywhere in Spain, because off-market and distressed sales here can close well below the administrative figure.
Check the reference value on the Sede Electrónica del Catastro before you sign the reservation. It takes ten minutes.
Notary, Land Registry and legal feesRoughly €1,000–€2,500 · €600–€2,300 · 0.75–1% + VAT, negotiable
Notary. Set by statute (RD 1426/1989), identical at every notary in Spain, and steeply regressive — the marginal rate falls to 0.3 per thousand above €601,012, and above €6,010,121.04 the tariff stops governing the excess. Budget €1,000–€1,500 at €1.5M and €1,500–€2,200 at €3M. Treat it as a near-flat line, not a percentage.
Land Registry. Same regressivity (RD 1427/1989), with a statutory cap of €2,181.67 only reached around €10 million.
Legal fees. No regulated scale since Ley 25/2009. Marbella practice is 0.75–1% plus 21% VAT. Above about €2 million, negotiate: one per cent of €8 million is €80,000 plus VAT for a workload that is not eight times a €1 million purchase.
Use a lawyer independent of the agency and the developer. This is the single most important sentence on this page.
What you do NOT pay, and mortgage costsAgency commission, and who pays what since Ley 5/2019
Estate agency commission follows the mandate — the vendor pays it in a resale, the developer in a new build. The exception is if you appoint your own buyer’s agent. Be clear-eyed, though: the seller’s commission is priced into the asking price.
If you take a mortgage, since Ley 5/2019 the bank pays the stamp duty, notary, registry and gestoría on the mortgage deed. You pay only the valuation (from ~€500 for an apartment, €1,000–€1,500+ for a villa) and the arrangement fee if charged. The notary and registry on the purchase deed remain yours in full.
Non-residents are typically limited to 60–70% LTV — plan on 30–40% of the price in cash on top of all costs.
The small items that add upNIE, power of attorney, bank certificate, transfer fees
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| NIE number (tasa 790, código 012) | €9.84 — plus €150–€400 if a lawyer handles it |
| Power of attorney at a Spanish notary | €25–€150 (add sworn translation and Hague apostille if granted abroad) |
| Certificate of non-residence for a Spanish bank account | €15–€25, renewable every two years |
| International transfer fees | €10–€50 per SWIFT transfer |
2 · Three worked examples
Non-resident buyer, cash purchase, independent lawyer. Legal fees tapered as they are in practice. Tax lines are statutory; notary, registry and legal lines are realistic estimates, so treat the totals as indicative.
| Cost | €1,500,000 | €3,000,000 | €8,000,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| ITP at 7% | €105,000 | €210,000 | €560,000 |
| Notary (incl. VAT) | €1,300 | €1,900 | €4,500* |
| Land Registry (incl. VAT) | €620 | €1,000 | €2,150 |
| Legal fees (incl. VAT) | €18,150 | €27,225 | €48,400 |
| NIE, POA, sundries | €400 | €400 | €500 |
| Indicative total | ≈ €125,500 | ≈ €240,500 | ≈ €615,500 |
| As % of price | 8.4% | 8.0% | 7.7% |
| Cost | €1,500,000 | €3,000,000 | €8,000,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| IVA at 10% | €150,000 | €300,000 | €800,000 |
| AJD at 1.2% | €18,000 | €36,000 | €96,000 |
| Notary (incl. VAT) | €1,300 | €1,900 | €4,500* |
| Land Registry (incl. VAT) | €620 | €1,000 | €2,150 |
| Legal fees (incl. VAT) | €18,150 | €27,225 | €48,400 |
| NIE, POA, sundries | €400 | €400 | €500 |
| Indicative total | ≈ €188,500 | ≈ €366,500 | ≈ €951,500 |
| As % of price | 12.6% | 12.2% | 11.9% |
The resale/new-build gap, however, does not narrow: it stays at about 4.2 points — €126,000 on a €3 million purchase. Rarely mentioned in a show home.
Work out your own number
Price, resale or new build, resident or not, EU or non-EU, sole or joint ownership — send us the details and we will return every line above plus your projected annual bill.
3 · The bill that arrives every year
This is the section that gets left out of buying guides, and it is the one that surprises people.
IBI, waste collection and imputed income taxThe three annual taxes — and the one that applies even if you never rent it out
IBI is charged on the valor catastral, not market value. Marbella’s catastral values were revised with effect from 2012, so a villa’s catastral value is typically only 20–35% of what you paid. At Marbella’s 0.650% urban rate: roughly €2,900 a year at €1.5M, €5,850 at €3M, €15,600 at €8M. Always check the actual valor catastral on the last IBI receipt before you buy.
Waste collection is rising sharply in 2026. Marbella approved the increase on 23 December 2025; residential billing rose from €12.95M to €14.79M across the municipality, with individual bills up 25–50%. Budget an estimated €250–€450 a year.
Imputed income tax — Spain taxes you on notional rental income even if the property sits empty and you never let it. The rate is 19% for EU/EEA residents and 24% for everyone else, including British and American owners. Filed on Modelo 210, one return per owner per property.
If you do let the property the discrimination sharpens: EU/EEA owners pay 19% and may deduct expenses, while everyone else pays 24% on gross rent with no deductions. On €80,000 of annual rent, a German owner with €25,000 of costs pays €10,450; a British owner with identical costs pays €19,200. Under Orden HAC/623/2026 the filing window for 2026 income onwards becomes 1 April to 31 December of the following year.
| Market value | 2025 basis (1.1%) | If 2% applies from 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| €1,500,000 | €1,188 | €2,160 |
| €3,000,000 | €2,376 | €4,320 |
| €8,000,000 | €6,336 | €11,520 |
Wealth tax: nothing at all — until €3.7 million
Here is where Marbella’s tax story turns sharply, and where almost no agency will walk you through the arithmetic. Andalucía effectively abolished regional wealth tax in 2022, but Spain’s solidarity tax bites above €3 million of taxable base and was extended indefinitely. Andalucía adjusted its rebate so the two interlock: you pay the solidarity-tax amount, but to Andalucía rather than the State.
| Net Spanish assets | Per year |
|---|---|
| Below €3.7 million | €0 |
| €5,000,000 | €22,100 |
| €8,000,000 | €80,908 |
Three qualifications you will not find on most agency sitesThe election, the December 2025 ruling, and the valuation trap
1. The Andalusian treatment is an election, not automatic. Non-residents may opt to apply the rules of the community where most of their Spanish assets sit (DA 4ª Ley 19/1991). Without that election the same €8M villa produces a State charge of €112,354 — about €31,000 a year more.
2. A December 2025 ruling may reduce these figures. In two resolutions of 18 December 2025 the TEAC held that the combined income-and-wealth-tax quota limit must also be available to non-residents. For an owner with little Spanish-source income this can cut the liability materially. The methodology is not yet settled — take advice on it.
3. The valuation is the purchase price, not the catastral value. Property enters the base at the highest of catastral value, checked value, or acquisition price. A recently bought €8M villa is in the base at €8M, not €2.4M. Mortgage debt secured on it is deductible.
Whose name goes on the deed
Wealth tax is assessed per individual. Each owner has their own €700,000 allowance and runs up their own progressive scale independently. On that €8 million villa the arithmetic is dramatic:
| Ownership | Taxable base | Per year |
|---|---|---|
| One owner | €7.3M | ≈ €80,900 |
| Two owners, 50/50 | €3.3M each | ≈ €10,200 |
A difference of around €70,000 a year — more than €700,000 over a ten-year hold, comfortably more than the entire cost of buying a resale property in the first place.
Corporate holding structures are not the answer they once were either: Ley 38/2022 brought shares in entities holding mainly Spanish real estate into charge, on the full value of the holding.
Ownership structure is a decision to take with a tax adviser before the reservation contract, not at the notary’s desk.
Running costs, item by itemCommunity fees, utilities, pool and garden, insurance, management
| Item | €1.5M villa | €3M villa | €8M villa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Community fees | €6,000–12,000 | €9,000–18,000 | €12,000–30,000+ |
| Utilities | €4,000–6,500 | €6,000–10,000 | €10,000–20,000 |
| Pool and garden | €3,600–7,200 | €5,000–10,000 | €10,000–25,000 |
| Insurance | €900–2,000 | €1,500–3,500 | €3,000–8,000 |
| Management, security, maintenance reserve | €5,500–11,000 | €8,000–19,000 | €19,000–55,000 |
| Accountancy / fiscal representation | €250–900 | €250–900 | €250–900 |
Community fees vary enormously. A villa in a standard gated urbanisation might run €500 a month; a branded residence with concierge, spa and housekeeping can exceed €2,000, because you are paying for the brand licence and the service platform as well as the gardens.
| €1.5M | €3M | €8M sole | €8M joint | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total per year | €24.6–44.2k | €38.2–70.1k | €157–242k | €86.6–171.5k |
| As % of value | 1.6–2.9% | 1.3–2.3% | 2.0–3.0% | 1.1–2.1% |
Three things nobody tells you
1. If the seller is non-resident, the plusvalía can land on you. Municipal capital gains tax is legally the seller’s — but where the transferor is non-resident, the law makes the buyer the substitute taxpayer. The standard protection is to retain the amount at completion. Make sure your lawyer does.
2. You must withhold 3 per cent from a non-resident seller and pay it on Modelo 211 within one month of the deed. It comes out of the seller’s money — but the obligation and the penalties are yours.
3. The reference value can exceed what you pay. The single most common source of an unexpected tax bill in Andalucía.
What about the proposed 100% tax on non-EU buyers?
Short answer: it is not law, and it has gone nowhere. Announced in January 2025, a bill was registered in May 2025, but as of March 2026 it had had no readings, no committee scrutiny and no plenary debate, and it was absent from the headline measures of the January 2026 housing package. If you are a non-EU buyer, the figures on this page are the ones that apply to you today. We will update this page if that changes.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it really cost to buy property in Marbella?
What is the transfer tax rate in Andalucía?
Do I pay estate agency commission as a buyer?
Do I pay Spanish tax if I never rent the property out?
Is there wealth tax in Andalucía?
How much should I budget for annual running costs?
Talk to us before you commit, not after
Most of the money on this page is unavoidable. Some of it is not — the ownership structure, the currency route, the negotiated legal fee, and whether the reference value is checked before you sign rather than after.
Sources and legal referencesEvery figure on this page traced to its statute or ruling
Ley 5/2021 de Tributos Cedidos de Andalucía (BOE) · Decreto-ley 7/2021 (BOJA) · Ley 8/2025, Presupuesto de Andalucía 2026 (BOJA) · RDLeg 1/1993, Texto Refundido ITPAJD, arts. 10.2 y 30.1 · Ley 37/1992 del IVA, art. 91 · Agencia Tributaria, Tipos impositivos en el IVA 2026 · Real Decreto 1426/1989 (aranceles notariales) · Real Decreto 1427/1989 (aranceles registrales) · RD-ley 8/2010, art. 4 · Ley 5/2019 reguladora de los contratos de crédito inmobiliario, art. 14 · Ley 7/2022 de residuos, art. 11.3 · Ayuntamiento de Marbella, ordenanzas fiscales 2026 (ordenanzas 1.1 y 3.6) · Agencia Tributaria, Renta imputada de inmueble urbano para uso propio · DA 55ª LIRPF · Orden HAC/623/2026 · Ley 19/1991 del Impuesto sobre el Patrimonio, arts. 10 y 30 y DA 4ª · Ley 11/2021 · Ley 38/2022 (ITSGF), art. 3 · RDL 8/2023 · Ley 7/2024, DF 5ª (Presupuesto de Andalucía 2025) · Agencia Tributaria, mínimo exento en obligación real (ITSGF) · TEAC, resoluciones de 18 de diciembre de 2025 · DGT, consulta vinculante V0663-25 · RDLeg 2/2004, art. 106.2 (plusvalía) · Agencia Tributaria, Retención en la adquisición de inmuebles a no residentes (Modelo 211)
This article sets out figures verified as at 11 August 2026. Tax rates, thresholds and case law change — several of the provisions described here are temporary or currently under review — and individual circumstances vary considerably. It is general information, not legal or tax advice, and the worked examples are illustrations rather than calculations of any particular liability. Always take independent professional advice before committing to a purchase or deciding how to hold it.
