Buy in the Spanish resort where you holiday: let it 11 months, live there 1 month, the numbers

In brief (31 October 2026): buying a flat in a Spanish resort where you already holiday, letting it for about 11 months and keeping one month for yourself can work, but the result depends on which month you keep. In our illustrative model, a two-bedroom flat on the Costa Blanca bought at €200,000 and occupied about 55% of nights earns roughly €16,500 gross and about €9,100 before income tax after a 20% manager fee and €4,150 of fixed costs, about 4.5% of the price. Keeping November costs about €420 of net income plus two changeover cleanings; keeping August costs about €2,700. Check the registration and the building's rules before you check the price.

Who this model suits

You already go to the same coastal town every year, you want a base that pays part of its own way, and you accept that you will not use it in July and August. It suits people who can travel in a shoulder month, who do not need the flat as a family base for the whole summer and who are willing to let a manager run the lettings. It does not suit buyers who need the income to cover a mortgage in full, who want the best weeks themselves, or who expect a holiday flat to come without rules: since 2025 a tourist rental in Spain needs a registration number, the community of owners can set its own limits, and a flat that is both your holiday home and a small business has to be insured and taxed as both.

For the general framework, with the maths for all 14 countries, see the hub guide; for the logic of choosing the month see how to choose your owner month and calculate break-even.

When Spain's resorts are busy

The only hard 2026 data we found is from Spain's statistics office (INE) on non-hotel accommodation, which includes tourist flats and houses. For July 2026 (provisional) it shows 52.3% of places occupied across Spain, with Mallorca the highest of any area and the Costa Blanca the busiest by overnight stays, more than 1.2 million. In June 2026 the Costa Blanca recorded more than 736,000 overnight stays. A regional press report from late July put the Alicante coast at 92.2% occupancy, second only to Mallorca.

Those figures describe the peak and say little about winter. We did not find monthly flat-level occupancy for the Costa del Sol or the Costa Blanca, nor 2026 average nightly rates, so the monthly figures in the example below are our assumptions, shaped like a typical resort curve:

• High season: July and August, with strong June and September.
• Shoulder season: April, May and October.
• Low season: November to March, with small bumps around Christmas and Easter.

Winters are mild on the Costa del Sol, which supports winter lets by people escaping northern Europe, but that is a general observation, not a measured figure.

Three resort areas and what a budget buys

The price per m² below is the Tinsa appraisal average for finished homes in the municipality (Q3 2026), which sits below asking prices; the sizes are ours. The full price map is in what can you buy in Spain for €100,000–400,000.

• Torrevieja and Orihuela Costa (south Costa Blanca): about €2,017 and €2,159 per m². A 60–80 m² flat is roughly €120,000–175,000. This is the lowest entry price and a large resale market, strongly summer-weighted. The trap: many similar flats compete for the same guests, so nightly rates stay low.
• Alicante and Benidorm (Costa Blanca): about €2,120 and €2,870 per m². A 70–100 m² flat in Alicante is roughly €150,000–210,000; 70–90 m² in Benidorm roughly €200,000–260,000. The season is longer here, with an airport, a city and a beach together. The trap: central streets can fall under local limits on tourist lets, so check the exact address.
• Málaga and Marbella (Costa del Sol): about €3,004 and €3,764 per m². 70–100 m² in Málaga is roughly €210,000–300,000 and 60–90 m² in Marbella roughly €225,000–340,000. This gives the best winter demand and the highest rates, but the entry price leaves less yield, and Málaga has zonal restrictions in its historic centre.

For yields and costs by city see rental yield in Spain and best areas to buy in Spain. Reports put gross yield near 7.8% in Alicante; the example below lands in the same range, which is deliberate: it is not a best case.

A worked example (illustrative arithmetic, not market data)

Assumptions: a two-bedroom, 70 m² flat, bought at €200,000 (about €2,860 per m², a Benidorm-type price), let through a manager and booking platforms. Our assumed nightly rate, occupancy and resulting monthly revenue:

• January: €45 a night, 30% occupancy, revenue €419
• February: €45, 35%, €441
• March: €55, 45%, €767
• April: €65, 55%, €1,073
• May: €75, 60%, €1,395
• June: €90, 70%, €1,890
• July: €115, 85%, €3,030
• August: €125, 88%, €3,410
• September: €85, 70%, €1,785
• October: €70, 55%, €1,194
• November: €50, 35%, €525
• December: €55, 35%, €597

That is about €16,526 of revenue a year, an average of about 55% of nights occupied at an implied €82 per occupied night. Costs: a manager at 20% of revenue (€3,305), and fixed costs of €4,150 a year: community fees €900, IBI property tax €450, insurance €400, utilities and internet €1,500, and a reserve for maintenance and linen €900. Guest cleaning fees are assumed to be paid by guests and are left out. Net before income tax and before any mortgage: €16,526 − €3,305 − €4,150 = €9,071, or 4.5% of the price.

Which month to keep for yourself

When you keep a month, you lose that month's revenue less the manager's 20% share, which is not paid on income you do not earn. Lost net income by month in the model:

• January €335, February €353, November €420, December €478
• April €858, October €955, May €1,116, September €1,428
• August €2,728

Add two changeover cleanings of about €100 each (before and after your stay), because the cleaning fee does not cover your own stay; the fixed costs above are paid either way. All in, November costs about €620, October about €1,155, May about €1,320 and August about €2,930. A quiet month is cheap to keep because the flat would have been mostly empty: at the modelled November rate of €50 a night a full month would be €1,500, but at 35% occupancy it earns only about €525.

Choose by weather and flights first, then check the price. October and May keep the sea comfortable and cost roughly €1,150–1,300 all in; August is the most expensive month to keep for yourself.

11 months or 12: what changes, and what if the plan underperforms

• 12 months of letting, no owner stay: net €9,071 (4.5% of the price).
• 11 months, November kept, with the two cleanings: €8,451 (4.2%).
• 11 months, August kept, with the cleanings: €6,143 (3.1%).

Stress tests on the 12-month case: if occupancy is 10 points lower in every month, revenue falls to €13,856 and net to €6,935 (3.5%); if nightly rates are 10% lower, revenue is €14,873 and net €7,748 (3.9%). Net before tax reaches zero when revenue falls to about €5,190, roughly 31% of the modelled figure. These numbers are before income tax, before mortgage interest and before any refurbishment, and they assume the flat is licensed and bookable for the whole year.

Registration and community rules when you also use the flat

From 1 July 2025 every tourist rental needs a national registration number (NRU) through the digital rental window, and platforms must delist listings without one; our short-term rental rules in Spain article has the detail. Press reports describe a Supreme Court judgment of 21 May 2026 annulling the state registry, while regions can still require their own registration, so confirm the status on the day you buy. Madrid has suspended new licences in central districts, Málaga, Seville and Valencia have zonal limits in their historic cores, and Barcelona is phasing out tourist licences by 2028.

In general the registration belongs to the dwelling, not to the person, so an owner can stay in a registered flat; your manager's contract should still say which dates are blocked and how guest bookings are protected. Separately, the building's statutes (estatutos) and meeting minutes (actas) can restrict or ban tourist lets: ask the administrator for them and for a certificate of no community debts before signing. Tell your insurer the flat is let to tourists. More in licences, condo rules and insurance and home insurance for non-resident owners.

Taxes in short

This is not tax advice. Income from a Spanish flat is taxed in Spain for non-residents; EU and EEA residents are generally taxed at 19% on net income with deductible costs and others at 24% on gross income, a point we did not re-check this session. Spanish practice apportions costs by the days the flat is really let, and days of your own use are not deductible. A tax-office ruling (V1643-2025) apportions expenses by the share of time and space used for tourist lets in the case of a room; we found no ruling on a whole flat with owner days, and for a second home the rules may also impute income for days it is not let. Ask an adviser before you plan the net figure. The cross-country picture is in personal-use days and rental income taxes, and the sale side in capital gains tax on sale in Spain.

Buying costs

Budget roughly 9–13% on top of the price: regional transfer tax (for example 7% in Andalusia, and 9% for resale in the Valencian Community from 1 June 2026 according to two tax guides), notary, registry and lawyer; a new build pays 10% VAT plus stamp duty. See Spain property prices and buying costs. Furnishing for tourist letting adds a few thousand euros, and manager contracts vary, so compare them using management companies abroad: fees, contracts and choosing and managing a holiday home abroad.

Common mistakes

• Using July and August figures as the annual average.
• Keeping August for yourself without pricing it.
• Buying before reading the building statutes and checking the registration status.
• Forgetting that fixed costs run for all 12 months.
• Leaving the blocking of your dates to a verbal promise instead of a contract clause.
• Calculating yield on the price instead of on the full cash outlay, price plus the 9–13%.

Checklist before you offer

• The flat has, or can obtain, a tourist registration in that address, and the community statutes allow tourist lets.
• You have a written manager contract with owner dates, fees and cancellation rules.
• Insurance covers tourist letting and liability.
• You have run the model with 10 points less occupancy and 10% lower rates and still accept the result.
• You have picked your month and priced it.

FAQ

Can I live in a flat I rent to tourists in Spain? In general yes: the registration is attached to the dwelling, so you can stay in it, but you should block your dates in the manager's contract and make sure the insurance covers your own stay.

How much does it cost to keep one month for myself? In our illustrative model about €620 all in for November, about €1,155 for October and about €2,930 for August; the figure depends on the occupancy you would otherwise have had.

Is 11 months of letting realistic? It is realistic only for a registered flat in an area with demand outside summer; in a low-demand winter the extra months add little, and the yield mostly comes from June to September.

Do I need a licence if I also live there? If you let it to tourists, yes, and the national number and any regional registration apply whatever your own use; check the current status.

Is the Costa Blanca or the Costa del Sol better for this? The Costa Blanca is cheaper to enter and more summer-weighted; the Costa del Sol costs more per m² and has better winter demand but stricter rules in its centres.

Informational only, not legal, tax or investment advice. Figures are illustrative and as of October 2026.