Townhouse, Dúplex, Adosado: Spanish Property Terms Explained 2026

1. Casa adosada (townhouse)

Single-family house sharing one or both side walls with neighbouring units, typically in a row of 3-10. Each unit has its own street entrance, private garden (small, 20-100 m²), and usually 2-3 floors. The Spanish "adosada" literally means "attached" or "joined".

UK equivalent: terraced house or end-of-terrace house. US equivalent: townhouse / townhome.

Typical price: €180,000-€450,000 on Costa Blanca depending on town and condition.

2. Dúplex

Spanish dúplex has two definitions and they get mixed up constantly:

• Definition A (most common in Spain): a single residential unit spread across two floors WITHIN an apartment building. The two floors are connected by an internal staircase. The owner occupies both floors. This is what UK buyers would call a "maisonette".
• Definition B (less common, mostly Madrid/Barcelona): two separate units stacked one on top of the other in the same building, with a shared owner. Closer to a US "duplex".

Always ask which definition the listing means. Most Costa Blanca listings use Definition A.

Typical price: €150,000-€500,000 depending on size and town.

3. Ático (penthouse)

Top-floor apartment, usually with a private roof terrace (terraza or solárium). The Spanish "ático" implies a setback design where the top floor is smaller than the floors below, creating the wraparound terrace space. Premium tier of apartment stock.

UK / US equivalent: penthouse.

Typical price: 15-30% above standard apartments in the same building.

Concrete example: WG-16 - 1 Bedroom Algorfa Penthouse, 53 m², €159,000 ★ featured - entry-tier ático in the La Finca golf area.

4. Chalet (detached house)

Standalone single-family house on its own plot. The Spanish "chalet" is the closest equivalent to a UK detached house or US single-family home. NOT the alpine wooden chalet that the English word implies.

Sub-types:

• Chalet independiente - fully detached, free-standing on all four sides
• Chalet pareado - semi-detached (sharing ONE side wall with one neighbour)

Typical price: €250,000-€2,500,000+ on Costa Blanca depending on plot size, town and condition.

Concrete example: WG-12 - 3 Bedroom Altea Hills Detached Bungalow, 117 m², €350,000 ★ featured - though listed by us as a "bungalow", in Spanish portal terminology this would also be described as a chalet pareado depending on the agent.

5. Bungalow

Single-storey property, usually in a complex with shared pool. Built across the 1970s-2000s as holiday-home developments. The Spanish "bungalow" can be detached or attached; the defining feature is the single-storey layout.

UK equivalent: bungalow (same word, same meaning).

Typical price: €150,000-€500,000 on Costa Blanca.

6. Piso (apartment)

The general Spanish word for "apartment" in any multi-unit building. "Piso" literally means "floor", and by extension came to mean a residential unit on a floor.

UK equivalent: flat. US equivalent: apartment.

Typical price: €80,000-€600,000 on Costa Blanca depending on town, floor, terrace and view.

7. Apartamento

Smaller apartment, typically studio or 1-bedroom, designed for tourist use or single occupancy. The distinction between piso and apartamento is fuzzy in modern usage but historically apartamento implied smaller, simpler, often holiday-let oriented.

Typical price: €60,000-€250,000 on Costa Blanca.

8. Estudio (studio)

Single-room residential unit with kitchen and bathroom but no separate bedroom. The Spanish "estudio" is identical to the English "studio".

Typical price: €50,000-€180,000 on Costa Blanca.

Less common terms you will see

Spanish term	English meaning	Notes
Casa rural	Rural country house	Often on rural land (parcela rústica), reduced building permissions
Finca	Estate, agricultural property	Land + house, can be small (1,000 m²) or large (50+ hectares)
Masía	Catalan country farmhouse	Traditional Catalan/Valencia stone farmhouse, often historic
Casa de pueblo	Village house	Older town-centre house, often unrenovated, typical of inland Spain
Loft	Loft / open-plan apartment	Same as English usage, urban Madrid/Barcelona context
Adosado pareado	Semi-detached townhouse	Variant on adosado, sharing only one side wall
Solar	Building plot	Empty land with planning permission
Local comercial	Commercial premises	Ground-floor shop / office unit

How this affects your property search

When searching Spanish property portals (Idealista, Fotocasa) or our Costa Blanca catalog, the property type filter is the most important narrowing tool. Selecting "piso" when you wanted "casa adosada" will hide hundreds of listings.

If you are unsure which type fits your need, our main blog cornerstone on buying property in Spain as a foreigner covers the full 9-step search and purchase process with worked examples for each property type.

FAQ

Is a Spanish chalet the same as a UK detached house?

Practically yes. A Spanish chalet independiente is fully detached on all four sides, with its own plot, garden and external walls. The architectural style is usually flat-roofed Mediterranean rather than UK pitched-roof but the legal-and-functional category is identical.

What is the cheapest property type on Costa Blanca?

Estudios (studios) start around €50,000 in older parts of inner Torrevieja and inner Benidorm. Bungalows in older complexes start around €120,000. Casas adosadas (townhouses) start around €180,000. Chalets pareados start around €250,000. Fully detached chalets independientes start around €350,000.

Are all property types eligible for short-let rental?

No. Only certain types in certain zones qualify for VUT (Vivienda de Uso Turístico) licences, and even within eligible types, comunidad statutes may forbid short-let. Always check the local rules with the administrador de fincas before purchase.

By Oleg Fesechko, founder of Wesna Group.