Villa vs apartment in 2026: the real annual cost gap on the Costa Blanca

The headline price per square metre runs almost the same. Apartments in Alicante province sit at €2,712/m² and villas at €2,702/m² in Idealista's February 2026 index. What changes once you own the place is everything that follows.

What you're actually choosing between

An apartment puts you inside a building where the freeholder community owns the roof, the lift, the pool and the stairwell. You pay a monthly community fee, and a much smaller reserve for what's inside your front door. The building handles itself.

A villa puts that whole job on you. Roof tiles, exterior paint, garden, pool, garage door, irrigation, septic if you're rural. Nobody fixes it on a schedule unless you do.

The other practical gap: villas on the Costa Blanca average 130-180 m² of living space versus 70-100 m² for typical apartments. That changes utility bills, cleaning effort, and how many people the place actually houses.

Annual running cost on a €250,000 buy

Same purchase price, two different scenarios. The cadastral value (used for IBI) usually sits at 30-60% of market price per the Spanish tax authority's guidance on property tax. The IBI rate itself depends on the town: Torrevieja runs 0.400% (the lowest on the Costa Blanca), Dénia runs 1.050% (the highest).

Annual cost line	Apartment 85 m² (mid-tier, lift + pool community)	Villa 140 m² (private pool, garden)
IBI (Torrevieja example, 0.400%)	~€400	~€480
Community fee	€60-200/month = €720-2,400	€0
Pool + garden maintenance	Included in community	€1,500-2,400
Electricity (annual)	~€600	~€1,100
Water + waste	~€240	~€420
Building / contents insurance	~€280	~€450
Maintenance reserve (own works)	~€200	~€800
Typical total	€2,640-4,320	€4,750-5,650

A villa runs roughly €1,500-2,500 more per year than an apartment at the same buy price. The biggest single driver is what the community fee covers in one case and what you pay separately in the other.

Swap towns and the IBI line shifts. The same €100,000 cadastral apartment costs €400 in Torrevieja and €1,050 in Dénia. Pick the town before the property type if council tax matters.

When the villa makes sense

Year-round residence with a family of three or more. The square-metre cost difference disappears once two adults and two children try to fit into a 70 m² apartment. Pets count.

Investor buying for long-term let to families. Villas attract longer stays (12-24 months typical) versus apartments (often 6-12 months). Less tenant turnover, less management.

Owners who want to absorb the pool. A private pool used twice a year is €1,500-2,400 wasted. Used twice a week from May to October, it's the reason you bought in the first place.

Browse villas in Calpe or houses in Jávea if Costa Blanca North fits the budget. South Costa Blanca villas in Orihuela Costa or houses in Pilar de la Horadada cost noticeably less per square metre and run a lower IBI.

When the apartment wins

Second-home owners who fly in for 4-8 weeks a year. Closing up an apartment takes 30 minutes. Closing up a villa takes a weekend, plus a caretaker or a monthly maintenance contract while you're gone.

Buy-to-let on the south Costa Blanca. Mid-tier apartments in Torrevieja or Orihuela Costa rent year-round to retirees, snowbirds and digital nomads. Gross yields sit higher than equivalent villa stock because the entry ticket is lower while the rent ratio holds up.

Anyone who doesn't want to call a pool guy. Or a gardener. Or a roof tile guy. The community fee covers all of that without your phone ringing.

Apartments in Torrevieja, Alicante city apartments and apartments in Dénia are the high-liquidity end of the stock if you want easy resale later.

FAQ

Is a villa always more expensive than an apartment?

Per square metre, no. Idealista shows villas at €2,702/m² and apartments at €2,712/m² across Alicante province in February 2026. Villas cost more per unit because they're bigger, not because the price per metre is higher. Per year of running cost, yes - villas run €1,500-2,500 more than equivalent apartments after IBI, utilities, pool and garden.

Which Costa Blanca town has the lowest IBI?

Torrevieja, at 0.400% of cadastral value. Dénia is the highest at 1.050%. Pick the town before the property type if council tax weighs heavily on the math.

Can I rent out a villa or apartment year-round to cover costs?

Yes, with realistic numbers. A €250,000 apartment in Torrevieja lets long-term at roughly €1,000-1,200/month, covering all running costs above with €5,000-9,000 left for the income tax line. A villa at the same buy price clears less proportionally because running costs are higher, though tenant churn drops.

How much does pool maintenance actually cost?

Plan for €100-200/month from a Spanish contractor for chemistry, cleaning and a winter close-up. Add equipment replacement (pump every 8-12 years, around €500-900). DIY drops it to €40/month in chemicals plus your time. Empty pools deteriorate faster than maintained ones, so even a 6-month closed-up villa needs at least one inspection a year.

Do community fees vary that much between apartments?

A lot. Basic walk-up building with no extras: €40-70/month. Standard mid-tier with lift and shared pool: €80-180/month. Front-line beach complexes with gardens, multiple pools, gym and 24-hour security: €250-450/month. Ask for the last 12 months of fee history before offering.

Browse the catalog

If the math made the decision easier:

• All apartments for sale
• All houses and villas for sale
• Property in Torrevieja (lowest IBI on the Costa Blanca)
• Property in Dénia (highest IBI, highest demand)

Or send us a shortlist of three you like and we'll run the annual cost math against each before you offer.

By Erick Kit, General Manager at Wesna Group.