# Spanish Rental Yields 2026: Murcia 7.5%, 6 Cities Beat 6.7% > Spain's gross rental yield closed Q1 2026 at 6.7% nationally. Seven east-coast cities still beat that line: Murcia 7.5%, Castellon 7.3%, Almeria 7.2%, plus four Costa Calida and Costa Blanca towns. Working town-by-town table with current asking prices and net-after-cost math. Published: 2026-06-04 Updated: 2026-06-02 Author: Erick Kit Canonical: https://wesnagroup.com/blog/rental-yields-beat-6-percent-spanish-coast-2026 License: CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Cite as: Wesna Group, "Spanish Rental Yields 2026: Murcia 7.5%, 6 Cities Beat 6.7%", wesnagroup.com --- Spain's residential gross rental yield closed Q1 2026 at 6.7% according to [Idealista's quarterly report](https://www.idealista.com/news/inmobiliario/vivienda/2026/04/07/891696-la-rentabilidad-de-la-vivienda-cae-hasta-el-6-7-en-el-arranque-de-2026), six tenths of a point below where it sat a year earlier. The east coast still beats that line in several towns. Murcia capital leads all 50 Spanish provincial capitals at 7.5%. Castellón sits at 7.2%. Madrid, by contrast, runs at 4.7%. The towns where 6%+ still holds up are not random. They share a profile worth understanding before you buy. ## The 2026 yield map at a glance Idealista's Q1 2026 rentabilidad bruta report (the gross yield = annual rent / asking price, before any costs) shows a clear north-to-south spread across Spanish provincial capitals.
Spanish capitalGross yield Q1 2026Direction vs 2025
Murcia7.5%Top in Spain
Segovia7.3%Stable
Lleida7.3%Stable
Castellón de la Plana7.2%Stable
Huelva7.2%Stable
Jaén7.2%Stable
National average (residential)6.7%-0.6 pp YoY
Valencia capital~5.9%Down slightly
Barcelona5.2%Down YoY
Madrid4.7%Down YoY
Three of the top six gross-yield capitals sit along the east coast that Wesna covers: Murcia (anchor of [Costa Cálida](/catalog?city=cartagena)), Castellón (between Valencia and Tarragona), and the Valencian region generally. The pattern is consistent: smaller capitals with steady rental demand and lower entry prices beat the headline-grabbing big cities every quarter. Resort towns sit slightly below capital cities in the data because Idealista's official yield figures cover provincial capitals only. Town-level yields (Torrevieja, Calpe, Denia, Benidorm) are derived by local agencies dividing actual lettings by asking prices in the same zone. Treat town-level numbers as "approximate" rather than official Idealista figures. ## What 6.7% gross actually becomes Gross yield is the headline. Net is what lands in your account. A €240,000 two-bed apartment in Las Marinas, Denia, let on a long-term contract at €1,000 per month, looks like this:
LineAmountNote
Gross annual rent€12,000€1,000 × 12 months
Gross yield5.0%12,000 ÷ 240,000
Less: IBI (council tax)-€650Denia 1.05% on cadastral value
Less: Comunidad fees-€1,440€120/month, pool + lift building
Less: Building insurance-€320Required for mortgage
Less: Property management (10%)-€1,200Local agency, tenant changes + maintenance
Less: Maintenance reserve (5%)-€600Boiler, A/C, appliances over time
Less: One-month vacancy reserve-€1,000Between tenants, typical
Net before tax€6,790Net yield ~2.8%
Less: Income tax (non-resident, 24%)-€1,629Modelo 210, quarterly
Net after tax€5,161~2.1%
EU residents pay 19% on rental income instead of 24% and can deduct expenses (the non-resident regime cannot deduct most costs). Same property, EU-tax-resident owner: net after tax climbs to roughly 2.6%. Two takeaways. First: a "6%" gross yield in a brochure usually lands at 2-3% net in your bank. Second: the gap between EU and non-EU tax treatment is meaningful. If you plan to become a Spanish tax resident through NLV, DNV, or Beckham regime, run the numbers both ways. ## Where east-coast yields beat the national line The towns that consistently show town-level gross yields at or above 6% on Costa Blanca and Costa Cálida share a profile: lower entry prices per square metre, year-round expat tenants, and apartment-heavy supply rather than villa-heavy. Local agency data (not Idealista official) places the strongest performers in this range: - **Torrevieja**: gross yields around 6.0-7.0%, driven by year-round Northern European retirees and apartment-dense supply. Average price per m² around €2,300 keeps the denominator low. [Browse Torrevieja listings](/catalog?city=torrevieja). - **Punta Prima** (Torrevieja zone, just south): around 6.4% gross. Higher tourist crossover, slightly higher rents. - **Benidorm**: 6.0-8.0% gross, the highest on Costa Blanca. Year-round demand from a large tourist base + retired population. The price you pay is a town with a very specific character that is not for every buyer. - **Cabo de las Huertas** (Alicante city outskirts): around 5.3%. Lower than Torrevieja because villa-heavy supply with bigger ticket sizes. - **Calpe**: 5.0-7.0% range depending on zone. The waterfront commands premium but yields compress; the inland and second-line areas keep 6%+ in play. - **Cartagena and Los Alcázares** (Costa Cálida): town-level data suggests around 6.0-7.0% gross. Lower entry prices than Costa Blanca North + steady seasonal demand. The towns that consistently DON'T beat the national 6.7% gross line: [Denia](/catalog?city=denia), Javea, and Moraira. Their average per-m² prices sit higher (€3,300, €3,600, and €3,800 respectively per Idealista's January 2026 index), which compresses gross yield even when rents are strong. These towns work better for capital growth + lifestyle than for cash yield. [Browse Costa Blanca North listings](/catalog?city=denia). ## Where the upside is right now Two patterns are repeating across the data we see in Wesna's own MASA-fed inventory. **Pattern one: small-ticket apartments in second-line beach towns.** A 2-bed apartment 200 m from sand, €170,000-€220,000 asking price, year-round long-term tenant at €900-€1,100. That math gives a 5.5-6.5% gross. Net after costs and non-resident tax sits in the 2.5-3.5% range. The advantage is liquidity. Properties in this band sell fast if you ever need to exit. **Pattern two: mid-band properties in capital-of-province towns.** Murcia city, Cartagena, Alicante outside the historic centre. Entry tickets €150,000-€250,000 for a 2-bed. Domestic Spanish tenants, longer contracts (3 to 7 years), less turnover, less management headache. Gross yields 6.5-7.5%. Net 3.0-4.0%. **What to skip if cash yield is your goal:** villa-heavy supply on prime coast (Les Rotes in Denia, Cabo Roig in Orihuela, sea-front Calpe), city-centre prestige in Madrid or Barcelona, and luxury new-builds. They appreciate (sometimes) but yields stay below 4% net. A note on tourist licences. Short-term holiday let (under 31 days) was the easy path to 8%+ yields pre-2024. The Valencia regional moratorium on new VFT tourist licences since 2024 closed that door for most new buyers. If your seller's property already holds a valid licence, the licence transfers. If not, count on long-term-only and price your yield accordingly. ## Risks worth pricing in - **Existing-contract rent control.** Rent increases on existing contracts are capped at IRAV (Reference Index for Housing Rentals, published by INE), which sat at +2.16% YoY in February 2026. New-contract rents move freely. If you buy with an existing tenant, factor in the IRAV cap on your projection. - **Tax residency drag for non-residents.** 24% flat rate on rental income, no expense deduction for most categories. The real tax difference between EU and non-EU residency status is 5-15 percentage points off your net yield. - **Mortgage rate moves.** Euribor settled around 2.2-2.5% through Q1 2026 according to [Bank of Spain data](https://www.bde.es), well below the 3.7-4.0% peak of late 2023. A non-resident mortgage today carries roughly 3.5-4.2% interest. If you leverage your yield, the spread between gross yield and mortgage rate is now under 2 pp. Compressed. - **Tourist licence policy direction.** Valencia regional government has signalled further restrictions through 2026 and 2027. Plan for long-term lettings as the default route, not the fallback. - **Liquidity concentration risk.** Concentrated exposure to Torrevieja or Benidorm means concentrated exposure to one tenant pool. If British or Northern European demand softens, those markets feel it first. ## FAQ ### What is a realistic net yield in 2026? For a non-resident owner letting long-term on Costa Blanca, expect 2.0-3.5% net after tax on a 2-bed apartment bought between €170,000 and €260,000. EU-resident owners (NLV, DNV, Beckham residents) can deduct most expenses and pay 19% instead of 24%, lifting net to 2.5-4.0%. Treat any agency promising 5%+ net as either short-term-licensed or selling you the gross number. ### Why is Murcia capital the highest-yield Spanish capital? Lower entry prices (€/m² well below the national average) and a strong domestic-tenant base. Demand from public sector workers, the local university, and steady Costa Cálida tourism keeps occupancy high. The gap between the yield-friendly inland capitals and the lifestyle-friendly coastal towns shows up clearly in [Idealista's quarterly report](https://www.idealista.com/news/inmobiliario/vivienda/2026/04/07/891696-la-rentabilidad-de-la-vivienda-cae-hasta-el-6-7-en-el-arranque-de-2026). ### Is buy-to-let still viable on the Spanish coast? Yes, with realistic expectations. The 6-7% gross yield range on Costa Blanca South (Torrevieja, Punta Prima) and Costa Cálida (Murcia capital, Cartagena, Los Alcázares) gives meaningful long-term real returns once you account for property appreciation. Don't expect short-term cashflow to fund a lifestyle. Do expect a balanced asset with rental income covering most ownership costs and tax. ### What's the difference between long-term and short-term letting yields? Short-term (tourist) lettings produced 8-10% gross historically on Costa Blanca North. The Valencia tourist-licence freeze since 2024 made that route inaccessible to new buyers without an inherited licence. Long-term lettings cap out around 6-7% gross but come with single tenant relationships, less management, and zero exposure to seasonal vacancy. Long-term is the path most non-resident buyers should plan for in 2026. ### How does Euribor affect my yield decision? Cheaper credit increases what investors can pay, which compresses gross yields over time. Today's lower Euribor pushed Spanish residential yields down from 7.3% (Q1 2025) to 6.7% (Q1 2026) per [Bank of Spain data](https://www.bde.es) and Idealista's index. If you lock a fixed-rate mortgage today and rates fall further, your yield-on-cost stays where you fixed it. If you go variable, you may see margin improve, but exposed to upside rate moves too. ## Browse buy-to-let candidates The shortlist for cash yield on our inventory: [Torrevieja apartments](/catalog?city=torrevieja&kind=apartment), [Punta Prima zone](/catalog?city=torrevieja), [Los Alcázares apartments](/catalog?city=los-alcazares&kind=apartment), [Cartagena](/catalog?city=cartagena), and [Calpe apartments](/catalog?city=calpe&kind=apartment) (inland and second-line, not the waterfront). For broader lifestyle-first buyers comparing capital growth potential, [Denia](/catalog?city=denia), Javea, and Moraira sit lower on yield but higher on resilience and resale. If you want help running the net-yield math on a specific listing before you offer, [get in touch](/contacts) and we will walk through it with you using your tax status, mortgage assumptions, and target hold period. _By Oleg Fesechko, founder of Wesna Group._