The end of the holidays marks for many people the beginning of the search for a home in that dream destination. No one said that summer flings cannot also take the shape of a house. Nor did anyone say that they are cheap. In fact, the reality of the Spanish coasts shows that prices are increasingly higher and that even so, demand remains so persistent that second homes and vacation properties are encroaching on primary residences in many parts of the Spanish coastline, thus complicating local residents' access to a home.
These are some of the conclusions of the "Housing on the Coast 2026" report prepared by the real estate consultancy Tinsa by Accumin, which also notes that prices continue to rise due to a shortage of supply. To break it down: the value of housing in coastal municipalities, excluding provincial capitals, stood at 1,992 euros per square meter in the first quarter of 2026, 13.5% higher than a year earlier and in line with the 14.5% increase in the national average. Within this market, the specific segment of vacation housing on the coast stands out with an estimated average value of 3,150 euros, 11.6% higher than the national average.
Tinsa highlights that this price increase is pushing the financial effort required to buy a home in coastal areas up to 40% of available income, compared to the recommended 35%, revealing difficulties in housing access for the local population in the face of the growing dominance of the vacation segment. "The effort reaches the most critical levels in the Balearic Islands (59%) and on the coasts of Málaga (57%) and Alicante (46%)," the analysis points out. "The Spanish coastline is growing in an increasingly unequal manner. While the purchasing effort for the country as a whole remains close to equilibrium, housing access reaches high levels of stress on the coast, and critical levels in several stretches, where the merger between primary and second-home products prioritizes the higher profitability offered by the vacation segment," explains Cristina Arias, director of the consultancy's Studies Service.
One of the most striking aspects of the analysis points to how the concentration of activity in the second-home market is consolidating on the coast, increasingly merging with and replacing the primary residence product. In this sense, areas identified as a single market, with no differentiation between primary and second homes, are increasing from 8% to 20%, and in 61% of the areas, second homes are distorting the primary residence market by driving up prices and reducing available supply in both new construction and second-hand properties, for both sale and rent (compared to 54% the previous year).
"This situation points toward a worsening of housing access for local demand, which is being driven out of the coastline due to the greater purchasing power of vacation home buyers, the higher profitability offered by seasonal rentals, a scarce supply of new construction predominantly oriented toward the vacation segment, and second-hand housing that is being transformed from habitual use to tourist use," highlights Andrea de la Hoz, senior analyst at the firm's Studies Service.
The report analyzes more than 250 municipalities along the Spanish coastline grouped into 51 zones (22 provinces) across the peninsula and the islands. In 77% of the areas surveyed, second-home prices still have room to grow (compared to 94% the previous year), while the remaining 23% show signs of a slowdown and locations that are reaching peak price levels for the current demand profile. These areas are located in Barcelona, Tarragona, Mallorca, Ibiza, Formentera, Murcia, Almería, Málaga, Cádiz, Gran Canaria, Lugo, and Asturias.
