Costs
What buying in Sotogrande actually costs
The asking price is not the price. Buying in Andalucía adds roughly 8.8% on top of a resale purchase and 13% on a new build, in tax and fees — and there are annual costs afterwards that catch out buyers who budgeted only for the purchase.
Work out your own numbers
Where those figures come from
| Cost | Typical | Applies to |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer tax (ITP) | 7% | Resale purchases in Andalucía |
| VAT (IVA) | 10% | New build bought from the developer |
| Stamp duty (AJD) | 1.2% | New build only |
| Notary | ~0.5% | All purchases |
| Land registry | ~0.3% | All purchases |
| Legal fees | ~1% | All purchases |
The annual costs people forget
IBI (local property tax) is charged on the cadastral value, not the purchase price, and is typically a few hundred to a few thousand euros a year. Community fees in the gated urbanisations and resort developments are often the single largest running cost. If you are not tax resident in Spain, you also owe non-resident imputed income tax annually on a property you do not let — a tax on the notional benefit of owning it — and there is a separate regime if you do let it out.
This is an indicative model, not tax advice. Rates are
those applying in Andalucía as at 2026 and can change; your own position depends on your
residence, how you hold the property and how you fund it. Every buyer should take Spanish
legal and tax advice before committing, and we would say that even if it cost us the
enquiry.