Costa del Sol — Airbnb Investment Data
Spain’s biggest tracked STR market — Marbella to Málaga, and the easiest licence in our coverage.
The Costa del Sol is the largest market in our Spain dataset — over 2,000 tracked listings from Marbella, Estepona and Benahavís in the west through Mijas, Fuengirola and Benalmádena to Málaga city and Nerja in the east. International demand is the broadest in Spain: British, Scandinavian, Dutch, German, Middle Eastern.
Andalusia runs the most accessible licence regime of our Spanish regions (VUT registration), which makes this the natural first market for investors who want Spanish STR exposure without licence scarcity — at the cost of more competition than the licence-capped islands.
16,595
Tracked Listings
14
Areas Covered
45%
Avg Occupancy
€287
Typical ADR
€130
RevPAR
Occupancy and ADR are observed from live Airbnb calendars across Apr 2026–Dec 2026 (16,595 tracked listings). ADR reflects asking prices; upcoming months show booking pace to date and typically rise as the month approaches.
Highest-scoring Costa del Sol villas
Ranked by BrixfoxScore — real, after-tax net yield from live Airbnb data, not asking-price guesswork.
Detached house in El Madroñal 2, El Madroñal, Benahavís
Detached house in El Paraíso, Benahavís
Detached house in La Quinta, Benahavís
Detached house in Ds Pago Frontiles, Chaparil - Torrecilla - Punta Lara, Nerja
Detached house in Rio Real, Marbella
Detached house in Calle Tabacalero, Chullera, Manilva
Detached house in Calle del Limonar, Alcorrín, Manilva
Detached house in El Rosario-Ricmar, Marbella
Detached house in Calle Ortiga, Puertosol - Santa Isabel, Málaga
Airbnb Performance by Area in Costa del Sol
Live Airbnb performance by area — occupancy and typical nightly rate from tracked calendars, all property sizes blended.
| Area | Listings | Occupancy | Typical ADR | Est. Monthly Revenue |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Málaga | 3,549 | 48% | €197 | €2,889 |
| Nerja | 1,787 | 48% | €200 | €2,878 |
| Marbella | 1,722 | 45% | €476 | €6,106 |
| Mijas Costa | 1,554 | 44% | €305 | €3,945 |
| Benalmádena | 1,433 | 45% | €266 | €3,521 |
| Torremolinos | 1,424 | 44% | €175 | €2,258 |
| Fuengirola | 1,183 | 43% | €260 | €3,392 |
| Estepona | 1,170 | 46% | €260 | €3,510 |
| Benahavís | 1,129 | 41% | €518 | €6,136 |
| Axarquía | 682 | 40% | €204 | €2,552 |
| Sotogrande | 518 | 42% | €276 | €3,286 |
| Ronda | 444 | 37% | €184 | €1,918 |
| Mijas | 355 | 54% | €325 | €4,593 |
| Torre del Mar | 70 | 49% | €175 | €2,470 |
Booking Pace by Month
Calendar-observed occupancy per month. Upcoming months show bookings already on the calendar and fill further as dates approach.
Performance by Property Size
0 bedrooms
46% occupancy
€142 per night
2,318 tracked
1 bedroom
46% occupancy
€152 per night
4,269 tracked
2 bedrooms
46% occupancy
€221 per night
5,558 tracked
3 bedrooms
44% occupancy
€324 per night
2,855 tracked
15,201 tourist licences on register · 407 villas for sale
Register rows per municipality against the villas we list there. A licence on the register is a licence at a location on the day the register was read — not a statement about any villa for sale, and not a transfer.
| Municipality | Licences on register | Pinned | Villas for sale | Licences per villa |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marbella | 2,629 | 2,360 | 77 | 34.1 |
| Manilva | 493 | 394 | 50 | 9.9 |
| Nerja | 1,477 | 1,359 | 45 | 32.8 |
| Benahavís | 274 | 266 | 44 | 6.2 |
| Estepona | 1,147 | 1,016 | 42 | 27.3 |
| Benalmádena | 1,360 | 1,051 | 26 | 52.3 |
| Málaga | 2,000 | 1,942 | 23 | 87.0 |
| Mijas | 1,730 | 1,672 | 23 | 75.2 |
| Casares | 222 | 210 | 23 | 9.7 |
| Fuengirola | 790 | 751 | 13 | 60.8 |
| El Higuerón | — | — | 13 | — |
| El Paraíso | — | — | 12 | — |
| Torremolinos | 602 | 558 | 11 | 54.7 |
| Atalaya | — | — | 3 | — |
Sources: Andalusia register, last read 28 Sept 2026. “Pinned” counts register rows with a usable coordinate — what the per-villa match can check within 50 m of an exact pin. A dash means the catalogue files that place as a municipality while the register files it under another; the villas are still counted. Whether any licence transfers with a sale is a question for a Spanish lawyer.
Short-Term Rental Rules in Costa del Sol
Licensing is the single biggest factor in Spanish STR underwriting — it determines whether projected income is achievable at all.
New licences
Registration-based and still open in most municipalities. Decree 31/2024 (February 2024) tightened habitability rules (fixed air-conditioning, minimum room sizes) and empowered town halls to cap or exclude tourist flats in saturated zones — Málaga city already applies caps and exclusion zones.
When you buy
The registration is straightforward to obtain for compliant properties and can be re-registered by a new owner; municipal caps are the main constraint to check.
Buyer checkpoint
Costa del Sol remains the most accessible licence regime in our Spain coverage — but check the specific municipality’s saturation rules (especially Málaga city) before underwriting STR income.
National registry (all of Spain)
Since 1 July 2025 every short-term rental in Spain must hold a national registration number (NRA) from the Registro Único (Royal Decree 1312/2024). Platforms like Airbnb must delist properties without one within 48 hours. The NRA sits on top of each region’s own licence regime — you need both.
Regulation overview only, current as of June 2026 — not legal advice. Verify with a local lawyer before purchase.
Frequently Asked Questions
How hard is it to get a holiday rental licence on the Costa del Sol?
Andalusia’s VUT registration remains open in most municipalities — compliant properties (fixed air-conditioning, habitability standards under Decree 31/2024) can register. Málaga city is the exception, with caps and exclusion zones in saturated districts.
Marbella or Málaga for Airbnb investment?
Marbella runs the highest ADRs in the region (our 2-bed data shows roughly double the coast average) on a luxury, golf and beach-club demand profile; Málaga city offers year-round urban demand but tighter municipal rules. Mijas and Fuengirola sit between on price with strong volume.
How seasonal is the Costa del Sol?
Summer-peaked but with real shoulder demand — golf (autumn/spring) and city tourism in Málaga keep months alive that pure beach markets lose. The monthly data on this page shows the curve.