Published September 2026 · Data verified September 2026
Costa Blanca short-term rental yields range from 5.8% to 11.9% gross across the coast's thirteen main markets. The spread is wide, and the market with the highest number is also the one where new licences are hardest to obtain.
The Costa Blanca also has a rule that changes the strategy entirely: a stay of eleven days or more falls outside tourist-rental law and needs no licence at all. That single line opens a mid-term market the Costa del Sol does not have on the same terms.
How these yields are calculated
Gross yield here means annual short-term rental revenue per apartment, divided by a purchase benchmark of the local asking price per square metre multiplied by 90 m² built. Revenue comes from AirDNA, which tracks Airbnb and VRBO-style platform activity, for the twelve months to June 2026. Asking prices are from May 2026, matched to the same window.
Net operating yield applies a 50% operating-cost allowance covering management, cleaning and turnover, platform fees, utilities, repairs, maintenance and local charges. Both figures come before purchase costs, furnishing, income tax and financing.
Short-term rental yields by market
| Market | Annual revenue | Revenue y/y | €/m² | Gross | Net op. | Listings y/y |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alicante city | €27,550 | +16.5% | 2,571 | 11.9% | 6.0% | −14.9% |
| El Campello | €25,519 | +16.4% | 3,325 | 8.5% | 4.3% | −11.3% |
| Santa Pola | €19,270 | +13.8% | 2,694 | 7.9% | 4.0% | −11.0% |
| Benidorm | €25,851 | +11.6% | 3,678 | 7.8% | 3.9% | −13.4% |
| Altea | €24,220 | +13.0% | 3,579 | 7.5% | 3.8% | −16.5% |
| Calpe | €21,969 | +13.4% | 3,545 | 6.9% | 3.4% | −1.8% |
| Finestrat | €20,702 | +6.6% | 3,392 | 6.8% | 3.4% | −5.8% |
| Jávea / Xàbia | €23,434 | +9.4% | 4,072 | 6.4% | 3.2% | −21.5% |
| Villajoyosa | €20,033 | +3.9% | 3,539 | 6.3% | 3.1% | −9.5% |
| Orihuela Costa | €17,146 | +10.1% | 3,037 | 6.3% | 3.1% | −19.4% |
| Teulada-Moraira | €24,807 | +34.5% | 4,513 | 6.1% | 3.1% | −6.4% |
| Dénia | €18,701 | +7.3% | 3,404 | 6.1% | 3.1% | −23.0% |
| Pilar de la Horadada | €17,582 | +16.5% | 3,377 | 5.8% | 2.9% | +9.9% |
Four of these markets hold a different asset mix. Teulada-Moraira, Jávea, Altea and Dénia include far more villas and large houses, so a 90 m² apartment benchmark understates what those properties actually cost and earn. Treat their figures as a screening convention rather than a property-level forecast.
Resale and new-build behave differently
These figures describe the general market, which is mostly resale stock. The denominator is the local asking price per square metre, and asking-price inventory is dominated by resale. New-build sits differently on both sides of the calculation: acquisition costs of around 13.5–15% against roughly 11% for resale, and materially higher nightly rates where the development has facilities. On the Costa del Sol, Directimo's models show €173 a night in a development with pool, gym and concierge against €101 for equivalent space without them. The mechanism is the same on the Costa Blanca, at different absolute levels. New-build yields have to be modelled property by property, against the specific facilities, specification and micro-location.
Revenue is rising while supply falls
Rental revenue rose in all thirteen markets over the year, from +3.9% in Villajoyosa to +34.5% in Teulada-Moraira.
Active listings fell in twelve of the thirteen, from −1.8% in Calpe to −23.0% in Dénia. Pilar de la Horadada was the single exception, up 9.9%.
Rising revenue against falling supply supports occupancy and nightly rates for owners already operating, and it makes an existing registration progressively harder to replace.
The ten-day rule
On the Costa Blanca a tourist home means the whole dwelling let to the same guest for ten consecutive days or fewer. A stay of eleven days or more sits outside that definition and needs no tourist registration.
This is the most consequential difference between the two Spanish coasts for an investor. The two-week to three-month market — winter residents, relocating professionals, remote workers, buyers testing the area before they commit — can be served here without a licence.
A seasonal contract still needs a genuine temporary purpose and must comply with national tenancy law. Duration alone is not a compliance shortcut.
Where mid-term works best. Alicante city, El Campello and the Alicante corridor draw a steady flow of winter residents and relocating professionals, supported by the EU Intellectual Property Office, the university and the airport. Winter tenants pay monthly rates well above long-term levels and cost far less to service than tourist guests.
Comparing the three strategies
| Strategy | Best-fit markets | Demand | Licence needed | Management |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short-term, tourist | Benidorm, Calpe, Dénia, Jávea, licensed beach resorts | High, seasonal | Regional registration, municipal planning approval and building approval | High |
| Seasonal, eleven days and over | Alicante, El Campello, Santa Pola, relocation zones | Steadier, year-round | None, where the let genuinely sits outside tourism law | Medium |
| Long-term, twelve months and over | Alicante, Elche, Torrevieja, Benidorm | Very high, stable | None | Low |
The rent-increase cap on long-term lets
Annual rent increases on a main-residence lease are capped by an official national index, set by design at or below inflation. That cap sits at approximately 2.4 to 2.5% in 2026, however fast market rents climb.
Tourist and seasonal lets fall outside the cap. Successive seasonal contracts, renegotiated at market price, are the common alternative for owners who want rent to track the market.
Where new licences are available
Four municipalities currently cap or suspend new tourist registrations. In those places an existing valid registration is the only route, which makes a property that already holds one materially more valuable than an identical one that does not.
| Municipality | New licences | What this means for a buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Alicante city | Capped | Suspended while a permanent per-district limit is finalised. Buy with a registration in place |
| Jávea / Xàbia | Capped | Municipal ceiling set in May 2026, allocated by neighbourhood, with little headroom left |
| Altea | Capped | Zone-by-zone limits in force since July 2026; registered stock has fallen by around a quarter |
| Dénia | Limited | Rules relaxed in August 2026, with more allowance in high-demand zones. Montgó, Les Marines and Les Rotes unrestricted |
| Benidorm | Open | No municipal cap; regional rules and building statutes apply |
| Torrevieja | Open | No cap. The province's largest registered stock and deepest resale market |
| Other coastal municipalities | Varies | Several have introduced caps since 2025 and further ordinances are in preparation. Confirm the current position for the specific address before making an offer |
Municipal positions on the Costa Blanca are changing faster than anywhere else in Spain, and a municipality that was open last season may be capped this one. Confirm the current position with the town hall for the specific address before making an offer.
What the registration is worth, and what it is not
A Costa Blanca registration runs for five years. Registrations predating August 2024 renew by August 2029. Renewal requires a fresh declaration, a favourable municipal compatibility report and a certificate from the owners' association, so a municipality that has tightened its rules in the meantime can refuse it.
A registration under the current regime does not transfer automatically to a buyer. The new owner applies for their own. A listing advertised "with licence" is worth less here than the phrase suggests, and the question to ask is whether you will be able to register, not whether the seller did.
The regional register has also been cleaned up since 2024, with more than 18,000 registrations cancelled during 2025 alone and a further review under way. Some listings still show a number that no longer exists.
What overrides a valid registration
Many older blocks on this coast, built between the 1960s and the 1980s in Benidorm, Calpe, Torrevieja and central Alicante, have community statutes that prohibit lodging use. Where such a clause exists it prevails over the tourist registration, and the neighbours need not vote on anything.
Where no such clause exists, starting a new tourist activity needs the approval of three-fifths of the owners.
The licence is visible on a listing. The statutes are not. Your lawyer reads the statutes and the minute book before you sign anything.
How to read these numbers
The headline yield is where the analysis starts. Three checks turn a table figure into an achievable return.
Can the property hold a registration? Municipal position, the building's statutes, the compatibility certificate and the renewal date all have to align. Any one of them can block the operation.
Does the property fit the strategy? Studios and one-bedroom apartments produce the highest yield per square metre for short-term letting. Two and three-bedroom apartments near the airport, the university and transport draw the most reliable seasonal and long-term tenants. Villas in the Marina Alta operate on a different model entirely, at premium weekly rates over a shorter season.
What does the net look like on your tax position? The 19% rate applies to EU and EEA residents. Non-residents from outside the EU pay 24% and cannot deduct expenses, which changes the arithmetic materially.
How Directimo works
Directimo represents the buyer, never the seller. Listing agents in Spain are contracted by the vendor and paid to protect the vendor's price.
We verify the registration's current status and renewal date, the municipal compatibility certificate behind it, the town hall's current position, and the building's registered statutes. We coordinate the tax number, the bank account, an independent bilingual lawyer, the notary and the handover, remotely from start to finish.
The properties we source average 13.5% below area market prices. We have completed more than 1,000 transactions since 2011, totalling over €300M in property sold.
Check licence feasibility for a specific property: directimo.com/advisory-call Full Costa Blanca market report: directimo.com/market-reports
Costa del Sol yields are set out separately in our Costa del Sol rental yields analysis, and the two coasts are compared side by side in our decision guide.
Sources. AirDNA — short-term rental revenue and listings, June 2026. Idealista — asking prices, May 2026. Generalitat Valenciana — tourist registration rules, validity and the register clean-up. Municipal ordinances as published by each town hall, September 2026. Directimo net-yield modelling.
Method. Gross yield is annual short-term rental revenue divided by asking price per square metre times 90 m² built, excluding purchase taxes and fees. Net operating yield applies a 50% operating-cost allowance and is unlevered, before income tax and personal tax position. Markets with a high villa share are noted in the text.
This analysis is market research, not investment or tax advice. Municipal positions on tourist registration change frequently and should be confirmed for the specific address before any offer.