The Spanish property purchase price is not the total cost. Between transfer taxes, professional fees, and registry costs, a buyer typically pays 8.5–13% on top of the agreed price depending on whether you're buying a resale or a new build, and on the specific Autonomous Community.
This guide breaks down every line item with current 2026 Andalucía rates, plus the ongoing annual taxes that apply once you own the property.
Quick answer — total closing costs
| Purchase type | Total closing costs (% of price) |
|---|---|
| Resale property in Andalucía | 8.5–10% |
| New build (first transmission) in Andalucía | 11.5–13% |
This is on top of the agreed purchase price. For a €1,000,000 resale, budget around €85,000–€100,000 in additional costs at closing.
The two paths — resale vs new build
The tax treatment depends entirely on whether you're buying a resale (any property that has been transmitted before) or a new build (first transmission, sold by the developer).
Resale property — pay ITP
ITP (Impuesto sobre Transmisiones Patrimoniales) is the transfer tax. It's an Autonomous Community competence, so rates vary across Spain.
Andalucía 2026 rates:
| Property value | ITP rate |
|---|---|
| Standard (any resale value) | 7% flat |
| Professional reseller (specific conditions, ≤ €500,000) | 2% |
Critical 2026 change: The Andalucía "professional rate" of 2% used to be available on properties of any value if the buyer was a registered property professional and resold within 5 years. From 1 January 2026 (Andalucía Budget Law 8/2025), the rate is restricted to properties ≤ €500,000 AND the resale window is cut to 2 years. For practical purposes in Marbella's luxury market, the 2% professional rate is effectively dead. Most guides written before 2026 still cite the old terms — ignore them.
For virtually every Marbella resale purchase, you pay 7% ITP.
New build — pay IVA + AJD
New builds (first transmission from developer) attract IVA (Spanish VAT) instead of ITP, plus AJD (Stamp Duty) on the public deed.
Andalucía 2026 rates on new builds:
| Tax | Rate |
|---|---|
| IVA (national) | 10% of price |
| AJD (Andalucía) | 1.2% of price |
| Total | 11.2% |
Note: luxury residential new builds (typically anything above €200K in Marbella) attract the standard 10% IVA. The reduced 4% rate applies only to subsidized housing — irrelevant here.
Professional fees
Independent of which tax applies, you'll also pay:
| Fee | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Lawyer (abogado) | 1.0–1.2% of purchase price + IVA |
| Notary | €600–€1,800 (regulated scale, depends on value) |
| Land Registry | €400–€1,000 (regulated scale) |
| Gestoría / admin (optional) | €200–€600 |
| Property valuation (if financing) | ~€400 |
Important — under the 2019 Mortgage Law, the bank pays the notary, registry, AJD, and gestoría costs on the mortgage deed itself. Your only mortgage-side cost is the valuation. The notary + registry numbers in the table above are for the property purchase deed only.
Worked example — €1,000,000 resale in Marbella
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Purchase price | €1,000,000 |
| ITP (7%) | €70,000 |
| Notary (purchase deed) | ~€1,500 |
| Land Registry | ~€700 |
| Lawyer (1% + 21% IVA) | ~€12,100 |
| Gestoría | ~€400 |
| Total closing costs | ~€84,700 (8.5%) |
| Total cost to buy | €1,084,700 |
Add ~€400 for valuation if financing. The 3% Modelo 211 retention (non-resident seller withholding) is not an additional buyer cost — it's withheld from the seller's funds at notary and paid to the Spanish tax authority on their behalf.
Worked example — €2,000,000 new build in Marbella
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Purchase price | €2,000,000 |
| IVA (10%) | €200,000 |
| AJD (1.2%) | €24,000 |
| Notary | ~€2,200 |
| Land Registry | ~€1,000 |
| Lawyer (1% + 21% IVA) | ~€24,200 |
| Gestoría | ~€500 |
| Total closing costs | ~€251,900 (12.6%) |
| Total cost to buy | €2,251,900 |
New builds are roughly 3 percentage points more expensive than resales at closing, due to higher tax load.
Ongoing annual taxes
Once you own the property, you have three potential annual obligations.
IBI — annual council tax
IBI (Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles) is the Spanish equivalent of council tax. The Marbella municipality applies approximately 0.65% of the cadastral value annually.
The cadastral value is set by the tax office and is typically 30–60% of market value. A €1,000,000 market property might have a cadastral value of €400,000–€600,000.
Practical estimate: For a €1M property in Marbella, expect IBI of approximately €2,500–€4,000/year. Direct-debit from your Spanish account.
IRNR — non-resident income tax
If you don't live in Spain (you're a non-resident for tax purposes), you owe IRNR (Impuesto sobre la Renta de no Residentes) every year, regardless of whether you rent the property out.
Two cases:
Case 1 — you don't rent out the property (personal use only): The Spanish tax office assumes a notional rental income (called "imputed rent") and taxes it.
- Imputed rent base: 1.1% of cadastral value (if cadastral revised within 10 years) OR 2% (if not revised)
- Tax rate: 19% (EU/EEA residents) or 24% (non-EU residents)
- Practical estimate: €300–€1,200/year for a €1M property
Case 2 — you rent out the property: You owe IRNR on the actual net rental income (EU/EEA) or gross income (non-EU).
| Buyer type | IRNR rate | Deductible expenses |
|---|---|---|
| EU/EEA resident (incl. Norwegian) | 19% | Yes — full deductibility |
| Non-EU resident (US, UK, etc.) | 24% | No — taxed on gross |
Norwegians and Swiss buyers: As EEA residents, you get the 19% rate on net income with full expense deductibility. UK buyers (post-Brexit, no longer EU) are now treated as non-EU and pay 24% on gross. This is a material disadvantage for British buyers and a relative advantage for Nordics.
Patrimonio (wealth tax) — usually zero in Andalucía
Spain has a national wealth tax (Patrimonio) on net assets above €700,000 per person. However, Andalucía applies a 100% regional bonificación — meaning Patrimonio in Andalucía is effectively zero for residents.
For non-resident owners, you're subject to Patrimonio on your Spanish assets only, with the same bonificación. So practically, no annual wealth tax.
Exception — the national Solidarity Tax: Above €3,000,000 in net Spanish assets, the national "Impuesto de Solidaridad de Grandes Fortunas" applies, which overrides regional bonificaciones. Rates start at 1.7% on the portion above €3M.
For most HNW Marbella buyers under €3M in Spanish property, Patrimonio is a non-issue.
When you sell — Plusvalía and CGT
Two taxes apply on sale:
Plusvalía Municipal
Tax on the increase in land value, paid to the municipality. Reformed in 2022 — sellers can now choose the lower of two calculation methods:
- Objective method (cadastral-based, often higher)
- Real-gain method (actual price increase, often lower)
For non-resident sellers, the Plusvalía liability often shifts to the buyer by default — your lawyer should negotiate this into the contract before signing.
Capital Gains Tax (CGT) — national
- EU/EEA seller: 19% on the net gain
- Non-EU seller: 24% on the net gain
The buyer's lawyer retains 3% (Modelo 211) at notary to cover the non-resident seller's CGT liability. If the actual CGT owed is less than 3%, the seller reclaims the difference.
Costs that aren't always called out
A few costs people frequently miss:
| Cost | Approximate |
|---|---|
| Community of owners (urbanization fees) | €100–€800/month depending on services |
| Utilities setup (electricity, water, gas — non-tenant) | €200–€500 |
| Building insurance | €400–€1,500/year |
| Pool / garden maintenance (if private) | €1,500–€8,000/year |
| Property management (if rented out) | 10–15% of gross rent |
Budget these in addition to taxes. For a €1M Marbella villa, expect €10,000–€20,000/year in total ongoing costs including IBI, IRNR, community, insurance, and basic maintenance.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Budgeting only for the purchase price. Always add 10% for closing costs (resale) or 13% for new build.
- Quoting 2024 ITP rates. Andalucía has the 7% flat rate. Some other regions are lower (Madrid 6%, Canarias 6.5%); some higher (Catalonia 10–11%). Verify by region.
- Forgetting the IRNR even when not renting. Even an empty holiday home triggers imputed-rent IRNR. Pay it annually via Modelo 210 — your gestoría handles this.
- Assuming Patrimonio applies in Andalucía. With the 100% bonificación, the only relevant wealth-related tax is the national Solidarity Tax above €3M Spanish-asset net worth.
- Skipping the Plusvalía negotiation. In non-resident seller transactions, default rules often shift this to you. Your lawyer must catch this in the Arras.
- Buying without modelling the all-in annual cost. Closing costs are one-time. IBI + IRNR + community + maintenance are forever.
Next steps
If you're modelling a specific purchase:
- Get the cadastral value from the seller's IBI receipt — this drives both IBI and imputed-rent IRNR
- Ask your lawyer for a written closing cost estimate before signing the Arras
- Confirm whether the property is a resale or a first-transmission new build — the tax treatment is completely different
- If you're a non-EU buyer (US, UK, etc.), factor in the 24% IRNR vs 19% disadvantage
Get in touch for a written cost model on a specific property you're considering.
Last updated: 2026-05-19. Sources verified to that date. Spanish tax rates change — verify current rates with your lawyer before completion. Andalucía-specific rates apply only in Andalucía; rates differ in other regions.