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98.533
Population
18°C
Annual mean
51%
Expat share
2.536 €
Avg €/m²
Updated 2026-08-30How we source our data →

Living in Torrevieja

Torrevieja sits on the southern Costa Blanca, in the Vega Baja del Segura, Alicante province. Nobody can say exactly how many people live here. The national statistics office puts the legally official figure at 98,533 for the start of 2025, its continuous count at 105,139 a year later, and the town hall's own register reached 113,453 by May 2026. The honest answer is somewhere around a hundred thousand and growing fast, depending which register you read.

The town is majority foreign, and unusually that claim survives checking: on the national count foreign nationals passed half at the start of 2026. What most copy gets wrong is who those foreigners are. The largest community is Ukrainian, more than twice the size of the British one, with Colombians and Russians close behind it. Anyone expecting a British enclave is reading about a different town. The claim that this is the most foreign municipality in Spain cannot be verified; no national table ranks municipalities that way.

The town hall puts just over half the municipal territory inside a natural park, the Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja, behind fourteen kilometres of coast and six Blue Flag beaches. Asking prices hit their own record in July 2026 after rising by more than a tenth in a year, though they still sit a little below the Alicante province average. There is no railway.

The verdict

Honestly considered, both sides.

The upside is real. So is the downside. Both matter more than any brochure will admit.

The case for

  • A natural park covers half the municipality

    The town hall states that fifty-two in every hundred parts of municipal territory is designated natural park, the Lagunas de La Mata y Torrevieja. For a town of around a hundred thousand people, that is extraordinary.

  • Six Blue Flag beaches and three working marinas

    Cabo Cervera, Cala de las Piteras, El Cura, La Mata, Los Locos and Los Naufragos hold the flag in 2026. Marina Salinas alone takes vessels from eight to thirty-five metres; the Real Club Nautico and Marina Internacional make three in total.

  • Public hospital and five health centres in town

    The Hospital Universitario de Torrevieja returned to direct public management when a private concession expired, reported as October 2021. Five health centres serve the town itself, from La Loma to La Mata and San Luis.

  • An international town, not an enclave

    On the town hall's May 2026 register, Ukrainians, Colombians, Russians, Britons and Moroccans head the list in that order. This is a mixed international town, not a single nationality enclave.

  • Prices below the Alicante province average

    Even at a record, the municipal asking price sits a little below the province average, though above the Valencian regional one. The Centro district is the cheaper of the two with published figures.

The case against

  • A town of a hundred thousand with no railway

    Torrevieja has no station and does not appear on the regional commuter map. The nearest stations on the Murcia to Alicante line are well inland at San Isidro and Callosa de Segura, and the coastal TRAM does not come this far south.

  • Nobody agrees how many people live here

    Three current official counts run from 98,533 to 113,453. The town hall's register sits well above the national figure and rose by around seven thousand in under a year and a half. That churn makes the place hard to pin down.

  • Prices at a record after a sharp year

    The municipal asking price rose by more than a tenth in the year to July 2026 and has never been higher. El Acequion - Los Naufragos is the dearer of the two published districts and has risen faster.

  • A town transformed from the 1960s onwards

    The town hall itself describes a salt, fishing and sailing town transformed from the 1960s by tourism and construction. Most of what you see went up during and after that boom, so buyers wanting an old Spanish town should look elsewhere.

  • Not the British town many buyers expect

    Costa Blanca marketing still assumes a British Torrevieja. The register says Ukrainian first, then Colombian and Russian, with Britons fourth at 4,671. If your plan depends on a large British community, check the numbers first.

Editor's note

Where you might be better off elsewhere

We like Torrevieja more than its reputation, but it is not for everyone. Do not buy here if you need a train or a tram: there is no station, the nearest are well inland, and the coastal TRAM stops north of Alicante. Alicante city serves that buyer far better, with commuter rail and the tram on the doorstep, and El Campello has three tram lines. Do not buy here if you want an old Spanish town; almost everything you see went up after the 1960s. Do not buy here expecting a British enclave, because the register says Ukrainian, Colombian and Russian before British. If you want quieter surroundings with the same coast, look at Guardamar del Segura, just north, inside the same health department. Orihuela Costa sits next door and is covered by the same hospital. And if you want a bigger year-round city with full transport links, Alicante is the honest answer. What Torrevieja does offer is a natural park across half its territory, six Blue Flag beaches, a public hospital in town and prices below the province average. Weigh that against the gaps.

Lifestyle data

Climate

Annual mean
18°C

Updated 2026-08-30

Property market

2.536 €
/m²
+11% YoY

Updated 2026-08-30

Access

ALICANTE AIRPORT
Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández · ALC
0+ direct routes
Top direct
LondonManchesterDublinAmsterdamBrusselsOslo

Community

51%
expat share
Spanish70%
English45%
Ukrainian25%
Russian20%
Arabic8%

Amenities

0
Int. schools
1
Hospitals

Torrevieja on the map

Torrevieja FAQ

Honest answers to the questions buyers actually ask.

How many people live in Torrevieja?+
It depends which register you read. The national statistics office's legally official figure was 98,533 at the start of 2025; its continuous statistic reached 105,139 at the start of 2026; and the town hall's own register hit 113,453 in May 2026, up from about 106,000 at the start of 2025. The honest answer is somewhere around a hundred thousand and rising quickly. The gap between the counts is itself informative: people are arriving faster than the registers can settle.
Is Torrevieja really a British expat town?+
No. The largest foreign community is Ukrainian, with 10,787 people on the town hall's May 2026 register, more than twice the 4,671 Britons. Colombians and Russians also outnumber the British. Torrevieja is majority foreign, just over half on the national count at the start of 2026, but it is a mixed international town rather than a British one. Copy that describes a British enclave is describing somewhere else.
Is Torrevieja the most foreign municipality in Spain?+
That claim appears constantly in marketing copy and it cannot be checked. No published national table ranks every municipality by foreign share, so nobody can honestly award Torrevieja that title. What can be verified is narrower and still striking: foreign nationals were just under half of the national count at the start of 2025, just over half a year later, and just under fifty-five in a hundred on the town hall's register by May 2026. Higher figures circulating in the press overstate even the town hall's own number.
How do I get to Torrevieja without a car?+
With difficulty. Torrevieja has no railway station and appears nowhere on the regional commuter rail map; the nearest stations on the Murcia to Alicante line are well inland at San Isidro and Callosa de Segura. The TRAM light rail that serves the coast north of Alicante does not come this far south. The AP-7 motorway and the N-332 coast road serve the town, so in practice most residents drive. Factor a car into any realistic plan for living here.
What is healthcare like in Torrevieja?+
The town has its own hospital, the Hospital Universitario de Torrevieja, and five public health centres: Torrevieja I La Loma, El Acequion, Patricio Perez, La Mata and San Luis. The health department ran for years under a private concession and reverted to direct public management by the regional health service, on the health service's own account in October 2021, when over a thousand staff transferred. The same department also covers Guardamar del Segura, Rojales, San Miguel de Salinas, Los Montesinos, Pilar de la Horadada and Orihuela Costa.
Are there international schools in Torrevieja?+
We do not know what is authorised inside the municipality, because the regional education authority's register of schools could not be read when we checked, and we would rather say so than guess. One warning: the international school usually associated with this area, at Villamartin, is in the municipality of Orihuela, not Torrevieja. Estate agent copy blurs that constantly. If schooling drives your purchase, verify the school's municipality and authorisation directly before you commit to a location.
What is the climate like in Torrevieja?+
Honestly, the data is weaker than you would expect. No weather station in Torrevieja publishes climate normals; the nearest that do are in Alicante city and at the airport in Elche, both some way north, and both publish a 1981 to 2010 period rather than a current one. The town hall states an average annual temperature of eighteen degrees, which is consistent with the Alicante city station. Use that figure, but know it comes from the town hall, not a local station.
What are the costs of buying property in Torrevieja?+
When buying property in Torrevieja, budget for property transfer tax (ITP) of 9% up to 1.000.000 € (11% above that, each band taxed at its own rate, as with income tax), plus roughly 3-4% in notary, land registry and legal fees. Agency commission is usually paid by the seller. On the mainland and the Balearics, new builds pay VAT (IVA) of 10% plus AJD stamp duty instead of ITP. Transfer tax is set by Comunitat Valenciana rather than nationally, and reduced rates can apply for main homes and younger buyers.
What are the ongoing costs of owning property in Torrevieja?+
Annual property ownership costs in Torrevieja include IBI (property tax) of 0.4-1.1% of cadastral value, community fees (for apartments), rubbish collection tax (basura), utility bills, and property insurance. Budget approximately 2-4% of property value per year for all running costs. IBI is set by the town hall of Torrevieja within a national band, so it is municipal rather than regional.
What taxes do I pay when selling property in Torrevieja?+
When selling property in Torrevieja, you pay capital gains tax (plusvalía) on the profit at rates of 19-26% depending on the gain amount. Non-residents have 3% of the sale price withheld at completion. You may also pay municipal capital gains tax. Main residence exemptions may apply for residents over 65. Capital gains tax is national, so it is the same in Comunitat Valenciana as anywhere in Spain. Plusvalia municipal is set by the town hall of Torrevieja and has had two calculation methods since the 2021 reform, so ask your lawyer which one is cheaper for you.
Can I still get a Golden Visa by buying property in Spain?+
No. Spain withdrew the Golden Visa property investment route in April 2025, so buying in Torrevieja no longer leads to residency. Non-EU buyers who want to live in Spain apply for a separate permit instead, most often the non-lucrative visa (proof of income and private health insurance) or the digital nomad visa (remote work for non-Spanish clients). Ask an immigration lawyer which route fits your situation before you buy.

Transfer tax rates as of August 2026. Rates are set per autonomous community and do change. Confirm the current figures with a Spanish lawyer or tax adviser before you budget.

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