By Daria Kulachek
Nearly one in two homes sold in Alicante province in the first half of 2026 went to a foreign buyer (45.5%). In Madrid province, it was roughly one in thirteen (7.5%).
Same country, same six months, same Registradores database, and two completely different markets. If you're a Californian comparing Spanish regions, that gap is the whole story. It decides what you'll pay per square foot, who your neighbors are, and how much competition you'll face from buyers who aren't Spanish.
Here's the catch I'd rather say up front: Spain does not publish a province-by-province count of American purchases. The property registrars publish the foreign-buyer share for every province, and the American share nationally. Nobody publishes the two crossed. So any blog that tells you "Americans buy most in Málaga" is guessing.
This piece doesn't guess. It lays out what the official data does show, region by region, and how to read it as an American buyer. (If you came for the lifestyle angle on remote workers and where they settle, that's our older piece on where Americans are buying property in Spain as digital nomads. This one is purchase data only.)
How many Americans buy property in Spain each year?
Not many, and the number is rising.
The Colegio de Registradores publishes the Estadística Registral Inmobiliaria every quarter, built from deeds actually registered. Its latest edition is Q2 2026 (April–June). The Q3 edition is due in November. The headline figures:
Spain registered 167,934 home sales in Q2 2026, down 5.7% on the previous quarter.
Foreign buyers made up 15.98% of those sales, the highest share in the series. That's just over 26,800 homes.
US nationals accounted for 1.79% of foreign purchases, up 0.22 percentage points on the quarter.
Americans rank well behind Britain (6.99% of foreign buyers), the Netherlands (6.94%) and Germany (6.11%).
Do the multiplication and you get roughly 480 homes bought by Americans in Q2 2026. That arithmetic is mine, not the registrars'. A cross-check from idealista, working from the same registrar data for the first half of 2026, counts about 870 operations by US buyers in six months, consistent with roughly 390 in Q1 and 480 in Q2.
So: somewhere around 900 to 1,000 homes a half-year. Small. But North American buyers paid the highest average price per square meter of any world region in Q2 2026: €4,311/m², about $452 per square foot. Americans aren't buying the most. They're buying the priciest.
(Yes, €4,311/m² is also the Balearic Islands' provincial average. It's a coincidence of two separate rows in the same table.)
For the full corridor numbers (visa thresholds, consulate wait data, mortgage rates), see our California-to-Spain Report for Q3 2026.
Which Spanish provinces have the most foreign buyers?
This is the part the registrars do publish: the share of all home sales in each province that went to a foreign buyer. Q2 2026:
Alicante: 46.43%, the highest in Spain
Málaga: 37.01%
Balearic Islands: 32.27%
Santa Cruz de Tenerife: 32.25%
Las Palmas: 26.55%
Girona: 25.48%
Murcia: 23.71%
Almería: 20.96%
By autonomous community, the order runs Balearics at 32.27%, Comunitat Valenciana at 31.03%, Canarias at 29.33%, Murcia at 23.71%, Cataluña at 17.63% and Andalucía at 15.95%. Foreign share rose in every region that quarter.
Read that list as a map of where foreign demand clusters: Britons, Dutch, Germans, Nordics, plus a thin layer of Americans on top. It's the best proxy there is for where an English-speaking buyer will find infrastructure: agents who speak English, lawyers who've handled non-resident files, international schools, direct flights.
It is not proof of where Americans specifically go. Keep that distinction in your head and you'll avoid most of the bad inferences.
Why is the Costa Blanca so foreign?
Alicante province's 46.43% is the number that surprises Californians most, so it's worth unpacking.
For the first half of 2026, idealista's registrar-based count put Alicante at 45.5% foreign share, with over 11,340 foreign purchases, more than any other province. Málaga followed with 35.7% and about 6,463.
Two facts explain it. First, price: Alicante province's average is €2,267/m², about $238 per square foot, against €3,347/m² in Málaga (about $351). Second, Valencian tax policy: as of June 1, 2026, the general transfer tax (ITP) on resale homes in the Comunitat Valenciana is 9%, down from 10%. On a €400,000 resale that one point saves €4,000, roughly $4,500.
That's the mechanism: a coastal province with a mature foreign market, prices well under the Costa del Sol, and a tax cut that took effect this summer. Our Alicante buying page has neighborhood-level pricing.
The caveat is the one that comes with every majority-foreign market: when almost half of buyers are non-Spanish, resale demand depends on the foreign market staying strong, and you're competing with other foreigners for the same English-listed properties.
What does Madrid's number actually say?
Madrid is where the data stops matching the folklore.
You'll see claims that Madrid and Seville are drawing 15–16% foreign demand. The registrar data doesn't support that. What it shows:
Madrid province: 7.5% foreign share in the first half of 2026, about 2,921 purchases. For full-year 2025, the Registradores' figure was 6.9%.
Seville province: 2.5% for full-year 2025.
The figure that sits near 16% is the national foreign share, 15.98% in Q2 2026. My best guess is that's where the confusion starts. I can't prove that, but I can say the provincial numbers for Madrid and Seville are less than half of that national figure and a small fraction of Alicante's.
What Madrid offers instead is price. It has the highest provincial average in Spain: €4,477/m² (about $470 per square foot), and Madrid city reached €5,534/m², about $581 per square foot. That's a market priced by Spanish salaries and Spanish demand, with very little foreign competition.
Seville sits at the opposite end: €1,819/m², about $191 per square foot, and a foreign share a fraction of the coast's.
If you want to live in Spain rather than own a corner of an expat coast, those low foreign shares are a feature. You'll be in a market set by local salaries and local demand. The trade-off is practical: fewer English-speaking agents, fewer files that have crossed the NIE-and-mortgage path before, and no foreign-resale cushion if you need to sell.
How do Barcelona, Valencia and the islands compare?
Barcelona province. Foreign share of 15.1% in H1 2026 (about 5,640 purchases), versus 14.21% for full-year 2025. Average price €3,406/m², about $358 per square foot. Girona, further north, is much more foreign: 25.48% in Q2. Cataluña as a whole sits at 17.63%.
Valencia province. About 14.6% foreign share in H1 2026, versus 12.23% for 2025. Average price €1,911/m², or about $201 per square foot, among the lowest of any major province. The city of Valencia is a Spanish market with a growing foreign layer, not the foreign-heavy coast you find an hour south. See our Valencia investment page for neighborhood detail.
Málaga / Costa del Sol. 37.01% foreign in Q2. Average €3,347/m², about $351 per square foot. This is the more established, higher-priced foreign market in Andalucía. Andalucía overall sits at 15.95%, well below Málaga's figure, because the foreign buying is concentrated on the coast.
Balearic Islands. 32.27% foreign. Average €4,311/m², about $452 per square foot, second only to Madrid among provinces. This is where California-style budgets feel familiar and Spanish-style values don't.
Canary Islands. Santa Cruz de Tenerife 32.25%, Las Palmas 26.55%. Regional average €3,052/m², about $320 per square foot. Prices there have moved fast, so check the current quarter before you rely on older figures.
All dollar figures use $1.1298 per euro, the ECB reference rate on October 1, 2026, and 10.764 square feet per square meter.
What should you take from this as a Californian?
Three readings of the same data, depending on what you want.
If you want an established foreign market with deep English-language support: Alicante and Málaga. Highest foreign shares, mature services. Alicante is cheaper per square foot; Málaga costs about 48% more.
If you want a Spanish city that happens to have international appeal: Valencia and Barcelona. Moderate foreign share, large local demand, strong rental markets. Valencia at roughly $201 per square foot is hard to match for a metro of its size.
If you want to buy where almost nobody from abroad is buying: Seville, Madrid, the interior. Low foreign share, prices set locally, more negotiating on your own.
None of these is the right answer. Which fits depends on how many months a year you'll use the place, whether you'll rent it, and how much you'd lean on foreign resale demand when you eventually sell.
Budget is the second filter. Whatever the price per square foot, plan 10–12% on top for taxes and transaction costs. We run the full math on a specific budget in what €500,000 buys in Spain.
Want to test your target province against this data? Book a free consultation and we'll compare your budget and timeline against the current quarter's registrar numbers, not last year's.
What does this data not tell you?
Four limits, so you can calibrate.
It's registered deeds only. The Registradores count sales that reach the registry. Notaries count signings, which is why their share runs higher: 18.4% of home sales to foreigners in the second half of 2025, against the registrars' 13.8% for full-year 2025 (and 15.98% in Q2 2026). Different counting rules, different percentages. Both are real.
It lumps residents and non-residents. A "foreign buyer" can be someone already living in Spain, not only a holiday-home buyer.
American share is national only. The 1.79% can't be broken out by province from published data.
One quarter is a snapshot. Q2 2026 is the latest published; the Q3 edition lands in November.
Last, the broader picture: total sales fell in Q2 while the foreign share hit a record. A shrinking market with rising foreign participation means competition for the best coastal stock is not easing.
Quick answers
Where do Americans buy property in Spain the most?
No official source breaks American purchases down by province. The registrars show US nationals at 1.79% of foreign buyers in Q2 2026, about 480 homes. Foreign buyers overall concentrate in Alicante (46.43% of sales), Málaga (37.01%), the Balearics (32.27%) and the Canary Islands. Those are the best proxy for where Americans find English-speaking support.
What percentage of homes in Spain are bought by foreigners?
Foreign buyers accounted for 15.98% of Spanish home purchases in Q2 2026, a record, according to the Colegio de Registradores. By province it ranges from 46.43% in Alicante to roughly 7.5% in Madrid. Notaries report a higher share, 18.4% in the second half of 2025, because they count signings rather than registered deeds.
Which Spanish region is best for an American buyer?
It depends on use. Alicante and Málaga offer the deepest foreign-buyer support. Valencia and Barcelona suit buyers who want a Spanish city with local demand. Madrid and Seville have the least foreign competition. Inside Job Concierge compares these against your budget and timeline in a free first consultation, run on California hours.
Ready to narrow the list?
The free consultation covers which province fits your budget, what the closing costs look like there, and how your timeline lines up with the next registrar release. No obligation, and the roadmap is yours to keep. We're in LA — book on California hours.
Still early in the process? Start with the free Spain property guide, and read the complete California-to-Spain guide for how the whole process fits together.
Sources
All figures accessed October 6, 2026.
