Why not price per square metre
The first thing you want to compare is the price per metre. But the metre answers a different question. It depends on location: by the sea a metre costs more for the same finish. It depends on which area is counted: with or without terraces, usable or built. And it tells you nothing about what you get for your money: whether the apartment has air conditioning, whether there is a gym on site, what the bathroom is made of.
The class answers exactly that. It compares developments by what is already included in the price and what the building is made of. That is why price is not part of the class at all: an inexpensive development can turn out to be Business, and an expensive one Comfort.
Three classes
Class, points and what it means
| Class | Points | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Comfort | 0-1 | a basic apartment or house: much of the equipment and amenities you add yourself |
| Business | 2-3 | several important things are already in the price: some appliances, parking or on-site amenities |
| Premium | 4-6 | amenities on site, equipment in the price, parking, materials from well-known brands |
The maximum is 6 points. The class is not a verdict on whether a home is good or bad. It answers the question of how much the developer has already done for you.
Four axes
Points come from four axes. Apartments and houses are scored separately: for a house its own pool and plot matter more than a shared gym, and for an apartment it is the other way round.
Where the points come from
| Axis | Apartments | Houses (villas and townhouses) | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grounds | gym, spa, club or coworking, security or gated grounds: 1-2 features give 1 point, 3 or more give 2 | private pool, plot from 400 m², gated grounds or security: one point each | 0-2 |
| Finishes and appliances in the price | aerothermal system, underfloor heating throughout, air conditioning, kitchen appliances, smart home: 2-3 items give 1 point, 4 or more give 2 | the same | 0-2 |
| Parking | parking space and storage room in the price | garage or basement | 0-1 |
| Materials | at least two premium brands in the specification | the same | 0-1 |
Premium brands I count: Porcelanosa, Krion, Neolith, Dekton, Villeroy & Boch, Hansgrohe, Grohe, Miele, Gaggenau, Schüco, Technal, Cortizo, Laufen, Geberit, Jung, Gira. These are the things you touch every day: tiles and worktops, bathroom fittings, windows, switches, kitchen appliances.
The result is simple: 0-1 point Comfort, 2-3 Business, 4 or more Premium.
Development size: a separate label
For apartments, the size of the development sits next to the class.
Boutique: up to 50 apartments.
Medium: 50 to 100 apartments.
Large: more than 100 apartments.
Size does not affect the class. There are premium towers and simple small buildings, and the other way round. Salinas Towers in Calpe: three towers and 120 apartments, parking and storage included for every apartment, class Premium, size large. Breeze is a boutique building with fewer than 50 apartments, and its class is Comfort.
Size tells you something else: how many neighbours you will have, how lively the pool area is, what kind of community it will be. Some people want a quiet building for a couple of dozen families, others a large development with life around them. That is why it is a separate label, not a point.
Where the points come from
Only from the specification (memoria de calidades) and the developer's documents. The memoria is the document in which the developer lists what the building is made of and what comes with the home: windows, floors, climate, kitchen, bathrooms, amenities on site. What is written in the memoria, the developer is obliged to deliver.
Renders, brochures and a salesperson's words do not count. No memoria, no class: the card of such a development will not show a class block. I will not guess a class from pictures; that is exactly the «premium» advertising the class is meant to protect you from.
What the class leaves out and why
Price per square metre. The class compares what you get, not what you pay. You will find the price in the table on the card.
The developer and their past buildings. I do not name companies on the site, and reputation cannot be turned into points without verifiable data.
The view. It belongs to the apartment, not the development: the same building has sea-view apartments and ones facing the courtyard.
Apartment size. Not part of the class yet. The area of each apartment is on the development card.
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Breakdown as of 19.10.2026, projects with a memoria
| Class | Apartments | Houses |
|---|---|---|
| Premium | 17 | 27 |
| Business | 20 | 19 |
| Comfort | 8 | 4 |
Breakdown as of 19.10.2026, for projects that have a memoria. There are more Premium houses: a private pool and a plot from 400 m² immediately earn grounds points. But a villa with its own pool can still be Business, like Villa Elia II in Polop: it scores full marks for grounds, but its memoria lists fewer appliances and brands.
How to use it
On the card of every development with a memoria you will see a block: the class, the development size and number of apartments, a «Why» line with the features that earned the points, and the note «based on the developer's specification».
Compare within a class. If you like a development, look at others of the same class in the same area: that way you compare like with like. The neighbouring class makes sense only if it fits your budget. One class lower means more to add yourself; one class higher means more already done, but at a different price.
If you like, I will find developments of the same class for your budget and area. Write to me, tell me which development you liked, and I will show you what to compare it with.
How I calculated
Points are based on features from each project's memoria de calidades: four axes, maximum 6, class boundaries 0-1, 2-3, 4 or more. Apartments and houses use different grounds and parking features. Development size is counted only for apartments, by the number of apartments in the project. If my own visit disagrees with the points, I can adjust the class by hand, and my word overrides the calculation. The breakdown is updated together with the site data.
Vitalii Kotenko, new-build agent on the Costa Blanca, RE/MAX Benidorm. I recount the figures on Mondays, and the update date changes together with them.
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Where the numbers come from
Developers' specifications (memorias de calidades) and documents for each project, site database as of 19.10.2026.
Site class breakdown as of 19.10.2026.