Real sale prices from El Campello to Dénia: five myths and what notary data shows

What I compared

In a year, notaries in twelve towns from El Campello to Dénia signed 9,829 home sales. Of these, 1,511 are new builds. For each town I have the average price per square metre across the whole market, the median, the price per square metre for new builds, the price rise over the year and the share of new builds in sales.

The average adds up all sales and divides by their number: a few expensive deals pull it up for the whole town. The median is the price per square metre right in the middle: half the sales are cheaper and half are dearer. For someone buying an ordinary flat, the median is closer to real life.

Myth one: «Benidorm is the most expensive»

By average price Benidorm really is second: 3,074 euros per square metre, only Jávea is higher. But the median in Benidorm is 2,640 euros. That is lower than in Finestrat, Polop, Calpe, Dénia and Jávea.

The answer lies in how the average is calculated: expensive deals pull it up, and the median barely notices them. In Benidorm 164 new-build sales were signed in the year at 7,239 euros per square metre, and they are what lift the average for the whole town. At the same time, the average sale in Benidorm is the smallest in the set: 76 square metres for 232,942 euros. Per square metre, a typical sale in Benidorm is cheaper than a typical sale in Finestrat next door.

The takeaway for a buyer: expensive Benidorm is the top end of its market, not the whole town. By typical sales it is cheaper than Finestrat and Polop, and a budget that seems modest for Benidorm works perfectly well here.

Myth two: «A new build always costs twice as much as a resale»

I compare the price per square metre in new builds with that of the town's whole market, where resales and new builds go together. In Finestrat a square metre in a new build costs 3,073 euros against 2,774 across the market: a gap of 11%. In El Campello it is 2%, in Jávea 16%. That is the premium for a new home, and it is noticeably smaller than people tend to think. In Dénia, Polop and Villajoyosa the gap is wider: 31%, 36% and 57%.

Twice as much or more happens where there are few new builds and they are one-offs. In Benidorm it is 7,239 euros per square metre against 3,074; in Altea 7,127 against 2,946. In Altea only 13 new-build sales went through the notary in the whole year: with a number like that, the average shows the price of a few specific homes, not the market.

Benidorm has its own story. Of 164 new-build sales in the year, 125 fell into a single quarter, July-September 2025, and the price per square metre that quarter was 8,341 euros. In April-June 2026 there were four new-build sales. A notarial sale of a new build is usually key day: when a large building is handed over, all its buyers sign within a few weeks.

The takeaway: the gap between new builds and the town's market depends on which buildings were handed over that year. A new flat should be compared with the new buildings next to it, not with the town average. Where new builds are the mass market, as in Finestrat, the premium for a new home is small.

Myth three: «Every town has new builds»

The share of new builds in sales varies more than thirtyfold. In Finestrat it is 49.1%, almost every second sale. In Polop 28.1%, in Jávea 22.9%, in Dénia 22.3%, in Villajoyosa 19.6%. And in Benidorm 8.4%, in Calpe 4.8%, in La Nucía 3.5%, in Altea 2.3%, in l'Alfàs 1.5%.

By number of new-build sales, Dénia comes first with 393 in the year. Finestrat is second with 305, but in Finestrat that is half of the whole market, and in Dénia a fifth.

The takeaway: if you want a new home and a choice, the search starts with Finestrat, Polop and Villajoyosa. If you have fallen for Altea or l'Alfàs, be ready for new builds to be a rarity there: 13 and 7 sales in the year for the whole town. I pick the five most affordable new builds across the whole coast, not in one town.

Myth four: «Prices have already risen everywhere, I am too late»

The rise over the year according to notaries runs from 3.7% in El Campello to 39.6% in Polop. In between are l'Alfàs with 23.0%, La Nucía with 17.1%, Benidorm with 14.9%, Jávea and Dénia with 13.9% each, Villajoyosa 11.9%, Finestrat 11.0%. Altea and Calpe added about 6%.

In other words, there is not one market but twelve, and each moves at its own pace. Polop gained almost forty per cent in a year and by median already costs the same as Finestrat: 2,846 euros against 2,857. L'Alfàs and La Nucía grew more than Benidorm over the year, while Calpe and Altea rose more calmly than all the rest except El Campello.

The takeaway: you can be late for a particular town, not for the whole market. Whoever compares neighbouring towns finds the one where the price has not yet caught up with its neighbour.

Myth five: «By the sea is always dearer than in the hills»

The lowest median in the set belongs to Villajoyosa: 1,885 euros per square metre. It is a seaside town. Next to it is La Nucía, in the hills, with a median of 1,948 euros. And Polop, inland with no coastline, costs the same as Finestrat by median.

In Villajoyosa the typical sale is cheap, while a square metre in a new build costs 3,761 euros, one and a half times the town average. Here the buyer pays not for the town's name but for a specific home.

The takeaway: the price is set not by a «by the sea» address but by the home itself. In one and the same town, a flat in an old building and a new flat with a pool are two different markets. If your own house with a garden instead of a flat appeals to you more, the hill towns give more square metres for the same money: the average sale in La Nucía is 133 square metres for 257,637 euros, in Benidorm 76 square metres for 232,942.

What it means for a buyer

A town's average price says little about your future flat. Look at the median, at the share of new builds and at how many sales stand behind the figure. If a town sells a dozen and a half new homes in a year, the average price is not the market but a few specific houses.

I keep my own database of developers' price lists and compare it with what is really signed at the notary. Your price is the same as at the sales office, and I do the market comparison for you. Why you are better off with me than without me.