If you’re house-hunting on the Costa del Sol, you can’t treat it like one single market. It’s two very different ecosystems sitting side by side—the premium “Golden Triangle” (Marbella, Benahavís, Estepona) and the more established, tourism-built “O.G. Costa del Sol” (Mijas, Fuengirola, Benalmádena). The difference isn’t just branding. It shows up in prices, deal sizes, buyer mix, and even new-build vs resale dynamics, based on Spain’s notaries portal data for the 12 months ending September 2025.
1) Two Costa del Sol markets, two realities
The “O.G.” strip is the classic Costa del Sol you already know—mid-20th-century tourism growth, dense coastal living, and a strong base of Spanish residents. The Golden Triangle is where the luxury product stack concentrates, and where deal sizes jump fast.
2) Volume: similar pace, but the Triangle edges it
Across the period analysed:
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Golden Triangle: 8,634 sales
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O.G. Costa del Sol: 7,895 sales
So the Triangle leads by 739 transactions—not a landslide, but a clear edge.
3) Price: this is where the split becomes obvious
The big separator is value, not volume:
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Average €/m² (weighted):
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Golden Triangle: €3,712/m²
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O.G.: €3,003/m²
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Difference: +€709/m² in the Triangle
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Average transaction amount:
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Golden Triangle: €599,021
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O.G.: €339,266
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In plain terms: you’re not just paying more per square metre in the Triangle—you’re typically buying a different “type” of asset (product mix, location premium, and positioning).
4) Buyer profile: ages are similar, but the market makeup isn’t
The median buyer age is surprisingly clustered:
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Golden Triangle municipalities sit around 52.
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O.G. ranges roughly 50–56, depending on town.
So it’s not “young vs old”. The bigger story is who’s buying (Spanish vs international) and what they’re buying.
5) New-build vs resale: both are resale-heavy, but there are extremes
Both market groups are dominated by second-hand sales (over ~84% in both). New build is the minority everywhere—but the mix varies a lot:
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O.G. has a slightly higher weighted share of new housing (15.48%) than the Triangle (12.92%).
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Fuengirola stands out with the highest new-build share (29.45%), while Benahavís is at the bottom (3.06%).
That matters because “new build” isn’t evenly distributed. If you want modern product and developer stock, the municipality you choose changes your options dramatically.
6) Spanish buyers: the O.G. coast is more domestic
Spanish buyers form a stronger base in the O.G. market:
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O.G. weighted national share: 41.38%
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Golden Triangle weighted national share: 32.39%
And Benalmádena is the domestic stronghold (Spanish buyers are the majority at 53.33%). At the other extreme, Benahavís is heavily international (Spanish buyers at 16.87%).
7) Foreign demand: same coast, different “nationality fingerprints”
When you zoom into the major foreign groups, you see patterns that influence what comes to market, how fast it moves, and what gets built.
A few standouts from the notary-based estimates:
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British demand is broad and strong, especially in Mijas (largest estimated British volume in this set).
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Dutch demand is a major driver in Estepona (largest estimated Dutch volume).
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Swedish buyers dominate Fuengirola’s foreign mix (highest Swedish share there).
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Belgian presence appears concentrated in Golden Triangle municipalities.
(These are estimates derived from the foreign-buyer shares applied to total sales—useful for direction, not precision.)
Where I come in: turning stats into a smart purchase decision
Here’s the problem with dashboards: numbers don’t tell you what’s overpriced, what’s negotiable, what’s “portal hype,” or what’s actually good value. And that’s exactly where experienced local interpretation matters—because these municipality averages blend apartments, townhouses, villas, beachfront, inland, resale, and new build into a single headline.
As property agent, I use this kind of notary data as a starting point—then I translate it into decisions you can actually make on the ground.
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I specialise in new developments already built or off-plan from Sotogrande to Benahavís, so if you want modern product, I can show you what’s real and what’s just marketing.
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I keep the buying process straightforward and transparent—no hidden clauses, no sales jargon, no “small print surprises.”
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I guide you end-to-end: search, negotiation, financing, legal coordination, furnishing/decoration support, and anything else you need to land smoothly.
If you tell me your profile (holiday home, investment, relocation), I can point you to the part of the coast where the market mechanics match your goal—rather than pushing you toward the most popular postcode. Contact me now!
