The quiet alternative to Barcelona — Girona province, freely lettable (with an HUTG licence), a growing German–Dutch market. It can be financed for non-residents up to 70% of the lower of price and tasación.
Catalonia's ITP is staggered by purchase price from 10 % up to 13 % in the upper bands (Decret Llei 5/2025). That places Catalonia among the more expensive regions for transfer tax. The ITP is the largest single item; budget around 10 to 13 % in total costs, which you must cover from equity.
Not every bank lends against income in a foreign currency — we approach the ones that do. For the full evaluation, enter your income converted into euros.
Our brokerage focus starts at a loan amount of around €300,000 — we arrange smaller loans too and will give you an honest read on whether it makes sense in your case.
Estimate, no guarantee. The interest rate is the calculation basis for this example, not a market rate or commitment — the rate you actually achieve depends on your credit profile, the property and the bank. Spain: max. 70 % LTV for non-residents. Purchase costs by region as on our purchase-costs page; the other items are guide values.
Spanish banks only pay out for new builds at the completion/sign-off of the building; they finance purchases, not equity release, and they are unable to value German properties.
This means that Catalonia is one of the more expensive regions in terms of property transfer tax — a factor that is partly offset by the often lower entry-level prices in places such as Lloret de Mar, Tossa de Mar or Begur, compared with Mallorca or Marbella.
The ITP is the largest single item of purchase costs; overall, you should allow for purchase costs of around 10 to 13 %.
Important for financing: Banks finance the purchase price, not the purchase costs, and lend against the lower of the purchase price and the tasación — you must cover the ITP from your own funds. Girona and Barcelona airports provide access to the coast. As at 07/2026; the Catalan regulations in force at the time of purchase apply.
Of the 30+ institutions on the market, one finances the developer instalments during construction and two provide mortgages against unencumbered existing property (Perini Market Check, as at 8 October 2026).
The city of Barcelona is under a strict rent cap (Ley de Vivienda 2023). For investors that means capped rents, higher letting risk and weaker returns. The Costa Brava (Girona province) is exempt — you can let at market rates, both long-term and to tourists (with a municipal HUTG licence).
Concrete sample calculations for typical foreign buyers — as a guide for your own plan.
Calculate your costs quickly: Pre-filled with typical values for this region — adjust the figures and the result updates at once; the region and its tax rate are already set.
Get the full evaluation by email: Everything the calculator does not show on the page: equity needed including purchase costs, every cost item, total interest and total cost — and, with your income, how much you can afford under the 35 % rule. We approach at least 2 of the 15–20 banks we work with for your case (31 in Spain, 14 in Portugal); which ones fit, we discuss in person.
Both cases are typical Costa Brava scenarios between Lloret, Begur and Cadaqués.
The Costa Brava belongs to Catalonia — the only region covered here without a flat relief. That makes the timing of a transfer matter more here than elsewhere. A paid-off property on the Costa Brava does not have to be sold to free up capital — it can be mortgaged instead.
Inheritance tax, Catalonia: no flat relief: for adult children and parents a weighted rate starting at 60%, falling to about 28.9% at €3m, since 01.05.2020 — groups I and II, meaning parents, children and spouses (art. 58 bis Ley 19/2010, as amended by Ley 5/2020).
Only spouses receive a flat 99%, and descendants under 21 start at 99%. Adult children fall under the lower scale — a distinction that is frequently confused. Claiming certain reliefs forfeits the bonificación.
For inheritance, the rules of the autonomous community holding the highest value of the Spanish estate apply. With a single Spanish property that is simply its region. The relief must be claimed within the filing deadline — miss it and it becomes contentious.
How far a Spanish bank will go on an unencumbered property, what changes with the owner's age, and what the released money may be used for is set out in full under releasing capital from a Spanish property.
A gift of the released money to a child is taxed in Germany, not in Spain — see inheritance and gift tax in Spain. Scope: inheritance tax, groups I and II (parents, children, spouses). Regional tax law changes regularly.
What was actually paid in this area. Portal prices are what sellers ask. What was recorded at the notary is published by the Spanish notaries themselves: the Portal Estadístico del Notariado — free, no registration, and searchable down to postcode level.
In the first quarter of 2026 the prices paid ran 29 per cent below asking prices, the widest gap since 2007. For a mortgage that is the figure that counts: the bank's valuer works from completed sales, not from listings. → Portal Estadístico del Notariado · What that means for your financing · Where the numbers come from
Case reports Costa Brava: Anonymised examples of how buyers financed their property on the Costa Brava.
Anonymised examples of how German-speaking buyers have financed their property on the Costa Brava.
Costa Brava: what you’ll need to pay on top of the purchase price: The Costa Brava is situated in Catalonia, where the ITP has been levied on a sliding scale based on the purchase price since Decret llei 5/2025.
So the rate increases in line with the price, and the tax is paid entirely from equity — no Spanish bank contributes towards it. On top of that, there are the notary, Registro and Tasación.
Anyone buying an older property near the coast on the Costa Brava should factor in a third item: the need for renovation, which the bank takes into account when assessing the property’s value but does not include in the loan.
The sum of tax, purchase costs and non-mortgageable repair costs is the amount that must actually be available in cash — not the difference between the purchase price and the loan-to-value ratio.
Buying an apartment on the Costa Brava: What are the rules for financing an apartment? As is the case throughout Spain, non-residents are eligible for up to 70 % of the lower of the purchase price and the tasación. An apartment falls within the more easily valued segment of the market, as there are more comparable sales in Lloret, Girona city and L’Estartit on which the tasación can be based.
Valencia & Costa Azahar (Region · Spain): Spain’s third-largest market for foreign buyers.
Procedure and sequence: Why the condición suspensiva is the lever.
Wealth tax in Catalonia starts from approx. €500,000 of property, as of 2026 and to be clarified with a tax adviser. Catalonia also has no flat relief on inheritance tax for adult children and parents, and the Costa Brava is one of the more expensive regions for transfer tax.
Valencia & Costa Azahar — mortgage for non-residents: Financing in the region.
Portugal — mortgage for non-residents: Algarve, Madeira, Lisbon and Porto at a glance.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Equity | €130,000 (41%) |
| Mortgage | €190,000 (59%) |
| Purchase costs (~13%) | ~€41,600 (ITP 10% Catalonia) |
| Loan-to-value | 59% LTV |
| Example payment (20 yrs, 2.4%) | ~€1,000/month |
| Bank type | Major Spanish bank · Catalonia |
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Equity | €220,000 (40%) |
| Mortgage | €330,000 (60%) |
| Purchase costs (~13%) | ~€71,500 (ITP 10% Catalonia) |
| Loan-to-value | 60% LTV |
| Example payment (20 yrs, 2.4%) | ~€1,735/month |
| Bank type | Spanish private bank · Girona province |
Model calculations without guarantee. Not binding offers. Terms vary depending on credit profile, property and bank. No tax or legal advice.
The Costa Brava (Girona province) is exempt from the rent cap of the Ley de Vivienda 2023 — you can let at market rates, both long-term and to tourists (with a municipal HUTG licence). In the city of Barcelona rent is capped.
Up to 70% of the purchase price or the tasación value (bank valuation) — the lower figure applies. Spanish banks finance non-residents in the region for up to 25 years, with a fixed, variable or mixed rate.
In Catalonia, the ITP stands at 10 %, banded by purchase price up to 13 % in the higher price brackets (Decret llei 5/2025). It is the largest single item and must additionally be covered from equity. The Catalan regulations in force at the time of purchase apply.
We approach at least 2 of 15–20 institutions per case; several major Spanish banks run non-resident programmes in Catalonia. From a purchase price of around €500,000, private banks also come into play. Which one fits your case is settled in conversation.
Yes — thanks to letting freedom (outside the city of Barcelona) and stable demand. Solid gross yields, generally higher with tourist letting. Value growth historically steadier than on the Costa del Sol.
Planning a purchase on the Costa Brava? A free initial consultation in English — also German, French, Spanish, Russian. We review your situation and find the right bank in Spain.
This is not tax advice.
Monthly payment, loan and purchase costs by region straight away; total cost and equity needed by email.
Banks on the Costa del Sol usually provide non-residents with financing of up to 70 % of the lower of the purchase price or their own valuation.
Content by Siegfried Perini — local brand representative since 2019, active in real estate since 1992, entered in the German intermediary register (§ 11a GewO) as a person directly involved in brokerage and advice. Point of contact for German-speaking buyers in Spain and Portugal. Brokerage by Olga Nikushkina, mortgage credit intermediary under § 34i German Trade Regulation (GewO); in Portugal through a locally licensed intermediary.