Murcia & Costa Cálida — mortgages for non-residents
The coastal strip south of the Costa Blanca: Mar Menor, La Manga, Cartagena, Mazarrón, Águilas. A separate autonomous community with its own tax rates — the regional border runs straight through what many still take for the Costa Blanca.
How much property transfer tax is payable on the Costa Cálida?
Since 25 July 2025 the transfer tax in the Región de Murcia is 7.75 %, down from 8 % under Ley 3/2025. New build bought from a developer attracts 10 % VAT plus 1.5 % stamp duty instead; that rate was also cut, from 2 %, which is why older sources still quote the higher figure. The taxable base is the higher of purchase price and cadastral reference value. The regional boundary matters: Murcia is its own autonomous community, and the coastal strip south of the Costa Blanca already belongs to it, so two properties a few kilometres apart can face different rates. The reduced rates of 3 % and 5 % require main residence and personal circumstances and are not open to non-residents. Not legal or tax advice.
Three financings a branch office cannot do
Spanish banks pay out new builds only on completion, they finance purchases rather than capital release, and they cannot value a German property. Of the 15 to 20 institutions we approach per case, one underwrites the builder instalments during construction and two lend against unencumbered existing property (Perini market check).
A region of its own, often mistaken for the Costa Blanca
La Manga, Los Alcázares, San Javier
The lagoon and the La Manga spit. Strongly shaped by German and northern European second-home buyers. The ecological condition of the Mar Menor has been subject to official measures for years and belongs in any location assessment.
A port city with year-round life
Unlike the purely seasonal resorts, a year-round market with an economy of its own. From a lender's point of view that helps with resale prospects.
Mazarrón, Águilas, Puerto de Mazarrón
The quieter south towards Almería. Less developer new build, more existing stock — which means a different financing structure than buying off plan.
One point matters for tax: the border between the Comunitat Valenciana and the Región de Murcia is a genuine tax border. Two properties a few kilometres apart fall under different rates. Anyone who has not yet fixed a location should know this before signing.
What the purchase costs in tax
- ITP 7.75 % on resale property — cut from 8 % to 7.75 % by Ley 3/2025 of 23.07.2025, effective from 25.07.2025. The taxable base is the higher of purchase price and cadastral reference value.
- AJD 1.5 % on new build from a developer, on top of 10 % VAT. That rate was cut by the same Ley 3/2025, from 2 % — which is why older sources still quote the higher figure.
- The reduced rates of 3 % and 5 % do not apply here. They require a main residence and personal circumstances such as age or family status, and are not open to the typical non-resident purchase.
Tax rates change. These figures are as of July 2026 and are not tax advice.
A detached house, €820,000
A couple from Lower Saxony are planning to move within three years and are looking for a detached house with room for a home office and guests. At the time of purchase both are still resident in Germany, so non-residents. Kitchen, bathrooms, air conditioning and floors are due before they move in.
The hurdle: the bank is looking at German income and a Spanish liability at the same time, while the German property has not yet been sold. The buyers also wanted to keep reserves. Together those two things cap the loan more tightly than the value of the property does.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Purchase price | €820,000 |
| Purchase costs, around 10 % (of which ITP 7.75 % = €63,550) | €82,000 |
| Refurbishment | €55,000 |
| Total investment | €957,000 |
| Loan, around 62 % of the purchase price | €508,000 |
| Equity | €449,000 |
| Monthly instalment at 2.8 % | €2,766.77 |
| Without the discount, at 3.8 % | €3,025.11 — around €3,100 more per year |
Model calculation, not a case report. French amortisation, fully amortising, no residual debt. Figures rounded, purchase-cost ratio given as a range. Representative example under § 17 PAngV: €200,000 loan, 65 % loan-to-value, 20 years, borrowing rate 2.8 % fixed, APR 2.86 %, instalment €1,089.28, total amount €261,426 (valuation €400, no arrangement fee, no tied products). Conditions as of 20.07.2026, not an offer.
A villa near the Mar Menor, €1.15m
An entrepreneur from Bavaria is planning a gradual move with his wife and is looking for a detached villa with a study for his final working years. The same applies here: not yet resident in Spain at the time of purchase.
The hurdle: the assets were mostly in securities, and those were not to be liquidated. Spanish banks do not count a securities portfolio as income, however — it improves the picture but does not replace a recurring cash flow.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Purchase price | €1,150,000 |
| Purchase costs, around 10 % (of which ITP 7.75 % = €89,125) | €115,000 |
| Refurbishment | €85,000 |
| Total investment | €1,350,000 |
| Loan, 68 % of the purchase price | €782,000 |
| Equity | €568,000 |
| Monthly instalment at 2.8 % | €4,259.08 |
| Without the discount, at 3.8 % | €4,656.76 — around €4,772 more per year |
One point that is easily missed: the Spanish bank does not finance purchase costs or refurbishment — it lends against the lower of price and appraisal. That does not mean they have to be paid in cash: anyone holding unencumbered property in Germany can cover exactly these items through a German top-up loan. What matters is that both are costed before the offer — a follow-up financing is the step that most often fails for non-residents.
Model calculation, not a case report. French amortisation, fully amortising, no residual debt. Figures rounded, purchase-cost ratio given as a range. Representative example under § 17 PAngV: €200,000 loan, 65 % loan-to-value, 20 years, borrowing rate 2.8 % fixed, APR 2.86 %, instalment €1,089.28, total amount €261,426 (valuation €400, no arrangement fee, no tied products). Conditions as of 20.07.2026, not an offer.
Using a property in the Costa Cálida as a source of capital
The Costa Cálida belongs to the Región de Murcia and no longer to the Comunitat Valenciana — a boundary that decides the tax rate. Anyone who already owns a paid-off property here does not have to sell it to free up capital — it can be mortgaged instead.
- Lending limit. For non-residents, banks regularly lend up to around 50 % of the appraised value (tasación). The property must be unencumbered.
- Age is not the obstacle it is assumed to be. Where the owner’s age would shorten the term, a younger co-borrower — usually the child — can carry it. Co-signing is enough; no income of their own needs to be recognised.
- The funds are tied to Spain, not to a purpose. The money must be invested in Spain and may not leave the country; the bank checks this. Buying, renovating or building are all possible. Who buys is not the point.
- Inheritance tax, Región de Murcia: 99% deduction, since 01.01.2018 — groups I and II, meaning parents, children and spouses (art. 3(4) Decreto Legislativo 1/2010 (Murcia), introduced by Ley 7/2017). On inheritance the deduction covers groups I and II only; siblings and nephews pay the full tariff.
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.
A gift of the released money to a child is a German transaction, taxed in Germany rather than Spain. How the two sides interact — and why the German allowance rather than the Spanish rate is usually the real constraint — is set out under inheritance and gift tax in Spain. This is not tax advice; Inheritance tax, groups I and II (parents, children, spouses). Autonomous tax law changes; review quarterly.
Frequently asked questions about the Costa Cálida
How much property transfer tax is payable in the Región de Murcia?
Is Torrevieja still Costa Blanca or already Murcia?
Can I get a mortgage here as a non-resident?
What about the condition of the Mar Menor?
How long does financing take?
Request a mortgage
Planning a purchase on the Costa Cálida, or looking to release capital from property you already own there? A first consultation without obligation — in English, German, French, Dutch, Spanish or Russian.