Real Estate & Economy
Almeria Vacation Rentals Surpass Residential Housing in 2025
Published September 19, 2025 | Category: Real Estate & Economy
Almeria now has more vacation rentals than long-term apartments, but the city says growth is balanced and offers new opportunities.
Almeria vacation rentals outnumber residential housing: growth and outlook
Table of Contents
- Introduction
- El Zapillo: epicenter of vacation rentals
- Historic Center and City Center
- Retamar-El Toyo: sports and conference tourism
- San Miguel – Cabo de Gata
- Peripheral neighborhoods
- Global data and future outlook
- What this means for the Almeria property market
First comprehensive study on tourist use housing
The Municipal Housing Observatory of Almeria has presented its first comprehensive study on tourist use housing (VUT). The results reveal that the number of vacation rentals now exceeds the supply of long-term residential properties. According to the municipality, this rapid growth—VUTs have tripled since 2020—has not led to saturation or the displacement of residents. Instead, officials emphasize that the trend creates opportunities for urban revitalization, by occupying empty buildings and boosting local commerce.
El Zapillo: epicenter of vacation rentals
The neighborhood of El Zapillo records the highest tourist rental concentration. In relative terms, there are six times more vacation rentals than conventional apartments. Most of these properties were created in previously unused or empty buildings, helping to revitalize the area without displacing residents. The profitability of vacation rentals, which is estimated at twice the return of traditional housing, explains the sustained growth since 2020.
Historic Center and City Center
The city’s historic and central districts—covering Paseo de Almeria, Puerta de Purchena, La Rambla, La Almedina, and the old town—host over 400 tourist rentals. This represents 26.6% of the city’s total. The number of VUTs here has tripled since 2020, though the municipal study confirms that population decline in these areas is linked more to demographics than to tourism pressure. Meanwhile, the tourist boom has reinvigorated local shops, bars, and accommodation, consolidating the center as an economic hub.
Retamar-El Toyo: sports and conference tourism
In Retamar-El Toyo, located near the coast and Almeria airport, there are 251 tourist rentals—16.6% of the city’s total. The area has specialized in sports and conference tourism, capitalizing on existing infrastructure. Growth has been absorbed by current housing stock, ensuring a balance between tourist demand and permanent residents. Local businesses, especially restaurants and leisure services, report positive impacts.
San Miguel – Cabo de Gata
The San Miguel – Cabo de Gata district shows the highest tourist density per inhabitant, with 7.2 vacation rentals per 100 residents. During summer, the floating population surpasses the number of locals, but the Observatory states this does not create tension in rental prices or strain urban services. The phenomenon here is clearly seasonal, tied to high-summer demand.
Peripheral neighborhoods
Outside the main tourist areas, peripheral neighborhoods account for 21% of the total VUTs. This proportion is considered low and does not affect long-term housing supply. Instead, authorities highlight that tourism use of vacant properties in these areas is an opportunity for economic activity and improved coexistence without residential displacement.
Global data and future outlook
According to municipal data, Almeria has 1,516 vacation rentals, offering 7,467 places, or 57% of the city’s total tourist capacity. If no restrictions are applied, VUTs could exceed 3,000 by 2030. Still, the Councilor for Urban Planning and Housing, Eloísa Cabrera, stresses that the priority remains compatibility: “The expansion of tourist housing into empty buildings is an opportunity, not a problem.”
Independent reports, including coverage from La Vanguardia and Travel and Tour World, confirm both the strong growth of the sector and the municipal commitment to balance and regulation.
What this means for the Almeria property market
The expansion of vacation rentals highlights a wider transformation in the Almeria property market. With rising demand for short-term stays and solid returns for owners, tourism is shaping investment strategies across the city. For buyers and investors, this trend signals both opportunities and the need to understand local regulations. Looking ahead, Almeria’s balance between tourism and long-term housing will remain a key factor in sustaining growth and community well-being.
For more updates from across the province, visit our Latest news category.
Real Estate & Economy
Almeria Housing Market Outlook 2026: Rising Prices, Slower Pace
Published December 30, 2025 | Category: Real Estate & Economy
TL;DR: Almeria enters 2026 with a housing market that is still rising, but no longer evenly. Sales prices are expected to keep increasing, though more selectively by area and property type, while rental prices appear to be stabilising after peaking in mid-2025.
Almeria Housing Market Outlook 2026: Rising Prices, Slower Pace
The housing market in Almeria heads into 2026 without signs of cooling, but with a clear shift in rhythm. After a strong 2025 marked by rising sales prices and a visible correction in rentals, the province now faces a more uneven and selective phase.
According to recent data, average sale prices across the province stand at around €1,500 per square metre, following a year-on-year increase of more than 15% in 2025. The outlook for 2026 points to continued growth.
However, this growth is expected to be more moderate and uneven, with estimates ranging between 6% and 10% by the end of the year, depending on location and demand pressure.
Sales prices: uneven growth by area
Coastal and second-home markets such as Mojacar, Vera, Pulpí and San Juan de los Terreros have already reached relatively high levels. In these areas, 2026 is expected to bring consolidation rather than sharp increases, with more modest growth of around 5% to 7%.
By contrast, inland municipalities and the Almanzora region still have more room to move. Towns such as Macael, Olula del Rio, Cantoria and Vélez Blanco remain well below historical peak levels. After strong percentage increases in 2025 from low starting points, prices in these areas are likely to continue rising in 2026, albeit at a slower pace.
Almeria city: selective pressure by neighbourhood
In Almeria city, the market shows a more stable and highly selective pattern. Average prices closed November 2025 at around €1,650/m², reflecting a slower annual increase than the provincial average.
Established neighbourhoods such as Vega de Acá–Nueva Almeria–Cortijo Grande, Zapillo and Retamar are already close to recent highs, limiting the scope for further price growth.
More upward pressure is expected in central areas that are still below their historical peaks, including the city centre, Centro Rambla–Plaza de Toros and Altamira–Oliveros–Barrio Alto. These areas recorded some of the strongest gains in 2025 and may continue to attract demand in 2026.
Rental market: stabilisation after peak
The rental market presents a different picture. After peaking in mid-2025, rents across the province have begun to stabilise.
Average rents stand at around €8.4 per square metre provincially and around €9 per square metre in Almeria city. While still higher than a year ago, prices are now below their summer peaks, suggesting a period of digestion rather than renewed escalation.
In high-demand neighbourhoods such as Vega de Acá or Zapillo, rents remain elevated but have stopped climbing. In mid-range areas, modest corrections have already taken place.
Overall, 2026 does not point to a new rental bubble in Almeria, but rather to a phase of relative calm after several years of intense pressure.
Looking ahead
The general picture for 2026 is one of continued but uneven growth in sales, combined with a more contained and localised rental market. Outcomes will depend heavily on municipality, neighbourhood and property type.
This short outlook is based on translated reporting from Diario de Almeria and market data from Idealista at the end of 2025. A more detailed breakdown by municipality and buyer profile will follow separately on Almeria Housing.
Want to understand how property trends affect living, buying and investing in the province? Browse our latest insights in Real Estate & Economy.
Infrastructure
€26 million allocated for new AVE railway station in Almeria
Published December 23, 2025 | Category: Infrastructure
TL;DR: The Andalusian regional government will invest €26 million in the future AVE railway station in Almeria, a key part of the rail undergrounding project that will finally allow high-speed rail services to reach the city.
€26 million allocated for new AVE railway station as Almeria rail undergrounding advances
The Andalusian regional government has approved an exceptional grant of €26 million (excluding VAT) for the construction of the future high-speed railway station in Almeria. The station forms a core part of the ongoing project to underground the city’s railway lines and enable the arrival of AVE high-speed services.
What the new AVE railway station means for Renfe services in Almeria
The arrival of the new AVE railway station will allow Renfe to operate high-speed services directly into Almeria, bringing the city fully into Spain’s national AVE network for the first time. Until now, rail connectivity has been limited by infrastructure constraints that prevented true high-speed operations.
This shift is expected to improve long-distance rail connections while offering a modern alternative to road and air travel.
Once the undergrounding works and station construction are completed, Renfe will be able to integrate Almeria more effectively into long-distance routes, improving connections with major hubs such as Madrid and other Andalusian cities. This is expected to enhance both business and leisure travel, while also offering a more competitive alternative to air and road transport.
For residents and visitors alike, the new station represents not only faster journeys, but also a more modern rail experience, aligned with the standards of other AVE-served cities across Spain.
The project also forms part of broader transport investment priorities supported at European level. Major rail infrastructure upgrades such as the Almeria undergrounding and future AVE railway station align with long-term objectives promoted by the European Union and the European Commission to improve sustainable mobility, regional connectivity and long-term transport resilience, as outlined in the European Commission’s Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy.
The funding has been granted as part of the broader rail undergrounding works, a long-awaited infrastructure project designed to remove surface-level train tracks, improve urban integration and modernise Almeria’s rail facilities. The new station will be built within this transformed corridor, rather than as a separate standalone project.
Once operational, the station will allow AVE trains to reach Almeria directly, significantly reducing travel times and strengthening long-distance rail connections with other major Spanish cities. Local and regional authorities consider this step essential for improving accessibility, competitiveness and the province’s overall transport offering.
Beyond mobility, the undergrounding of the railway is also expected to have a major urban impact. By eliminating the physical barrier created by the tracks, large areas of land will be freed up for public space, improved traffic flow and potential urban redevelopment, helping to reconnect neighbourhoods that have long been divided by the rail line.
The project represents one of the most significant infrastructure investments in Almeria in recent decades. Funding for the undergrounding works and the future AVE station involves coordination between regional and national administrations, underlining the strategic importance of bringing high-speed rail to the province.
While no definitive completion date has yet been announced, the allocation of this funding marks another concrete step forward in a project that has been awaited in Almeria for many years.
Want to stay informed about major transport and infrastructure projects across the province? Browse more updates in our Infrastructure section.
Community & Local Life
Costa de Almeria closes 2025 with strong tourism momentum ahead of FITUR 2026
Published December 23, 2025 | Category: Community
TL;DR: Costa de Almeria has wrapped up 2025 with more than 70 tourism promotion actions, setting heritage, sports tourism and FITUR 2026 as key priorities for the year ahead.
Costa de Almeria closes 2025 with strong tourism momentum and eyes FITUR 2026
Costa de Almeria, the provincial tourism brand, has closed 2025 after completing more than 70 promotional actions, reinforcing its position as a key driver of economic activity across the province. The year now serves as a springboard towards FITUR 2026, identified as the first major milestone of the new tourism calendar.
The balance was presented during the final session of the Provincial Tourism Council of the year, where the Diputación de Almeria reaffirmed tourism as a strategic sector for job creation, local development and international visibility. Public-private cooperation was once again highlighted as one of the pillars behind the province’s growing presence in national and international markets.
Among the priorities outlined for the coming period is the revaluation of cultural and historical heritage, including the consolidation of the Museum of Realism (MUREC) and the ongoing recovery of the emblematic Cortijo del Fraile in Níjar. These initiatives form part of a broader strategy to strengthen Almeria’s cultural identity as a complement to its coastal and nature-based tourism.
Sports tourism remains another key focus, with the return of La Vuelta Ciclista to the province underlined as a high-impact event capable of projecting Almeria to international audiences. In parallel, improving air connectivity continues to be a strategic objective, particularly with the British market, which remains one of the most important for the destination.
Throughout 2025, Costa de Almeria carried out promotional campaigns in several European countries and maintained a presence at major international tourism fairs, while also organising press and professional visits to showcase the province’s diversity beyond the high season.
Looking ahead, the province will once again present its full tourism offer at FITUR 2026 in Madrid from 21 to 25 January, with all 103 municipalities represented. The Tourism Council also approved the incorporation of two new private-sector members, further strengthening collaboration between institutions and local tourism businesses.
Want to discover more local initiatives, developments and community stories from across the province? Browse the latest updates in our Community section.
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