Mengapa membeli rumah di Costa Tropical

Here are the six reasons buyers give us most often for choosing the Costa Tropical: the climate, the fruit, the roads, the prices, the year-round towns and the mountains. We give the numbers where we have them, and finish with the downsides to weigh before you sign.

The winters are mild and the sea stays warm

Mountains stand between this coast and the cold interior, and the coast faces south, so winter here is very mild. Regional tourism figures claim more than 300 days of sunshine a year and an average temperature of about 20 °C.

Official long-term averages for Motril (1981–2010) give 19.0 °C for the year, a January daytime high of 17.6 °C and an August high of 30.1 °C.

In practice, you can eat lunch outside in January and swim in the sea from June to October. The sea is about 15 to 16 °C in winter and averages 24.6 °C in August, the warmest month.

Tropical fruit grows on the doorstep

Mango, avocado, lychee and custard apple are grown on farms around Motril, Salobreña and Almuñécar, and some farms offer guided tours. The area's tourist office calls it Europe's largest producer of quality tropical fruit.

The local chirimoya (custard apple) has a protected name, and you will find it every day in shops, restaurants, desserts and juices.

The roads are better than they used to be

The coast is now easy to reach. The A-7 motorway runs along it from Nerja to Motril, and the A-44 goes north from Motril to Granada. The last sections near Motril opened in 2014.

Almuñécar is less than 90 km from two airports, Granada (GRX) and Málaga (AGP). Transfers from Málaga airport take about 1 hour 6 minutes. The ski slopes above Granada are about 100 km from Salobreña, close enough for a day trip. See our airport comparison.

The prices sit well below Marbella

Homes here cost much less than on the western Costa del Sol. In October 2026, asking prices on the property portal Fotocasa were €3,444 per m² in Almuñécar, about a third less than Marbella at €5,060. Nerja, just over the border in Málaga province, was €3,980, and Motril, the largest town on the coast, €1,812.

These are asking prices; homes usually sell for less. Almuñécar's figure is up 14.2% in a year. Another source gives a lower figure for Almuñécar in November 2026, €3,170 per m², so compare at least two portals.

The towns have people in them all year

People live in these towns all year. Motril had 58,939 residents in 2023, Salobreña 12,562, and Almuñécar 27,544 at the start of 2025.

To see what life is like all year, visit on a weekday in November. Walk around the town centre and see which shops are open and who is out on the street.

The mountains and Granada are a day trip away

The Sierra Nevada rises behind the coast. Its highest peak, Mulhacén, is 3,479 m, and the ski station at Pradollano is at 2,507 m, one of the most southerly ski resorts in Europe.

Granada and the Alhambra are about an hour up the A-44 from Motril, the obvious day trip inland.

There are also downsides to weigh before you buy.

Many homes are on slopes. That can mean steps, retaining walls and a steep drive up, so check the gradient, the access and the parking before you fall for the view.

July and August are hot: Motril's August daytime high is 30.1 °C. Ask whether the home has shade and air flowing through it.

If you need an international school, contact the schools early. It may decide which town you choose.

Flat building land near the towns is scarce. Check the planning status of any plot before you commit; a local lawyer is worth the fee for this alone.

The figures in this guide come from different sources and years. Use them to know what to ask, and leave the final answers to a survey and a valuation. For more on the towns, services and the buying process, read the Costa Tropical buyer's guide.