Bays, capes and white villages between Dénia and Altea, with just enough rain to stay green all year round. Less touristy, more Spain. Independent buyer guidance since 2005, at every step.
The landscape plays the lead here Where the south is flat and dry, the coast here bends around mountains and capes: the Montgó above Jávea, the Peñón de Ifach at Calpe, the Bèrnia behind it. That gives bays, cliffs and views you rarely find elsewhere on the Spanish coast.
Greener, with just as much sun Around 400 to 500 millimetres of rain fall here per year, almost double the dry south. You see it in the pine forests, vineyards and gardens that stay green all year round. The sun simply joins in: well over 300 sunny days.
A community that is already in place Dutch, Belgian, British and German residents have lived here for decades, with their own associations, Dutch-speaking healthcare around Alfaz del Pi and international schools with a good reputation.
Quality over quantity This is the villa coast of the Costa Blanca. Moraira is the most expensive municipality in the province of Alicante. You pay more per square metre here than in the south, and you get location, build quality and a stable market in return.
Five different atmospheres on one stretch From the harbour and market town of Dénia to the artists' village of Altea, from quiet Moraira to urban Benidorm, with wine valleys directly behind the coast. Along sixty kilometres of coast you find five ways of living.
The Costa Blanca North is not one place, it is five places. Between Dénia in the north and Altea in the south, character, price and pace differ sharply. For most buyers one zone clearly fits better than the rest.
01Harbour town and seaside resort that live all year round, with a sandy beach, pebble coves and the Montgó as a backdrop.
Budgets from €300,000 to well over €1 million, families, those who want to combine amenities and nature.
Villas on the hillsides, apartments near the Arenal beach, village houses.
02Village-like and well-kept, with a small marina and the most expensive square metres in the province.
Budgets from €400,000, peace seekers, those who value quality and sea views over liveliness.
Villas with sea views, small-scale apartment complexes near the harbour.
03Calpe is more urban, with a beach beneath the Peñón. Altea is white, hilly and cultural.
For those who want a boulevard, or rather atmosphere and village life. A broad budget range.
Apartments with sea views, villas in Altea Hills, village homes.
04Urban by the sea, with the best amenities on the coast and a strong Norwegian and Dutch presence in Albir and Alfaz.
For those who put liveliness, healthcare and accessibility first. Manageable without a car too.
Apartments with sea views, bungalows in Alfaz and La Nucía.
05Villages such as Jalón, Parcent and Orba among vineyards and almond trees. More Spanish and quieter.
Peace seekers, those who want more home and land for their money, those coming to live here all year round.
Fincas (country houses), village houses, villas with land.
Tell us what matters to you (peace, sea views, amenities or village life) and you receive a first recommendation per zone.
The Costa Blanca North combines well over 300 sunny days with just enough rain to stay green: around 400 to 500 millimetres per year, mostly in short autumn showers. The figures below are multi-year averages for the coastal strip around Jávea and Dénia.
Averaged over the coastal strip. Even in winter you get six hours of sun a day here.
Autumn brings short, sometimes heavy showers that keep the landscape green. From June to August it stays almost dry.
The Montgó and the Bèrnia shelter the coastal towns from the northerly wind and temper the extremes. Inland it is a few degrees warmer in summer, with cooler winter nights.
Not the summer crowds, not the autumn showers. You see the gardens at their greenest and the villages at their normal pace. August is too busy to get a good picture.
Alicante airport (ALC) is 45 minutes from Benidorm and just over an hour from Jávea and Dénia. For the north of the region, Valencia (VLC) is a good alternative, just over an hour from Dénia. Daily flights from Schiphol, Eindhoven, Rotterdam and Brussels land at both airports.
From Northern Europe it is roughly 19 to 20 hours of driving via France and Barcelona. With an overnight stop you do it comfortably in two days. The AP-7 is toll-free in this region.
The high-speed train (AVE) runs from Alicante and from Valencia to Madrid in a little over two hours, with connections to the European network.
The N-332 and the AP-7 string the coastal towns together. The tram links Dénia via Calpe, Altea and Benidorm with Alicante. For the inland villages you need a car.
The Costa Blanca North has one of the oldest international communities in Spain. Many Dutch and Belgian residents have lived around Jávea and Moraira for decades, and Albir and Alfaz del Pi are known for their Northern European community and the care that comes with it.
The Nederlandse Vereniging Costa Blanca (NVCB) is the gathering point for Dutch speakers, with activities for residents and winter visitors.
It is not a separate bubble but a network: Dutch-speaking care providers, clubs and entrepreneurs, alongside everyday Spanish village life.
An established group of residents, plus winter visitors and second-home owners, with Jávea, Moraira and Alfaz as the main hubs.
GPs, dentists and specialists who speak Dutch, especially around Alfaz del Pi, Albir and Jávea.
The Nederlandse Vereniging Costa Blanca, with activities for residents and winter visitors.
For a coastal region of this size, the offering is remarkably strong. The Lady Elizabeth School near Benitachell is the British reference: from toddlers through A-Levels, with school buses along the whole coast. Xabia International College in Jávea offers the same British programme on a smaller scale.
Towards the south are Elian's British School in La Nucía (British and bilingual, with the IB diploma) and Costa Blanca International College in Albir. The Spanish public school here is bilingual Spanish and Valencian. For young children a fine route, for older children something to weigh deliberately.
The choice depends on how long you are coming for and what you want for your child. We include the school choice in our advice on the zone.
School fees range from €0 (public school) to well over €12,000 per year (British schools in the senior years). If the choice becomes complicated, we put you in touch with an education adviser.
Spain has two healthcare systems side by side: the public system (SNS) and private clinics. The public system is free if you work in Spain or receive a state pension from another EU country, and the quality is good. For a specialist appointment you sometimes wait a little longer. That is why many foreign residents take out a supplementary private policy.
The public Hospital Marina Salud in Dénia covers the north of the region, Hospital Marina Baixa in La Vila Joiosa the south. Private options include HCB Hospital Clínica Benidorm, with staff from across Europe, and IMED Levante in Benidorm.
Do you receive a state pension from an EU country? Then you take your healthcare rights with you to Spain using an S1 form, a statement issued by the health authority in your home country. You use it to register with the Spanish public system, and your health insurance back home does not need to continue.
A first picture to calibrate your expectations. This is the highest price level on the Costa Blanca: Moraira is the most expensive municipality in the province of Alicante (around €4,500 per m² on average) and the average asking price in Jávea is around €1 million (idealista, 2026). Within each range the differences are large. We give you a sharper estimate for your search profile.
Prices exclude purchase costs. For resale homes you pay 9% transfer tax (ITP) in the Valencia region, and 11% on the part above €1 million (rate since 1 June 2026). For new-build you pay 10% VAT plus 1.4% stamp duty (AJD). On top of that, allow 1 to 2% for the notary and registration.
Indication based on asking prices in the market, as of September 2026. We keep this table up to date.
Homes that are not publicly for sale can fall below or above these ranges.
I am from Amsterdam and live in Benissa Costa. I guide people who want to find their home in Spain, across all budgets on the Costa Blanca. I know the region from the inside: daily life as well as the housing market.
Homes that are not yet publicly for sale often reach me early through my network. My clients most often describe my guidance as friendly and helpful, because I listen well and am honest about what does and does not suit you.
Friendly, helpful and honest about what suits you.
We work along seven Spanish costas. Three short comparisons with regions buyers often weigh against this one.
Green and hilly, villas with sea views, villages with character and an established Dutch community.
Flatter, drier and noticeably cheaper, with the largest Dutch-speaking community in Spain.
City and beach an hour's drive north, for those seeking urban life.
More cosmopolitan and larger in scale, with the most flights and the broadest offering from affordable to exclusive.
The questions we hear most often about living on the Costa Blanca North. Missing something? Put your question directly to Denise.
Because less can be built. The coast is hilly and much of the land is protected, so supply is smaller and consists mainly of villas with views. On top of that, the region is greener and has long had an international community. You pay for location and scarcity, not for luxury alone.
In a no-obligation conversation of an hour, Denise tells you what suits you, what does not, and which zone fits your situation. Since 2005 we have guided Dutch and Belgian buyers in Spain, with more than 800 purchases by now.
