Buying Property on the Costa Brava: Guide for American Buyers

Why do many Americans look at the Costa Brava?

The Costa Brava is the rugged coastline of the province of Girona in Catalonia, north of Barcelona, with small coves, pine-covered hills, fishing villages and towns such as Begur, Platja d’Aro and Roses. It draws second-home buyers who want a quieter, greener alternative to the big southern resorts, with a strong local food and wine culture and easy reach of Barcelona and the French border.

Barcelona airport is the usual arrival point, roughly one and a half to two hours by road from most Costa Brava towns, and Girona airport is closer but has fewer routes; check current schedules and the journey for your town. Buying in Catalonia differs from buying elsewhere in Spain: transfer tax is higher, documents are often in Spanish and Catalan, and tourist-rental rules are tight. Buying in Spain also works very differently from buying in the US. This guide sets out those differences.

It covers which towns to consider, what the buying costs are and why they exceed the Costa del Sol, how Spain differs from a US purchase, tourist rentals, whether you can live in Spain, how the process works from abroad, how financing and the dollar-euro risk work, how you are taxed in Spain and the US, and the pitfalls. It does not replace advice from a lawyer, tax adviser or immigration specialist. If you are looking in southern Spain, see our guide for American buyers in Marbella.

Written byMike Brady

Reviewed byAlberto Bertazzi

Originally published23 October 2026

Last updated23 October 2026

Which Costa Brava towns and areas suit American buyers?

Short answer: It depends on how you will use the home: a hill town above the coves (Begur), a beach town with services all year (Platja d’Aro), a bay town close to the French border (Roses), a villa in a hillside urbanisation, or a farmhouse inland. Each has its own planning rules, so check the exact municipality.

These are first impressions rather than price guidance; ask for recent comparable sales in the exact street. Begur, Castell-Platja d’Aro and Roses are separate municipalities in the province of Girona, each with its own planning and rental rules.

What does a Costa Brava purchase cost on top of the price?

Short answer: Budget about 11.5% to 12.5% of the price for a resale home and about 13% for a new build, over and above your down payment. That is clearly more than on the Costa del Sol, because Catalonia taxes resale homes at 10% and more.

FCG planning values for Catalonia, October 2026, rounded. Resale tax follows the Catalan scale applied by band (10% up to €600,000, 11% from there to €900,000, 12% to €1.5m, 13% above); new builds pay 10% VAT (IVA) plus 1.5% stamp duty (AJD). We assume a lawyer at about 1% of the price (minimum €1,200) and a gestoría at about €300; notary and registry fees are capped in the model, so on expensive homes the real bill can be higher. Rates change: confirm them with the Agència Tributària de Catalunya or your lawyer before you commit.

How does this compare with the Costa del Sol?

Same price, same assumptions, resale home. The gap is almost entirely the higher Catalan transfer tax (10% to 13% against 7% in Andalusia).

• Reduced rates are not for most second-home buyers. The 5% rate applies to the main home of certain groups, such as young people, large families and people with disabilities, and subject to income limits. A buyer who qualifies as a “large holder” of homes under Catalan law pays 20%; check if you already own several homes in Catalonia.
• On top of the table: your down payment, the bank’s valuation (about €500 in our model), furnishing and works, and the cost of converting dollars to euros. Get the exchange rate quoted in writing before sending a large amount.
• Mortgage deed: the bank normally bears the main costs of the mortgage deed under current law; the purchase deed is yours.
• Plusvalía municipal: the seller owes this local land-gain tax by law; check the contract does not pass it to you.

Our general costs article is Buying costs in Spain for non-residents. Note that it and our online calculators use national or generic assumptions; for Catalonia, rely on the figures on this page and have them confirmed for your purchase.

How is buying on the Costa Brava different from buying a home in the US?

Short answer: There are no standard contingencies, no cooling-off period and no title insurance, so your protection comes from your own lawyer and the checks you make before you sign. The transfer tax is also paid by the buyer and is higher in Catalonia than in most of Spain.

A general comparison, position October 2026. Practices vary by US state and by deal. This is not legal advice.

Can you rent out a Costa Brava home to tourists?

Short answer: Possibly, but do not assume it. Catalonia tightened tourist-rental rules in 2023, and in many coastal towns new licences are limited or need municipal planning permission, while existing licences can be time-limited. Check the position for the exact address with the town hall before you pay.

• A tourist-rental licence is needed. Without one, letting short term is an offence that can bring heavy fines.
• The rules are local. Catalan decree-law 3/2023 lets municipalities with housing pressure or a high concentration of tourist homes control new licences, and towns on the Costa Brava have been setting their own limits. Begur, Castell-Platja d’Aro and Roses may not apply the same rules.
• A licence is not guaranteed to transfer. Do not assume a seller’s licence passes to you or runs indefinitely; ask the lawyer to confirm in writing.
• Community and urbanisation rules. Statutes can ban or limit tourist lets even where the town allows them.
• Tax. Rent is taxed in Spain, generally at 24% for US residents with no deduction of costs, and is also reportable in the US.

Rental rules change often and differ by municipality; this is general information and not a guarantee that a licence is, or will remain, available.

Can Americans live in Spain if they buy on the Costa Brava, and what about visits?

Short answer: You can visit for up to 90 days in any 180 without a visa, but owning a home does not give you the right to live in Spain. Staying longer needs a residence permit, and the property-based investor route was closed in April 2025.

General information, position October 2026. Immigration and entry rules change often; this is not immigration advice.

How does an American buy a property on the Costa Brava step by step?

Short answer: Get a financing view, obtain a NIE, open a Spanish bank account, instruct an independent lawyer, reserve, sign an arras contract with the conditions you need, then complete at the notary. Allow six to twelve weeks from reservation to the deed, longer if you need a power of attorney or have to arrange funds from the US.

1. Know the full cost first. Catalonia’s transfer tax is higher than in much of Spain, so work out the total, including purchase costs of 11.5% or more, before you set a budget or make an offer.
2. Get a financing view. Spain has no mortgage contingency by default, so find out what a lender would do with your US income, debts and funds before you reserve anything.
3. Obtain a NIE. This tax identification number is mandatory for any non-Spanish purchaser. Apply through the Spanish consulate that covers your state, or let a Spanish lawyer apply under a power of attorney.
4. Plan how you will sign. A lawyer can sign for you under a power of attorney, which from the US is generally signed at a Spanish consulate or before a US notary and then apostilled. Barcelona is the main arrival airport; Girona is nearer to most Costa Brava towns but has fewer routes, so check current schedules.
5. Open a Spanish bank account. It carries the loan, the direct debits and the balance payment. As a US person you will be asked for a W-9 or tax identification number, and some banks decline US citizens or add steps because of US reporting rules.
6. Instruct your own lawyer, then reserve. Choose someone with no link to the seller or the agent. A reservation deposit takes the home off the market, so find out when it could be lost.
7. Property checks. The lawyer reads the Nota Simple (register extract) for ownership and charges, compares it with the cadastre and the building’s planning status, and collects the paid IBI receipt, the community or urbanisation debt certificate, the energy certificate and, for a new build, the first-occupation licence. Ask for documents in Spanish where they are in Catalan, and consider a technical survey.
8. Negotiate the arras contract. Around 10% of the price is paid on signing. A buyer who withdraws normally forfeits it, and a seller who withdraws normally owes double, unless the contract says otherwise. Have the lawyer write in the conditions you rely on, such as mortgage approval by a fixed date.
9. Prepare the money. Plan the dollar-to-euro conversion, tell your bank about a large international transfer and keep proof of where the money comes from, such as a US closing statement. Cash is not a workable route in Spain.
10. Mortgage offer. After valuing the property, the bank issues a binding offer; its pre-contract documents must reach you at least ten calendar days before you sign.
11. Completion at the notary. You sign the deed (escritura), settle the balance and collect the keys. The deed records how the price was paid. Use an interpreter if you need one.
12. After completion. Your gestoría or lawyer pays the transfer tax to the Catalan tax agency and registers the deed. Then you connect utilities, insure the home and join the community. Diarise your first Spanish non-resident tax return and the US reporting of your Spanish account.

More on the sequence: Spanish mortgage timeline and process.

Can Americans get a Spanish mortgage for a Costa Brava home?

Short answer: Yes. Spanish banks lend to US-based non-residents, usually up to about 70% of the value and often 60 to 70%, in euros and typically over 15 to 25 years. Some banks are cautious about US persons, so lender selection matters. Higher Catalan costs mean you need more own funds than for the same price on the Costa del Sol.

Here is a worked example for a resale home at €750,000 on the Costa Brava (illustrative interest rate of 3.5% and a 25-year term, not an offer):

Own funds are the down payment, purchase costs of about €87,225 (including €76,500 of Catalan transfer tax) and the bank valuation of about €500. The loan payments come from the FCG costs calculator and are for planning only.

How much you can borrow depends mainly on your net income and your commitments, including any US mortgage. We plan on your total monthly commitments staying within roughly 40% of net income, so the €525,000 loan above implies a net income of about €6,600 a month before any other debt.

What do Spanish banks look at for US-based buyers?

Banks differ in what they ask for. US documents in English are normally accepted as issued; if a lender needs a certified translation, it will say so. Spanish banks generally do not use a US credit score as such, and decide on your documented income, debts and funds.

Currency. Your income is in dollars, but the price, costs and payments are in euros, and the dollar is not pegged to the euro. If the euro rises 10% against the dollar, a €2,628 payment costs about 10% more in dollars. Decide when and how you convert, and what you can live with, before you commit. Our US buyer calculator takes income in dollars and estimates your borrowing power in euros.

Fixed or variable. Lenders offer fixed, variable (Euribor-linked) and mixed rates. Compare the total cost over the term, not the opening rate.

See also How much deposit do you need to buy in Spain? and Non-resident mortgages in Spain.

What are the typical American buyer profiles on the Costa Brava?

How are American owners of a Costa Brava property taxed in Spain and the US?

Short answer: Spain charges yearly IBI, a refuse charge, community fees and a non-resident return (modelo 210), generally at 24% for US residents. The US taxes your worldwide income as well, so you can have filings on both sides. Use a cross-border tax adviser who knows both systems.

The Spanish rate follows where you live, not your passport. Because the US taxes citizens and green-card holders on worldwide income, rent from the Spanish property is generally reportable in the US, and Spanish tax paid can usually be credited under the US-Spain tax treaty and US rules. The Spanish deemed-income tax on a home you do not rent has no US counterpart, so ask your adviser whether and how it can be credited. A Spanish bank account has US consequences too: balances above certain thresholds are reportable (FBAR, and in some cases Form 8938), and failing to report can bring heavy penalties.

When you sell, the buyer withholds 3% of the price as an advance on your Spanish tax. Your US gain is calculated in dollars, so exchange-rate moves between purchase and sale change the result. Spain also levies a wealth tax and a separate large-fortunes tax on larger estates, depending on the value of your assets in Spain. Catalonia has its own civil-law and inheritance rules and its own scales for some regional taxes, so take advice on wills and ownership structure before you buy.

Which pitfalls should American buyers on the Costa Brava watch out for?

• Budgeting with Costa del Sol figures. Many online guides quote about 8.5% costs, which fits Andalusia. In Catalonia the resale total is about 11.5% to 12.5%, so your own funds need to be higher.
• Trusting a stale tax rate. Catalonia changed its scale in June 2025 and tax rates move; check the current rate with the Catalan tax agency or your lawyer before you reserve.
• Expecting US-style contingencies. Without a written condition, an arras contract does not protect you if the mortgage falls through or a check disappoints.
• Counting on a rental licence. Tourist-rental licences are limited and local. Confirm the position for the exact address in writing before you pay.
• Buying in an urbanisation without checking it. Some older estates have unresolved planning or infrastructure questions. Ask who maintains roads and services, what the fee is, and whether the estate is regularised.
• Building close to the sea. Plots near the shore can fall inside Coastal Law protection zones, and large areas of the coast are protected land. Have the register checked for easements and ask your lawyer about permitted works.
• Counting on a US credit check. Your US credit history does not carry over. Bring documents that prove income, debts and funds.
• Underestimating US reporting. A Spanish account or foreign assets can trigger US filings. Get US tax advice before you wire money.
• Paying the asking price. Listings often sit above real sale prices. Request comparable sales and consider an independent valuation.
• Money outside the deed. The full price should appear in the deed and be paid by traceable bank transfer; undeclared extras expose both sides to tax and legal risk.
• Unprotected off-plan deposits. Ask to see the bank guarantee that covers your instalments, the licences and the ten-year structural insurance.
• Documents in a language you do not read. Notes, community minutes and some licences can be in Catalan. Have key documents translated before you sign.
• Estate planning across two systems. Spanish property is inherited under Spanish procedure (with Catalan civil law in some cases), and the US may tax your estate as well. As far as we know there is no estate or inheritance tax treaty between the two countries, so take advice on wills and ownership.

Short answers for American buyers on the Costa Brava

General guide, as of 23 October 2026. Rates, costs, conditions and requirements change, and they depend on the property, the lender and your own circumstances. Nothing here is legal, tax or immigration advice. Information on fees is on our regulatory and fee information page.

Where to find binding information

• Agència Tributària de Catalunya: Catalan transfer tax (ITP) and stamp duty (AJD) rates and the filing of the purchase tax.
• Agencia Tributaria: the Spanish tax authority (modelo 210, non-resident tax obligations).
• Registradores de España: the property register and the register extract (Nota Simple).
• Consejo General del Notariado: notaries and the deed.
• Sede Electrónica del Catastro: cadastral data and cadastral value.
• Ministerio de Asuntos Exteriores: Spanish embassies and consulates, visas and the NIE application from abroad.
• IRS: US reporting of foreign accounts and assets (FBAR, Form 8938) and the foreign tax credit.

Do you know what you can buy on the Costa Brava?

If you want to know how much a Spanish bank might lend against your US income and own funds, start the FCG online application or speak with us before you sign a reservation. Start the online application →

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