Cost of Selling Property in Spain: Fees and Taxes

Most sellers focus on the headline price, but what lands in your bank account depends on a handful of costs that are easy to underestimate, especially if you are selling as a non-resident. This guide breaks down every cost of selling a property in Spain in 2026, with real Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol figures and a worked example so you can see exactly what you would net.

The costs of selling at a glance

1. Estate agent commission

This is the largest cost for most sellers. On the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol, commission is typically 3–5% of the sale price plus 21% IVA (Spanish VAT). On a €300,000 sale at 5%, that is €15,000 + €3,150 VAT = €18,150.

Commission is negotiable, and it is fully deductible against your capital gain, so the net cost is lower than the headline number. What matters far more than shaving half a percent is whether the agent actually prices the property correctly, markets it to the right international buyers, and gets you a completed sale rather than a listing that sits for a year. A well-priced, well-photographed property that sells in weeks almost always nets more than a cheap-commission listing that drifts. If you are weighing the commission against doing it yourself, we set out both routes in selling privately versus using an agency in Spain.

2. Plusvalía municipal

The plusvalía (Impuesto sobre el Incremento de Valor de los Terrenos de Naturaleza Urbana) is a local council tax on the increase in the cadastral land value during the years you owned the property, not on the building, and not on your actual sale profit. It is paid by the seller within 30 days of completion.

The amount depends on the municipality, the cadastral land value and how long you owned the property. Since the 2021 reform you can choose between an objective calculation and a real-gain calculation, and if you sold at a loss you can be exempt. For a typical coastal apartment it usually ranges from a few hundred to a couple of thousand euros. Your lawyer or the town hall (ayuntamiento) can give you the exact figure before you sign.

3. Capital gains tax for non-residents

If you sell for more than you paid, the profit is taxed. For non-residents, capital gains tax is a flat 19% on the net gain, declared on Modelo 210.

The taxable gain is the sale price minus your original purchase price minus allowable costs. Those allowable costs matter, because they reduce the bill. You can deduct the purchase taxes and fees you paid when you bought, the estate agent commission on the sale, lawyer fees, and documented improvements (with invoices). Keeping those receipts is the single best thing you can do to lower the tax legally.

Spanish-resident sellers are taxed differently (on a 19–28% scale, with possible exemptions for reinvesting in a main home or being over 65). Which regime applies to you depends on your tax residency, so confirm it with a lawyer before you sell. For a fuller treatment of both taxes together, see our guide to plusvalía and capital gains tax for non-resident sellers.

4. The 3% retention, explained

This is the part that surprises most non-resident sellers. When the seller is non-resident, Spanish law requires the buyer to withhold 3% of the sale price and pay it directly to the tax office (Modelo 211) as an advance against your capital gains tax. You receive the sale price minus that 3% at completion.

It then works one of two ways:

• If your actual capital gains tax is less than the 3% withheld, you reclaim the difference by filing Modelo 210, a refund that typically takes several months to over a year.
• If your actual tax is more than the 3%, you pay the balance.
• If you sold at a loss, the whole 3% is refundable (provided your non-resident tax affairs are up to date).

This is exactly why getting your paperwork and deductions right matters: a clean Modelo 210 filing is how you get that money back.

5. Energy certificate and smaller costs

You cannot legally market a property for sale in Spain without a valid Energy Performance Certificate (Certificado de Eficiencia Energética). A technician inspects the property and issues a rating; it costs roughly €100–€300 and is valid for ten years.

Other costs to budget for: a lawyer (optional but strongly recommended for non-residents, around €1,000–€2,000 or ~1%); mortgage cancellation at the notary and land registry if you still have a loan on the property (€400–€1,000); and being up to date on IBI, community fees and utilities, with a certificate from the community of owners confirming you owe nothing.

Worked example: selling for €300,000

Imagine a non-resident selling a Torrevieja apartment for €300,000, bought a few years ago for €250,000:

• Agent commission 5% + IVA: €18,150
• Plusvalía: ~€1,200
• Energy certificate: €200
• Lawyer: €1,500
• Capital gains tax: 19% of (€300,000 − €250,000 − ~€21,000 deductible costs) = 19% × ~€29,000 ≈ €5,510

At completion the buyer withholds the 3% retention (€9,000). Because the real CGT (~€5,510) is lower, roughly €3,490 is refundable via Modelo 210. Net selling costs (excluding the tax on profit) come to about €21,050, around 7% of the sale price. Every figure here is indicative and depends on your region, municipality and circumstances.

How to keep more of your sale price

Three things make the biggest difference to what you net: pricing it right from day one (over-priced listings sell slowly and eventually sell for less), keeping every receipt from your purchase and any improvements so they reduce your taxable gain, and filing your Modelo 210 properly to reclaim any over-withheld retention. A good agent and an independent lawyer working together usually save you more than they cost.

For the order the sale actually happens in, from the first valuation through the arras contract to signing at the notary, read the companion piece on how to sell property in Spain. When you are ready to go to market, you can list your property with us.

Figures are indicative for 2026 and vary by region (Costa Blanca / Valencia, Costa del Sol / Andalucía and Costa Cálida / Murcia all differ), municipality and personal circumstances. This is general information, not tax or legal advice. We'll connect you with an independent lawyer for exact figures for your sale.