Playa Muchavista
340.000 - 800.000 €Indicative guide pricesIt is priced above the municipal asking figure. It asks close to twice what the old town does, which is the biggest single fact about buying here.
BeachSeafront
31.419
Population
22.5%
Foreign residents
€3,208
Avg €/m²
Updated 19 Sept 2026How we source our data →
Living in El Campello
El Campello sits on the coast immediately north of Alicante city, and the first thing to know is the tram. Two lines of the TRAM d'Alacant serve the town: line 3 terminates here and runs to Luceros in central Alicante, and line 1 continues up the coast to Benidorm. There is a station in the town centre and several more stops along the beaches. The network even keeps its workshops here. Few towns on this coast have a rail link of any kind.
The town has grown from 27,356 residents to 31,419 in ten years. About a fifth are foreign, and the mix is the point: French, British, Italian, Ukrainian and Algerian are the largest groups, all of similar size, followed by Russians, Romanians, Colombians, Dutch and Argentinians. No single nationality dominates. This is not a British enclave, and it is not a German one either.
The market needs care. Five districts carry published asking prices and the spread between them is the biggest fact about buying here. Playa Muchavista, at its own record, asks close to twice what Campello Pueblo, the old town, does. The municipal figure rose by about a sixteenth over the year to July 2026, far slower than the year before. Treat the average with suspicion and pick a district first.
The verdict
Honestly considered, both sides.
The upside is real. So is the downside. Both matter more than any brochure will admit.
The case for
Two tram lines and a central station
Line 3 terminates in El Campello and runs to Luceros in central Alicante, and line 1 continues to Benidorm. Stops run along the beaches. Few towns of this size on any Spanish coast have this.
Its own exit on the AP-7 motorway
Exit 67 gives El Campello its own toll gate. The town hall puts Alicante ten kilometres away, the airport fifteen and Benidorm thirty, so the road access matches the rail access.
A provincial capital and an airport nearby
Alicante city is ten kilometres away and Alicante-Elche airport fifteen. The town sits fully inside the Alicante metropolitan transport area, which ties together the city's urban buses, the interurban services and the tram lines.
A mixed foreign population, not an enclave
About a fifth of residents are foreign, but the largest groups, French, British, Italian, Ukrainian and Algerian, are all of similar size. No single nationality dominates, which is unusual on this coast.
An archaeological site of real significance
The Illeta dels Banyets holds remains running from the Eneolithic through an Iberian trading settlement to a Roman villa with rock-cut fish tanks. The national culture ministry lists it among a hundred heritage landscapes of Spain.
The case against
One municipality, close to two different markets
Playa Muchavista asks close to twice what Campello Pueblo does, with three other districts spread in between. A quoted municipal average describes almost nothing you can actually buy, so price the district, not the town.
The market has cooled markedly this year
Asking prices rose by about a sixteenth over the year to July 2026, after much faster growth the year before. Cooled rather than stalled, but anyone counting on quick gains should not.
No mainline rail, only the tram
The tram is not the Cercanias commuter network, and El Campello is not on that network. The tram goes where the tram goes: Alicante and the coast towards Benidorm, nowhere else.
The hospital is outside the town
El Campello belongs to the Alicante - Sant Joan d'Alacant health department. The town has an integrated health centre plus auxiliary surgeries at Playa Muchavista and Els Poblets - Coveta, but hospital care means travelling.
It is, in effect, a suburb of Alicante
Ten kilometres from the capital, inside its transport area, on its tram network. If you wanted a self-contained town with its own weight and its own working life, this is not quite that.
Editor's note
Where you might be better off elsewhere
El Campello suits one specific buyer well: someone who wants the beach and a mixed international community, works or flies often, and does not want to depend on a car. Two tram lines, a motorway exit and an airport fifteen kilometres away is a combination few places on the costas offer. But we would not send everyone here. If you want a self-contained town with its own gravity, this is a suburb of Alicante and will feel like one. If you want city life itself, buy in Alicante and skip the commute entirely. If you want more services, more restaurants and more year-round bustle on the same tram line, Benidorm is the far terminus of line 1, with services no town of El Campello's size carries. If you want somewhere quieter and further from a big city, look at Denia or Altea instead. And check the district figures before anything else: Muchavista and the old town are close to two different markets wearing one name.
El Campello on the map
Lifestyle data
Property market
€3,208
/m²
+6.2% year on year
Updated 30 Aug 2026
Access
ALICANTE AIRPORT
Alicante-Elche Miguel Hernández · ALC
0+ direct routes
Top direct
LondonManchesterDublinAmsterdamBrusselsOslo
Community
22.5%
Foreign residents
INE Annual Population Census, nationality basis, 1 January 2025
Amenities
0
Int. schools
0
Hospitals
El Campello neighborhoods
Where to live and what to expect at each price point.
Campello Playa
260.000 - 620.000 €Indicative guide pricesThe seafront of the town itself, between the centre and the sand, with tram stops along it. It is priced above the municipal asking figure.
BeachCentralWalkable
Pueblo Español - Coveta Fumá
240.000 - 560.000 €Indicative guide pricesThe coves and hillside housing at the northern end of the municipality, away from the long beaches. Quieter than the seafront, and priced below it, with the coast broken into small inlets rather than sand.
CovesHillsideQuiet
Pueblo Acantilado - Lanuza
220.000 - 520.000 €Indicative guide pricesThe cliff-backed stretch around Cala Lanuza, which took a Blue Flag for the first time in 2026.
CliffsCoves
Campello Pueblo
170.000 - 410.000 €Indicative guide pricesIt is priced below the municipal asking figure, and it is rising more slowly than the municipality over the year. It asks a little over half what Playa Muchavista does, in the same small municipality.
Old townLocal
El Campello FAQ
Honest answers to the questions buyers actually ask.
How good is the tram service in El Campello?+
Two lines of the TRAM d'Alacant serve the town, which is rare on the Spanish costas. Line 3 terminates at El Campello and runs to Luceros in central Alicante. Line 1 runs up the coast from Alicante through El Campello to Benidorm. There is a station in the town centre and several more stops along the beaches, and the network's own workshops are at El Campello. The operator publishes no end-to-end journey time, so we do not quote one.
Is El Campello a British expat enclave?+
No, and that is one of its most unusual features. Foreign nationals number 7,112 of 31,567 residents on the national census at January 2025, about a fifth. The largest groups are French, British, Italian, Ukrainian and Algerian, all between roughly 570 and 780 people, followed by Russians, Romanians, Colombians, Dutch and Argentinians. No single nationality dominates. Most towns on this coast lean heavily towards one country; El Campello does not.
Which districts are cheapest and which are dearest?+
Five districts carry published asking prices. From dearest to cheapest: Playa Muchavista, which is at its own record; Campello Playa; Pueblo Espanol - Coveta Fuma; Pueblo Acantilado - Lanuza; and Campello Pueblo, the old town, which asks a little over half what Muchavista does and has risen slowest over the year. The beachfront and the old town are close to two different markets, so decide which one you are actually buying into before you compare anything.
How do I reach Alicante and the airport?+
By road, El Campello has its own exit and toll gate on the AP-7 motorway, exit 67. The town hall puts Alicante city ten kilometres away, Alicante-Elche airport fifteen and Benidorm thirty. The town is fully inside the Alicante metropolitan transport area, which combines the city's urban buses, the interurban services to El Campello and its neighbours, and the tram lines. There is no mainline commuter rail station, so the tram and the road do the work.
What are the beaches like?+
Three beaches hold a Blue Flag in 2026: Cala Lanuza, which is new to the list this year, Carrer de la Mar and Mutxavista, the Muchavista beach. The town hall also names Coveta Fuma and Venta La Nuza among its beaches. Muchavista fronts the dearest district in the municipality, which tells you where demand concentrates. The beach stops on the tram lines mean you can reach the sand without a car, which is not something most coastal towns here can say.
What is the Illeta dels Banyets?+
A seafront archaeological site, managed by the provincial archaeology museum. Its occupation runs from the Eneolithic through the Bronze Age to an Iberian trading settlement of the fourth and third centuries before Christ, with two temples, warehouses, dwellings and a pottery workshop, then a Roman villa with baths and a fish-preserving works of four rock-cut basins fed by seawater channels. Those little baths, the banyets, give the site its name; legend attributed them to a Moorish queen. The culture ministry lists the site among a hundred heritage landscapes of Spain.
What healthcare is available in El Campello?+
The town belongs to the Alicante - Sant Joan d'Alacant health department. There is an integrated health centre in the town itself, plus auxiliary surgeries at Playa Muchavista and at Els Poblets - Coveta, so routine care is covered locally across the municipality. The department's hospital is outside El Campello, so hospital treatment means travelling. Factor that in if proximity to a hospital matters to you, because for some buyers it decides the town.
What are the costs of buying property in El Campello?+
When buying property in El Campello, budget for property transfer tax (ITP) of 9% up to €1,000,000 (11% above that, applied to the full taxable value, not marginal bands) [ATV: https://atv.gva.es/va/he-comprat-un-inmoble], plus roughly 3-4% in notary, land registry and legal fees. Agency commission is usually paid by the seller. On the mainland and the Balearics, new builds pay VAT (IVA) of 10% plus AJD stamp duty instead of ITP. Transfer tax is set by Comunitat Valenciana rather than nationally, and reduced rates can apply for main homes and younger buyers.
What are the ongoing costs of owning property in El Campello?+
Annual property ownership costs in El Campello include IBI (property tax) of 0.4-1.1% of cadastral value, community fees (for apartments), rubbish collection tax (basura), utility bills, and property insurance. Budget approximately 2-4% of property value per year for all running costs. IBI is set by the town hall of El Campello within a national band, so it is municipal rather than regional.
What taxes do I pay when selling property in El Campello?+
When selling property in El Campello, you pay capital gains tax (plusvalía) on the profit at rates of 19-26% depending on the gain amount. Non-residents have 3% of the sale price withheld at completion. You may also pay municipal capital gains tax. Main residence exemptions may apply for residents over 65. Capital gains tax is national, so it is the same in Comunitat Valenciana as anywhere in Spain. Plusvalia municipal is set by the town hall of El Campello and has had two calculation methods since the 2021 reform, so ask your lawyer which one is cheaper for you.
Can I still get a Golden Visa by buying property in Spain?+
No. Spain withdrew the Golden Visa property investment route in April 2025, so buying in El Campello no longer leads to residency. Non-EU buyers who want to live in Spain apply for a separate permit instead, most often the non-lucrative visa (proof of income and private health insurance) or the digital nomad visa (remote work for non-Spanish clients). Ask an immigration lawyer which route fits your situation before you buy.
Transfer tax rates as of August 2026. Rates are set per autonomous community and do change. Confirm the current figures with a Spanish lawyer or tax adviser before you budget.
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