Author Dmitrii Sheinkman Tax adviser 3 October 2026 18 min read Message the author

Benidorm, Spain: where it is, climate, beaches, property and moving there

Benidorm is a resort city on Spain’s Costa Blanca, in the province of Alicante in the Valencian Community. It is known for its high-rise skyline, two Blue Flag city beaches and almost 11.5 million hotel overnight stays a year. As a place to live, it suits people who want the sea, mild winters and ready-made infrastructure.

Below: where Benidorm is, its climate, how to get there, what to see and which beaches to choose, followed by a large section on moving there: which residence permit fits, what property costs, how the Valencian Community taxes capital and inheritance, where children study, where to get medical care and which neighbouring towns foreign residents choose. The whole coastline of the province is covered in our Costa Blanca guide.

Where Benidorm is on the map of Spain. Highlighted region: Valencian Community. Boundaries: Natural Earth.

Where Benidorm is

Benidorm sits on the Mediterranean, in the northern half of the Costa Blanca, between Villajoyosa and Altea. A 44.6 km tram line runs from central Alicante to Benidorm and continues north along the coast to Dénia.

Country: Spain.
Autonomous community: Valencian Community; province: Alicante; comarca (historic district): Marina Baixa.
Population: 77,327 on 1 January 2025, up 3.6% in a year. It is the fifth-largest municipality in the province after Alicante, Elche, Torrevieja and Orihuela.
Foreign residents: 34.8% of the population. The largest groups are British (3,065), Colombian (2,971), Romanian (2,115), Pakistani (1,919) and Ukrainian (1,915). Russians are seventh.
Languages: Spanish and Valencian, both official. Under the Valencian language law, Benidorm belongs to the area where Valencian predominates.

Benidorm is a municipality in its own right, with its own town hall, a National Police station and three public health centres. The city stretches along two bays separated by a rocky headland with the old town on it. To the east rises the Serra Gelada mountain, a natural park.

Tell us your situation — we reply within the hour

or leave your contact and we will write first

Where should we reply?

We reply within an hour during working hours. We never call without warning.

I agree with privacy policy

Climate and the best time to visit Benidorm

The climate is Mediterranean: mild winters, hot summers and little rain. AEMET does not publish climate normals for Benidorm itself, so the nearest station in Alicante is the reference. Its 1981–2010 normals give an annual mean of 18.3 °C, 11.7 °C in January and 26 °C in August. Rainfall is only 311 mm a year, with 2,851 hours of sunshine.

The wettest month is September, with 56 mm on average: short downpours hit the coast at the end of summer. July and August are almost dry, with 4 and 7 mm. Sea swimming is comfortable from June to October; May and November are for the hardy. July and August are peak season: Benidorm’s hotels were 83% full in August 2026. If you are coming to look at the city before a move, May, June, September and October work better: it is warm, and the streets and beaches are quieter.

The main festival is the Fiestas Mayores Patronales, held in honour of the city’s patron saints, the Virgen del Sufragio and Saint James (Sant Jaume). It runs for five days from the second weekend of November. The re-enactment of the finding of the image of the Virgin on Poniente beach is recognised as a festival of tourist interest of the Valencian Community.

How to get to Benidorm

By air. The nearest airport is Alicante-Elche. In 2025 it handled a record 19.95 million passengers, the fifth busiest in Spain. A direct intercity bus runs from the airport to Benidorm bus station.
By tram. Line L1 of the TRAM d’Alacant runs from Luceros station in central Alicante to Benidorm Intermodal, 44.6 km along the coast. From Benidorm, line L9 continues north to Dénia via Altea and Calpe, another 50.9 km.
By car. The AP-7 motorway follows the coast. The stretch from Tarragona to Alicante has been toll-free since 1 January 2020, so Benidorm is linked to Alicante and Valencia without toll roads.
By train. Benidorm has no Renfe (Spanish national rail) station. The nearest high-speed trains leave from Alicante, which is easy to reach by tram or the AP-7.

There are no direct flights from Russia; travellers from there fly with a connection.

What to see in Benidorm

The old town: the headland between Levante and Poniente beaches, with the church of Sant Jaume, the square in front of it and a lookout over the sea.
The skyscrapers. Benidorm is often compared to New York because of its dense high-rise seafront. Spain’s tallest residential tower, Intempo, stands on Poniente: about 200 m and 47 floors.
Serra Gelada Natural Park: a mountain and sheer cliffs between the bays of Benidorm and Altea. Protected since 2005, the park covers 5,564 ha, 88% of it at sea. It was the first natural park in the region to protect both land and seabed.
Benidorm Island: a rocky island opposite Mal Pas beach and part of the Serra Gelada park. Pleasure boats sail out to it, and divers explore the waters around it.
Theme parks: Terra Mítica, built around the civilisations of the ancient Mediterranean; Terra Natura zoo; Mundomar marine park; and the Aqualandia water park.
Guadalest: a medieval village on a rock in the Marina Baixa mountains and a popular half-day trip from Benidorm. Even closer are the old towns of Altea and Villajoyosa, with colourful houses on the seafront.

Benidorm also hosts major events: it is home to Benidorm Fest, the national selection by the broadcaster RTVE for the Eurovision Song Contest.

Benidorm beaches

The city has two large beaches, Levante and Poniente, both awarded a Blue Flag in 2026; Benidorm’s yacht club also holds one. Levante has the full range of services and the liveliest promenade, while Poniente is longer and calmer, with a wide strip of sand. Between them, below the old town, is the small Mal Pas beach. In the north, at the foot of the Serra Gelada, are the coves of Tío Ximo and Almadrava, with clearer, calmer water. Levante and Poniente have three accessible beach points for wheelchair users. Benidorm’s beaches carry the Q tourism quality mark and the S sustainable tourism mark.

Neighbouring beaches are close by: Racó de l’Albir at L’Alfàs del Pi, six Blue Flag beaches at Villajoyosa and four at Altea.

Moving to Benidorm

People choose Benidorm to live in all year round, not just for holidays: it is a large city with hospitals, schools and a tram to Alicante, and property is cheaper than in Marbella or Ibiza. There are no special rules for Benidorm: you move on the usual grounds for a Spanish residence permit and pay regional taxes under the rules of the Valencian Community.

Which residence permit suits life in Benidorm

The route depends on where your income comes from. The most common choices are the digital nomad visa and the non-lucrative residence permit.

Route	Who it suits	Income or funds	Right to work
Digital nomad visa	Remote employees and freelancers with clients outside Spain	From €2,849 a month, plus €1,069 for the first family member and €356 for each additional one	Yes, for foreign clients
Non-lucrative residence permit	People living on savings, rental income, dividends or a pension	From €2,400 a month (€28,800 a year), plus €600 a month for each family member	No, including remote work
Employment	People with a job offer from a Spanish employer, including in hotels and restaurants	Salary under the contract	Yes, for that employer
Study	University and course students	Funds for the period of study	Up to 30 hours a week

The digital nomad visa can be obtained while already legally in Spain: the application is filed online with the Large Companies and Strategic Groups Unit (UGE), the fee is €73.26, and the permit is issued straight away for up to three years.

A first non-lucrative permit is applied for through the Spanish consulate in your country of residence, with a fee of €10.94. This is the route families with capital tend to choose: income from deposits, bonds or a rented-out flat counts, but you cannot work in Spain, remotely included.

After five years of legal residence you can obtain long-term residence, and after ten you can apply for citizenship. If you are still choosing a route to match your income and family, it is worth discussing at a consultation before you apply.

Registration and the residence card in Benidorm

Town hall registration. Empadronamiento is done at Benidorm town hall, Plaza Reyes de España, 1, or at one of four district offices: Rincón de Loix, Foietes – Colonia Madrid, Els Tolls – Salt de l’Aigua and La Cala. According to the town hall, no appointment is currently needed, on weekdays from 9:00 to 14:00. Without registration you cannot enrol a child at school or register with a doctor.
Residence card (TIE). Benidorm has no immigration office of its own: cases are handled by the provincial office in Alicante (Calle Ebanistería, 4 and 6). Benidorm’s National Police station is at C/ Apolo XI, 36. In practice, fingerprints for the residence card are taken there and the card is collected there too, as several people have reported in our chats. The card fee is €16.08.
Police appointments. You choose the station when booking. In practice, if the first available date in Alicante is a long way off, people book in Benidorm or Elche.

Property in Benidorm: purchase and rental prices

According to the Ministry of Housing, the average appraised value of housing in Benidorm in the second quarter of 2026 was €3,216.5 per square metre, 15.7% higher than a year earlier. These are bank mortgage valuations of real homes, 288 transactions in the quarter. Benidorm is 41% more expensive than Alicante (€2,279.2/m²) and 37% above the Spanish average (€2,355/m²). Asking prices are usually higher than appraised values.

What a flat costs. At the average valuation, an 80 m² flat costs around €257,000 and a 100 m² one around €322,000. Sea views, front-line locations and the new towers on Poniente cost noticeably more. New builds are rare in the Ministry’s sample, 14 valuations in the quarter, so no separate price is published for them.
Renting. Based on landlords’ tax returns (the state SERPAVI index), the median rent for a flat in Benidorm in 2024 was €550 a month, or €8.45 per square metre, for a median size of 67 m². Rents rose 6.4% over the year. Flats here are smaller than in Alicante (89 m²) and dearer per metre (€7.11). These are existing, often older contracts: new listings cost more.
No rent cap. As of September 2026 the Valencian Community had not declared any stressed rental market areas, so landlords set the rent on new leases freely.
Seasonality. Benidorm lives on tourism, and some seafront flats are let by the night. Look for a one-year contract from the start (alquiler de larga duración) and check that the flat is not registered as a tourist let.
Holiday lets. Under Valencian Decree-Law 9/2024, a tourist flat must be entered in the register, needs a town hall report on planning compatibility and may only be let as a whole, not by the room. Town halls may limit the number of such flats, and the building’s statutes can prohibit short-term letting. If you are buying to let, check this before the purchase.

Benidorm is more expensive than Alicante and far more international, while its rented flats are on average 22 m² smaller. Alicante has more Russian residents, but almost five times as many inhabitants. Prices: Ministry of Housing and SERPAVI; population: INE; crime: Ministry of the Interior.

Where to live: Benidorm neighbourhoods

The city stretches along two beaches, so choosing a neighbourhood is above all a choice between Levante and Poniente.

Rincón de Loix and Levante: the eastern and most touristy part of the city, at the foot of the Serra Gelada, with hotels, bars, the promenade and nightlife until late. Convenient for letting a flat, noisy for living year-round.
The old town: the headland between the beaches, with narrow streets, restaurants and a lookout. Buildings are old, not all have lifts, and parking is difficult.
Poniente: the western beach with a wide promenade and new high-rises, including Intempo. Quieter than Levante, with newer housing stock.
La Cala: the south-western end of Poniente on the border with Finestrat, with its own town hall office and health centre.
Foietes – Colonia Madrid and Els Tolls – Salt de l’Aigua: residential districts further up from the sea, where local families live, with the Foietes health centre and a specialist centre.

The Ministry of Housing does not publish separate prices for Benidorm’s neighbourhoods. If your purchase budget is over €1 million, for example for a villa with a plot and sea views, buyers look at the neighbouring towns and the residential estates in the hills above the coast.

Neighbouring towns with Russian-speaking residents

Russians on this part of the coast live not only in Benidorm itself but also in the neighbouring towns of the Marina Baixa. INE’s latest breakdown by nationality for small municipalities is the municipal register (padrón) of 1 January 2022.

Benidorm itself has the most Russian residents, but Finestrat leads by share: one in fourteen of its inhabitants was a Russian citizen. INE data for 1 January 2022; there is no more recent nationality breakdown for small towns.

Finestrat: 9,919 residents in 2025, half of them foreigners. An old hilltop town in the mountains plus a resort area by the sea, the Cala de Finestrat cove on the border with Benidorm. In 2022 it had 584 Russian citizens, 7.4% of residents: the highest share of any municipality in Alicante province with more than 2,000 inhabitants, above Torrevieja (4.8%).
Villajoyosa: 37,449 residents, south of Benidorm. A fishing town with colourful houses, six Blue Flag beaches and the Marina Baixa public hospital, which also serves Benidorm. The appraised value of housing was €2,222.1/m² in the second quarter of 2026, a third cheaper than Benidorm. Russian residents in 2022: 594.
Altea: 24,592 residents, north beyond the Serra Gelada. A hilltop old town, the Altea Hills villa estate and the first Russian Orthodox church built in Spain, the Church of Saint Michael the Archangel, consecrated in 2007. Russian residents in 2022: 774, the second-largest community in the district after Benidorm.
L’Alfàs del Pi: 21,080 residents, half of them foreigners. The Blue Flag beach of Racó de l’Albir and a Norwegian school that has operated since 1972. Russian residents: 351.
La Nucía: 19,121 residents, in the hills above Benidorm. Home to Elian’s British School. Russian residents: 274.

Further north, beyond Altea, lies Calpe with the Peñón de Ifach, where 786 Russians lived in 2022: see our Calpe guide. The province’s largest Russian-speaking community is in Torrevieja, in the south of the Costa Blanca.

Taxes in Benidorm and the Valencian Community

Benidorm’s regional taxes are Valencian. In 2025–2026 the region cut taxes on capital significantly, so families with substantial assets should run the numbers before moving.

Wealth tax. From 2026 the tax-free allowance for residents of the region is €2,000,000 (it was €1,000,000 in 2025). The main home is additionally exempt up to €300,000. Rates range from 0.25% to 3.5%. Example: spouses with €2.5 million of taxable assets each have a taxable base of €500,000 each and pay about €2,060 each a year. Fortunes above €3 million are also subject to the state solidarity tax on large fortunes, from which the regional tax paid is deducted.
Inheritance and gift tax. Children, spouses and parents (groups I and II) get a 99% reduction of the tax due. For siblings, nephews and nieces, uncles and aunts (group III), the reduction is 25% from 1 June 2026 and 50% from 1 June 2027. How this compares with other regions is covered in our article on inheritance and gift tax in Spain.
Buying a resale home (ITP). From 1 June 2026 the rate is 9% (previously 10%), and 11% for properties over €1,000,000. A €600,000 flat means €54,000 in tax, a €1.2 million villa €132,000. Reduced rates of 4% and 8% apply to narrow categories, such as large families.
Buying a new build: VAT (IVA) plus stamp duty (AJD) at a general rate of 1.4%, or 0.1% when buying a main home.
Income tax (IRPF). The regional scale for 2026 was cut retroactively from 1 January: from 8.80% to 29.35%. The state portion of the tax is added on top.

If you are moving to work for a Spanish company or to run your own, check the Beckham Law: six years at a flat rate on Spanish income and no tax on assets held abroad. The regime has to be claimed in the first months after registration, so it is worked out before the move.

Schools: Spanish, international and Russian-language

Language. Benidorm is in the Valencian-speaking area, so Valencian is compulsory in public and private Spanish schools. An exemption from being assessed in it on the grounds of place of residence is not available here, but there is another ground: for children who have recently arrived in the region. Exempted pupils still attend the lessons.
Lope de Vega International School: a private school in Benidorm itself (Av. Dr. Severo Ochoa, 9) from age two to the baccalaureate, offering a dual programme with the Spanish diploma and an American high school diploma, plus boarding.
Elian’s British School of La Nucía: a British curriculum for children from one to 18, with IGCSE and the IB Diploma, and a member of NABSS, the association of British schools in Spain.
Other international schools nearby: the Norwegian Den norske skole Costa Blanca in L’Alfàs del Pi and the Lycée Français International d’Alicante in El Campello.
Russian-language schooling. We found no officially registered Russian school in Benidorm. Clubs and Saturday schools in Russian operate as private supplementary education; children get their school certificate from a Spanish or international school. How schooling in Spain works and how to enrol a child is explained in our article on schools in Spain.

Healthcare and transport

Public healthcare. Benidorm belongs to the Marina Baixa health department. The department’s hospital is the Hospital de la Marina Baixa in neighbouring Villajoyosa. Benidorm itself has three public health centres (La Cala, Foietes and Tomás Ortuño), a clinic in Rincón de Loix and a specialist centre in Foietes. Employees and the self-employed (autónomos) receive an SIP health card; for a non-lucrative permit you need private insurance from a Spanish insurer.
Private hospitals: two in the city itself, Hospital IMED Levante and Hospital Clínica Benidorm.
Transport. The tram runs to Alicante and north to Dénia, and buses serve the city. But most year-round residents drive: getting to the airport, the hospital in Villajoyosa and the international schools in La Nucía and El Campello is awkward without a car.

Russians in Benidorm

According to INE’s annual register of 1 January 2025, Benidorm had 1,262 Russian citizens, 1.6% of residents. A year earlier there were 1,188, and in 2022, 865: the community grew by 46% in three years. Over the same period the number of Ukrainians tripled, from 545 to 1,915. By number of Russian residents, Benidorm ranks fourth in Alicante province after Torrevieja (5,343), Alicante (4,068) and Orihuela (1,771). Together with neighbouring Finestrat, Altea, Villajoyosa, L’Alfàs del Pi and La Nucía, the Benidorm area has one of the most visible Russian-speaking communities on the Costa Blanca. The diaspora across the country is described in our article on Russians in Spain.

Downsides of living in Benidorm

A tourist city. In 2025 Benidorm’s hotels recorded 11.5 million overnight stays, the fourth-highest figure in Spain after Barcelona, Madrid and San Bartolomé de Tirajana on Gran Canaria. On an average night there are about 31,400 hotel guests, more than a third of the resident population. Summers are noisy and crowded.
Property dearer than its neighbours: €3,216.5/m² on the Ministry’s valuation versus €2,279.2 in Alicante and €2,222.1 in Villajoyosa, with prices rising 15–16% a year.
Small flats: the median rented flat is 67 m², so spacious homes for families with children are harder to find.
Above-average crime: 66.9 conventional crimes per 1,000 residents in 2025 versus 40.4 for Spain. Pickpocketing leads, with 2,160 cases in the year. The rate is calculated on permanent residents only, while an average of about 31,400 hotel guests stay each night. Burglaries of homes fell by 20% over the year.
No Renfe railway and no public hospital of its own: it is in Villajoyosa.
Valencian at school is compulsory, with no exemption based on place of residence.

Benidorm, Alicante or Torrevieja

All three are on the Costa Blanca, share one airport and have the same residence permit rules and Valencian taxes. Alicante is a large city with a university, the EU Intellectual Property Office, high-speed trains to Madrid and property almost 30% cheaper than Benidorm (€2,279.2/m² on valuation): more in our articles on Alicante and moving to Alicante. Torrevieja has the largest Russian community, 5,343 Russian citizens, and the lowest valuation of the three (€2,254/m²). By law Spanish predominates there, and pupils can be exempted from Valencian assessment on the grounds of residence. Benidorm sits in the middle: a densely built resort with international schools nearby, a tram to Alicante and the most expensive property of the three. If you want life by the sea with infrastructure in place and to put capital into a liquid flat, Benidorm is the closer fit; if budget, local jobs and a big city matter more, Alicante is.

Key facts about living in Benidorm

Benidorm is a city on the Costa Blanca in Alicante province, with 77,327 residents, 34.8% of them foreign.
The climate is mild: 18.3 °C on average over the year and 11.7 °C in January at the Alicante station, with 2,851 hours of sunshine.
Russian residents: 1,262 on 1 January 2025, with about 2,600 more in five neighbouring towns in 2022.
Appraised value of housing: €3,216.5/m², up 15.7% in a year; rent from tax returns: €550 a month for 67 m².
Valencian taxes: a €2 million wealth tax allowance, a 99% inheritance tax reduction within the family, and ITP of 9%, or 11% above €1 million.
The main permits are the digital nomad visa and the non-lucrative permit; town hall registration needs no appointment, and in practice residence card fingerprints are taken at the local police station.

Frequently asked questions about Benidorm

Where is Benidorm?

In eastern Spain, on the Mediterranean, on the Costa Blanca. The city is part of the province of Alicante in the Valencian Community and lies between Villajoyosa and Altea. Tram line L1 runs 44.6 km from central Alicante to Benidorm.

How many Russians live in Benidorm?

According to INE, 1,262 Russian citizens on 1 January 2025, or 1.6% of residents. The community grew by 6% in a year and by 46% since 2022. Several hundred more Russians live in neighbouring Altea, Finestrat and Villajoyosa.

How much does a flat in Benidorm cost?

According to the Ministry of Housing, the average appraised value of housing in Benidorm in the second quarter of 2026 was €3,216.5 per square metre, 15.7% more than a year earlier. On that valuation an 80 m² flat costs around €257,000. Asking prices are usually higher.

Can you swim in Benidorm in winter?

The swimming season runs from June to October. In winter the air is warm enough for walks, averaging 11.7 °C in January at the Alicante station, but the sea is cold and only the hardy swim. There are 2,851 hours of sunshine a year.

Where do you give fingerprints for a residence card in Benidorm?

At the National Police station at C/ Apolo XI, 36, by appointment. In practice, both fingerprinting and collecting the finished card are done in Benidorm. If there are no free dates in Alicante, you can book in Benidorm.

Do you need an appointment for town hall registration in Benidorm?

According to the town hall, not at the moment: registration is done without an appointment on weekdays from 9:00 to 14:00 at the main town hall building on Plaza Reyes de España or at the four district offices.

What tax do you pay when buying a flat in Benidorm?

On a resale home, 9% of the price for purchases from 1 June 2026, and 11% for properties over €1 million. On a new build you pay VAT (IVA) and stamp duty (AJD). On top of that, the local property tax IBI is due every year.

Is there a Russian school in Benidorm?

We found no officially registered Russian school; there are clubs and Saturday schools. International schools are available: Lope de Vega International School in Benidorm itself, the British Elian’s in La Nucía, a Norwegian school in L’Alfàs del Pi and the French lycée in El Campello.

Which residence permit suits life in Benidorm?

For remote workers, the digital nomad visa with income from €2,849 a month. For those living on savings or passive income, the non-lucrative residence permit: from €2,400 a month for the applicant and €600 for each family member.

Sources

Contents

Where Benidorm is
Climate and the best time to visit Benidorm
How to get to Benidorm
What to see in Benidorm
Benidorm beaches
Moving to Benidorm
Benidorm, Alicante or Torrevieja
Key facts about living in Benidorm
Frequently asked questions about Benidorm
Sources

Useful resources

Where to live in Spain Map of 52 provinces: rent, income, expat communities Open the map