Best place to live on Costa Blanca South: 4 areas compared

The best place to live on Costa Blanca South depends on how much you want to drive. Torrevieja suits year-round town life and has the lowest flat prices. La Zenia puts big shops and a Blue Flag beach together. Punta Prima is the calmer seafront. The wider Orihuela Costa suits beach and golf living by car.

Which is the best place to live on Costa Blanca South?

We have an office in Torrevieja, and this is how we would choose a year-round base on the southern Costa Blanca.

To compare every town from Dénia down, see our guide to the best place to buy property on the Costa Blanca.

How do Torrevieja, Orihuela Costa, La Zenia and Punta Prima compare?

La Zenia and Punta Prima are both part of Orihuela Costa, so their homes are also counted in that column. Prices come from our resale listings on 31 October 2026, a sample rather than the whole market, with the number of homes in brackets.

Flats cost more on Orihuela Costa, but houses cost less than in Torrevieja. Across Alicante province, the registered average was €2,267 per square metre in the second quarter of 2026, against €2,027 a year earlier.

Is Torrevieja the best place to live all year?

It is the strongest all-year choice here, because it is a town first and a resort second. The town hall counted 113,453 registered residents in May 2026, including 4,671 Britons. There is a Friday market from 8am to 2pm, a bus station with services to Alicante, Murcia, Elche and Cartagena, six Blue Flag beaches and salt lagoons behind the town.

A government report puts summer peaks above 400,000 people, and there is no railway. On our sums from official figures, Torrevieja has the highest recorded crime per registered resident of any Alicante town over 20,000 people, at about 102 offences per 1,000 in 2025, against 59 for Orihuela as a whole. That count includes offences against visitors and unregistered residents. On the government's average of 291,000 people, Torrevieja falls to about 35 per 1,000.

Read our full verdict on living in Torrevieja, and see what €200,000 buys in Torrevieja for prices by district.

What is it like living in Orihuela Costa?

Orihuela Costa is 16 km of coast lined with urbanisations rather than a town, run by a council whose old city is about 33 km away by road. It has a coast office at Plaza del Oriol 1, Playa Flamenca.

It had 30,171 registered residents at the end of 2025, up 7.7 per cent in a year. British residents are the largest foreign group on the coast, and INE counted 8,780 British citizens across Orihuela on 1 January 2025.

Orihuela held 10 Blue Flags in 2026, the most of any town in the province, and there is golf at Villamartín, Las Ramblas, Campoamor and Las Colinas. A market directory lists a Saturday market at Playa Flamenca.

The catch is the layout. The council's own plan of January 2025 says its scattered population makes it hard to supply adequate services, especially on the coast and in outlying villages. See our guide to property in Orihuela Costa.

Is La Zenia a good place to live?

Yes, if shops matter as much as sand. Zenia Boulevard lists shops from 10am to 10pm and its hypermarket from 9am, every day. It is about 1.5 km by road from La Zenia, with Line 55 to Torrevieja and Line L49 to Torrevieja and Orihuela on its own bus list.

La Zenia-Cala Bosque held a Blue Flag in 2026. Cala Bosque also has an accessible point staffed by lifeguards, with an amphibious chair and an adapted shower.

The minus is water. On 10 March 2026, The Leader reported about 43 litres per square metre in half an hour in coastal areas such as La Zenia. Steep streets ran like streams, and underpasses at Playa Flamenca and parts of Torrevieja flooded too. Look up any address on the government's SNCZI flood map before you pay a deposit. Flats are also the smallest of the four, at a median of 72 square metres on our listings. See our La Zenia property guide.

Is Punta Prima a good place to live?

It suits people who want the sea outside the door and Torrevieja next door. The council describes it as the northernmost beach on Orihuela's coast, on the Torrevieja boundary, with a promenade and a beach-level lift to the bathing area. By road, central Torrevieja is about 6 km away, and the hospital and Zenia Boulevard are each about 4 km.

Flats and penthouses make up 56 of our 67 resale homes here, and you pay for the location: €3,579 per square metre for a flat, the highest of the four. Ask what stays open near you in winter.

Check which council bills the address, because the boundary is close and the IBI rates differ. Our guide to property in Punta Prima has more.

Which area is livelier in winter?

Living in South Costa Blanca in winter is a different life from August. Torrevieja is the livelier, with far more people on the register.

These are AEMET's 1981 to 2010 averages for Alicante city, further up the coast.

Three winter details catch people out:

• Sunday shopping. Torrevieja and Orihuela Costa have tourist zone status, so shops may open on Sundays and holidays from Palm Sunday to the second Sunday of Easter, and from 15 June to 5 January, with a few exceptions. Outside those dates, check before you drive.
• Cold homes. Just 56 of our 391 Torrevieja listings and 80 of our 617 on Orihuela Costa list central heating. Ask how a home is heated.
• Quiet blocks. Spend a week here in January, count the lit windows after dark and ask who lives in the block all year.

Where is the best place to retire on Costa Blanca South?

For later life, we would favour a flat in central Torrevieja, or in La Zenia or Punta Prima if a shop and a bus stop are within walking distance. A hilltop villa that suits you at 62 may not suit you at 80.

All four areas look to one public hospital. The Orihuela Costa health centre sits in the Torrevieja health department, alongside the 270-bed Hospital Universitario de Torrevieja. That department served 225,705 people in 2025. An expansion to 457 beds was announced on 10 September 2026, with about five years of design and building ahead. Private options include Hospital Quirónsalud Torrevieja and the IMED Torrevieja polyclinic.

A UK passport gives you 90 days in any 180 across Schengen, and owning a home adds none. To stay longer, the usual route for retirees is the non-lucrative visa, which asks for €28,800 a year, or €36,000 for a couple, in 2026. UK State Pensioners may qualify for an S1. Irish citizens simply register.

Can you live here without a car?

In central Torrevieja, largely yes. On Orihuela Costa, it depends on your street.

Torrevieja has no station. The tourist office points to Orihuela, about 30 km away, and Alicante, about 50 km away. The Costa Azul bus from Alicante airport to Torrevieja takes about 40 minutes, non-stop, and the coast road adds about 6 to 9 km on to La Zenia or Punta Prima. Murcia airport is about 50 km from La Zenia by road.

What does it cost to buy here?

Budget up to 13 to 14 per cent on top of the listing price. Resale tax (ITP) on the Costa Blanca is 9 per cent since 1 June 2026, new build pays VAT (IVA) at 10 per cent, and legal and official costs are up to 4 per cent. Our guide to purchase costs has the breakdown.

So a €200,000 total means a listing near €176,000, €300,000 means about €264,000 and €500,000 means about €440,000. This is how many of our resale homes fitted each budget on 31 October 2026.

IBI differs less than the rates suggest: Guía Fiscal puts the average home at about €220 a year in Torrevieja and €250 in Orihuela, before reductions.

Frequently asked questions

Is Torrevieja or Orihuela Costa better to live in?

Torrevieja is better for town life, buses and lower flat prices, with a median resale flat of €193,000. Orihuela Costa is better for beaches, golf and houses, with a median house of €392,500. Pick Torrevieja if you want to drive less, and Orihuela Costa if you want space.

Is Orihuela Costa quiet in winter?

Yes, compared with summer. Orihuela's council estimated about 150,000 people in high season against about 82,000 on the register in its 2025 plan, for the whole municipality. More than 30,000 people are registered on the coast, so it is not empty, but visit in January before you choose a street.

Do you need a car in Orihuela Costa?

For most people, yes. It is 16 km of urbanisations with no single centre, and the council itself says services are hard to supply on the coast. La Zenia is easier, because Zenia Boulevard has bus lines to Torrevieja and Orihuela. Check the stop and winter timetable for your street before buying.

Where is Orihuela Costa?

It is the coastal part of Orihuela municipality on the southern Costa Blanca, running 16 km from Punta Prima, on the Torrevieja boundary, down past La Zenia, Cabo Roig and Campoamor. The old city of Orihuela lies about 33 km inland by road.

Where do most Brits live on Costa Blanca South?

Orihuela is the main centre. INE counted 8,780 British citizens there on 1 January 2025, and they are the largest foreign group on Orihuela Costa. Rojales, inland, had 5,135. Torrevieja's town hall counted 4,671 in May 2026, its fourth-largest foreign group, so Torrevieja is far more mixed.

What is the best place to retire on Costa Blanca South?

We would start with a flat in central Torrevieja, because shops, buses and private healthcare are close, and the town stays busy all year. La Zenia and Punta Prima also work well if you can walk to a bus stop. UK citizens need a visa to stay beyond 90 days in any 180.

Want to compare these areas in person?

Tell us your total budget, how many months a year you will be here and whether you will keep a car, and we will help you narrow the south down. Or start with homes for sale on Orihuela Costa.

TripInvest UK Limited holds the licence RAICV 4221, with offices in Calpe and Torrevieja and a head office in London at 8 Royal Parade, open to visitors without an appointment, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. We work with lawyers and banks, and we guide you in English from the first call to the notary. Our clients don't pay us commission. Call +44 20 3888 0008.

Sources

Last checked: October 2026

1. Ayuntamiento de Orihuela, beaches, coast length and facilities (official): orihuela.es
2. Ayuntamiento de Orihuela, Costa office, Plaza del Oriol 1 (official): orihuela.es
3. Ayuntamiento de Orihuela, Plan de Acción Agenda Urbana, January 2025 (official): orihuela.es
4. Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja, registered inhabitants, 12 May 2026 (official): torrevieja.es
5. Ayuntamiento de Torrevieja, weekly market (official): torrevieja.es
6. Turismo de Torrevieja, how to get there (official): turismo.torrevieja.es
7. Departamento de Salud de Torrevieja, health zones and centres (official): torrevieja.san.gva.es
8. Generalitat Valenciana, Torrevieja hospital expansion, 10 September 2026 (official): comunica.gva.es
9. Generalitat Valenciana, tourist zone list, updated 12 June 2026 (official): cindi.gva.es
10. Aena, buses from Alicante-Elche airport (official): aena.es
11. Colegio de Registradores, Estadística Registral Inmobiliaria, Q2 2026 (official): registradores.org
12. Ministerio del Interior, Balance de Criminalidad, fourth quarter 2025 (official): ses.mir.es
13. INE, population by municipality, 1 January 2025 (official): ine.es, and annual census 2025 by nationality, Alicante province (official): ine.es
14. AEMET, climate normals, Alicante station 8025, 1981 to 2010 (official): aemet.es
15. MITECO, SNCZI flood zone mapping system (official): miteco.gob.es
16. Agència Tributària Valenciana, ITP rate (official): atv.gva.es
17. GOV.UK, Spain entry requirements (official): gov.uk
18. GOV.UK, healthcare in Spain (official): gov.uk
19. Spanish Consulate General in London, non-lucrative visa (official): exteriores.gob.es, and Spanish Consulate in Washington, IPREM 2026 (official): exteriores.gob.es
20. ADEAC, Blue Flag beaches 2026: banderaazul.org
21. Zenia Boulevard, opening hours and how to get there: zeniaboulevard.es
22. Hospital Quirónsalud Torrevieja, patients and visitors: quironsalud.com, and IMED Hospitales, IMED Torrevieja polyclinic: imedhospitales.com
23. Murcia Today, Orihuela council population figures, 16 January 2026: murciatoday.com
24. The Leader, flash floods, 10 March 2026: theleader.info
25. El Español, Orihuela's coast and Blue Flags, 6 May 2026: elespanol.com
26. El Salto, Torrevieja health department figures, 23 June 2026: elsaltodiario.com
27. Vista Alegre weekly no. 3478, 29 August 2026, government crime report and population estimate: vistaalegretorrevieja.com
28. Guía Fiscal, IBI in Torrevieja and Orihuela
29. Mercadillos.org, Playa Flamenca market: mercadillos.org
30. OpenStreetMap routing through OSRM, road distances, 31 October 2026: project-osrm.org
31. Tripinvest ES listings, resale asking prices in Torrevieja and Orihuela Costa, 31 October 2026