The Costa Brava is not one market but many: blue-chip coves where prices rival the city, real working towns with year-round life and relative value, and an inland Empordà of golden-stone masías. This guide maps the prime areas — what each is like, what it costs in 2026, and who it suits.
Prices by area
| Area | Guide €/m² asking (2026) | In short |
|---|---|---|
| Cadaqués | ≈ €6,896 | The most expensive; Dalí’s protected village |
| Llafranc | ≈ €5,675 | Elegant, refined Palafrugell cove |
| Sa Tuna / Aiguafreda (Begur) | ≈ €5,176 | Tiny first-line coves; top of Begur |
| Calella de Palafrugell | ≈ €5,144 | The postcard fishing village |
| La Fosca (Palamós) | ≈ €5,086 | Prime beach enclave of a real town |
| Aiguablava / Fornells (Begur) | ≈ €4,535 | Iconic bays, trophy villas |
| Sa Riera (Begur) | ≈ €4,510 | The larger family beach cove |
| Platja d’Aro | ≈ €3,993 | Lively, commercial resort |
| Palamós | ≈ €3,237 | Working port town; value with momentum |
| Calonge / Sant Antoni | ≈ €3,206 | Long beaches; relative value |
| Pals | ≈ €3,151 | Gothic village + beach & golf |
| Empordà masías | €1.5m–€10m+ (absolute) | Restored country estates inland |
Figures are idealista 2026 asking prices; closing prices run roughly 5–8% below, though prime sea-view stock can sell at or above asking. S’Agaró and Tamariu are top-tier but not separately indexed — treat them as among the highest.
The blue-chip coves
Begur and its coves — Sa Tuna, Aiguafreda, Aiguablava, Fornells and Sa Riera — are the Costa Brava’s discreet blue-chip address: pine-clad cliffs, tiny protected coves and a hilltop medieval village. The Palafrugell trio of Llafranc, Calella de Palafrugell and Tamariu are the coast’s most photographed villages, refined and tightly held. And Cadaqués, beyond the Cap de Creus headland, is the most expensive of all — a whitewashed artists’ village, fiercely protected, where price is set by scarcity and view rather than size.
Prestige enclaves & value towns
S’Agaró — the gated Vell enclave around the Hostal de la Gavina — is the coast’s aristocratic address, all manicured villas and the Camí de Ronda. For relative value with real momentum, the working towns of Palamós and Calonge–Sant Antoni offer a lower entry, year-round services and strong recent growth, with prime micro-zones like La Fosca and Treumal for sea-view villas. Pals pairs a beautifully preserved Gothic hilltop village with a long pine-backed beach and golf.
Inland: the Empordà masías
Behind the coast, the Baix and Alt Empordà offer the Costa Brava’s rural-luxury alternative: golden-stone masías among cypress, vineyards and the Gavarres hills, minutes from both Girona and the prime beaches and the medieval villages of Peratallada, Pals and Monells. Value here is about land, heritage and restoration rather than €/m² — roughly €1.5m–€4m for a well-restored farmhouse, and €4m–€10m and beyond for trophy historic estates.
The market & one caveat
The Costa Brava is rising across the board in 2026, driven by a largely international second-home market (the French are the largest foreign group), the normalisation of remote work, and a strictly protected, finite coastline. The one caveat for any buyer eyeing rental income: tourist licences are now frozen or capped in essentially all the prime towns, set municipality by municipality. If letting matters, buy a property that already holds a valid, transferable HUTG licence rather than assume you can obtain a new one.
Spotted an error, or an area we should add? Let us know here — we keep this guide up to date.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the most expensive area of the Costa Brava?
Cadaqués is the most expensive municipality on the Costa Brava, averaging around €6,896/m² asking in 2026 (idealista). After it come the prime coves: Llafranc (≈ €5,675/m²), Aiguafreda–Sa Tuna in Begur (≈ €5,176/m²) and Calella de Palafrugell (≈ €5,144/m²). The gated enclave of S’Agaró and tiny Tamariu are also top-tier, though without a clean published average.
Where is the best value on the prime Costa Brava?
Within the prime belt, the real towns of Palamós (≈ €3,237/m²) and Calonge–Sant Antoni (≈ €3,206/m²), and the heritage village of Pals (≈ €3,151/m²), offer a lower entry than the headline coves — with strong momentum (Palamós was up around 17% year on year) and prime sub-zones such as La Fosca for sea-view villas. Restored Empordà masías can also offer better intrinsic value than a scarce first-line cove apartment.
How much does a restored masía in the Empordà cost?
Masía value is driven by land, heritage and restoration quality rather than €/m². As a guide, a well-restored farmhouse with some land runs roughly €1.5m–€4m, while trophy historic estates with significant land and outbuildings reach €4m–€10m and beyond. Project properties to renovate can start lower but carry heavy restoration cost and permitting risk.
Can I rent out a Costa Brava property as a holiday let?
Only if it already holds a valid tourist licence (a HUTG registration). Across the prime Costa Brava towns, new licences are frozen, capped or only marginally available, and several towns are over the legal ceiling and must reduce their stock. The rules are set municipality by municipality and change often, so buy a property that already has a transferable HUTG rather than assume you can obtain a new one.
Who buys on the Costa Brava?
It is a predominantly international second-home market. The French are the largest foreign group, followed by German, Belgian, Dutch and British buyers, with growing American interest, alongside wealthy Barcelona and Catalan buyers. Demand is underpinned by a strictly protected, largely built-out coast where prime first-line plots are essentially finite.