IN one quiet corner of Andalucia, rows of quaint, whitewashed homes line a spectacular stretch of Atlantic coastline.
This is Huelva, Spain’s westernmost province and home to just over half a million people.
The area could be one of the last coastal locations in Spain where bargain-hunters can still find their dream home at an affordable price.
A new analysis by El Correo de Andalucia found that holiday homes on Huelva’s coastline can cost €72,000 less than equivalent properties in neighbouring Cadiz.
The figure is based on an average 80-square-metre holiday property, highlighting a huge difference between two neighbouring coastal markets.
Both provinces form part of the Costa de la Luz, but Cadiz has become considerably more expensive amid strong demand for holiday homes.
Options abound along Huelva’s coastline, including popular resorts such as Isla Cristina, Islantilla, Punta Umbria, La Antilla and Ayamonte.
But buyers may need to move quickly, with property prices in Huelva already rising sharply.
The average asking price across Huelva province reached €1,803 per square metre in August, according to property website Idealista.
That represented an 11.7% increase in just one year, although prices vary dramatically between individual coastal towns.
Isla Cristina averaged €1,797 per square metre, while Ayamonte stood at €2,065 and Punta Umbria reached €2,403.
Islantilla was considerably more expensive, with asking prices reaching €2,862 per square metre after a 17.4% annual rise.
Even so, Huelva remains substantially cheaper than Cadiz province, where the average asking price reached an eye-watering €2,524 per square metre in August.
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Prices in Cadiz province have also risen rapidly, increasing nearly 11% year-on-year, according to Idealista.
The difference becomes even more striking in some of Cadiz’s most desirable locations.
Tarifa, for example, had an average asking price of €4,427 per square metre in August, up 10.4% annually.
That means an 80-square-metre property at Tarifa’s average asking price would cost more than €354,000 before taxes and other buying costs.
Meanwhile, an equivalent property at Huelva province’s average would cost roughly €144,000 – a difference of more than €210,000.
The €72,000 holiday-home gap therefore reflects a broader trend, rather than suggesting every property in Huelva is dramatically cheaper.
For British buyers, the attraction is not difficult to see.
Huelva offers long sandy beaches, warm summers and easy access to Portugal, while remaining far less internationally famous than the Costa del Sol.
The province also has considerably less of the high-end development found along some of Spain’s better-known Mediterranean resorts.
It comes amid a steep surge in Spain’s wider property market, with national asking prices reaching €2,924 per square metre in August, up 12.5% year-on-year.
Andalucia was even more expensive at €2,938 per square metre, with prices increasing nearly 11% over the same period.
Huelva’s 11% annual increase means it is already rising faster than many buyers might expect from a supposed bargain market.
Yet compared with its better-known neighbours, it still offers a substantial saving for those prepared to look beyond Spain’s traditional property hotspots.
Click here to read more Huelva News from The Olive Press.
