Xàbia's subsidised homes climb to €2,568/m², from €172,000

Today's essentials (5 key points)

• Alicante-Elche airport handled more than 2.3 million passengers in July, an 11.1% jump on the same month last year, putting it on course for a record annual total, the Olive Press reports.
• Open-Meteo forecasts a hot, overcast Monday across the Costa Blanca, with 33 degrees in Alicante city and up to 36 degrees inland at Villena.
• Benidorm has awarded the full renovation of the Ausiàs March school for 2.4 million euros, according to TodoAlicante.
• Dénia is expanding the areas where tourist flats are allowed, easing its earlier restrictions, La Marina Plaza reports.
• Faulty underground bins on the Colonia Romana path in Alicante's Albufereta have left rubbish piling up outside, with no repair date yet set, according to Informacion.

Today's essentials

Xàbia's subsidised homes climb to €2,568/m², from €172,000. Xàbia's 66 subsidised homes (VPP) will now sell at up to €2,568 per usable square metre after a 7% rise, which means a 60 m² flat starts at around €172,000 including costs, according to La Marina Plaza.

Here is what happened, according to La Marina Plaza: the Generalitat Valenciana lifted the region-wide ceiling on the price of protected housing from €2,400 to €2,568 per usable square metre. Xàbia's project got caught by the timing, because a delay at the town hall in processing the paperwork meant it did not secure its provisional qualification before the new, higher price came into force. The homes that go on sale will therefore be sold at the new rate.

Concretely, the development runs to 82 homes spread across three plots in the town of Xàbia (Marina Alta): 56 flats at Carrer Poeta José Albi 8, and 26 at Carrer Garcilaso de la Vega 14 and 16. Of those, 66 are being put up for sale. La Marina Plaza gives worked examples of the final price with fees included: about €172,000 for 60 m², €179,000 for 70 m², and €231,000 for 90 m².

There is good news on eligibility for newcomers. Since May 2026, according to La Marina Plaza, these Xàbia flats can be bought by people from anywhere in Spain, not only residents of the municipality, which widens the pool of potential buyers well beyond the coast. The winning developer is Fama Rehabilitaciones, a firm based in Elche, chosen after a tender against six other companies.

The change lands in a live local political row. In the source article, the town's urban planning councillor Pere Sapena (PP) is quoted alongside opposition figures José Chulvi (PSPV) and Carme Català (Compromís), a sign that responsibility for the delay, and its cost to buyers, is being fought over locally.

What this means for you: if you were eyeing one of Xàbia's subsidised flats as an affordable way into the Marina Alta, budget for the higher figure now, because the same homes that would have sold under the old €2,400 cap will change hands at up to €2,568 per usable metre. Confirm you meet the VPP conditions before you commit, and note that you no longer need to be from Xàbia to apply, so the address to watch is the sales process for the plots on Carrer Poeta José Albi and Carrer Garcilaso de la Vega.

Weather today

Hot and overcast, 33 to 36 degrees on the Costa Blanca. Expect a hot, cloudy Monday across the Costa Blanca with no rain, from 33 degrees in Alicante city to 36 degrees inland, according to Open-Meteo.

In Alicante city, Open-Meteo puts the low at 26 and the high at 33 degrees under an overcast sky, with a 0% chance of rain and a light wind reaching 17 km/h. Down the southern coast around Torrevieja it is a touch milder, ranging from 25 to 32 degrees in similar conditions.

Inland is the hot spot: Villena climbs to 36 degrees after a fresher start at 21. With highs at or above 34, keep water on you, plan errands for the early morning or evening, and stay out of direct sun during the middle of the day.

Transport & traffic

• Alicante-Elche, one of Spain's busiest holiday gateways. Alicante-Elche remains a major entry point to the Costa Blanca, having passed the milestone of its 12 millionth annual passenger back in 2016, according to AlicanteOut. For residents, that scale is the practical upside of living here: a well-connected airport means frequent, competitively priced links to the rest of Europe, which matters when you are booking trips home or coordinating visits from family. AlicanteOut frames the airport's health as a reason the wider Costa Blanca tourism sector keeps thriving.
• Airport up 11.1% in July, on track for a record year. Alicante-Elche airport recorded an 11.1% rise in passengers in July, with more than 2.3 million travellers, and is set to smash its annual record, the Olive Press reports, citing operator Aena. In practical terms, expect the terminal to stay busy through the summer peak: leave extra time for check-in and security, and book parking or drop-offs in advance if you are flying in the coming weeks. The record pace also tends to mean airlines hold or add routes, which is worth watching if you rely on a specific connection.

What's changing for you

• Benidorm funds €2.4M school overhaul. Benidorm has awarded the full renovation of the Ausiàs March school for 2.4 million euros, according to TodoAlicante. If your children attend Ausiàs March, plan for building works to reshape the coming school calendar, and expect the council to publish timings before term. For families weighing a move to Benidorm, it is a concrete sign of investment going into local school infrastructure.

Local news to know

• Broken bins leave rubbish piling up in the Albufereta. Informacion reports that faulty underground bins on the Colonia Romana path in Alicante's Albufereta have left waste stacking up outside, with no repair date yet set.
• Dénia widens where tourist flats are allowed. Dénia is rolling back its restrictions and expanding the zones where tourist flats (VUT) can operate, including a rise of up to 25% in the area between Camí del Llavador and Les Marines, La Marina Plaza reports.
• By boat from Alicante's port. One perk of Alicante is that you can reach Mediterranean destinations straight from the port by boat, including the small island of Tabarca, AlicanteOut notes.
• Benidorm's weekend what's-on guide. Life in Benidorm rounds up things to do in the resort, from sport and open-air music to summer nightlife, in its regular bilingual weekend guide.

See the full agenda, tonight and tomorrow