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Algarve

Golden limestone cliffs fold around turquoise coves, whitewashed fishing towns like Lagos and Tavira sit between marinas and orange groves, and manicured golf estates spread inland from the sea. This is Portugal’s sun-belt coast — and its most international property market.

Last updated · First published

What does property cost in Algarve?

The figures below are the latest official medians for the region, each shown beside its reference period and INE source. Transacted (sold) prices are drawn from INE’s house-price statistics; the national median is shown alongside so you can see how the region compares.

Median sold price · AlgarveSold · INE

€3,240/m²

Algarve

1st Quarter 2026Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal
CC BY 4.0
Median sold price · FaroSold · INE (city)

€3,125/m²

Faro

1st Quarter 2026Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal
CC BY 4.0

Faro (concelho) alone — the district capital transacts below the wider Algarve median, which is pulled up by the coastal resort concelhos such as Loulé, Lagos and Albufeira.

Median sold price · PortugalSold · INE (national)

€2,168/m²

Portugal

1st Quarter 2026Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal
CC BY 4.0
Median new-lease rent · AlgarveRent · INE

€10.71/m²

Algarve

1st Quarter 2026Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal
CC BY 4.0

Region-level only — INE does not publish a concelho-level rent series, so there is no separate Faro rent figure.

How Algarve sold prices have moved

  • Median sold price · Algarve· Sold
Latest data: 1st Quarter 2026Median sold price · AlgarveMedian sold price · Algarve: latest 3,240 €/m² in 1st Quarter 2026.3,240 €/m² · 1st Quarter 2026

Median sold price · Algarve: Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal · retrieved 2026-08-12T23:51:31.305187Z · CC BY 4.0

How Algarve sold prices have moved — data table — most recent 12 periods
PeriodMedian sold price · Algarve (€/m²)
2nd Quarter 20232496
3rd Quarter 20232564
4th Quarter 20232613
1st Quarter 20242632
2nd Quarter 20242677
3rd Quarter 20242701
4th Quarter 20242752
1st Quarter 20252814
2nd Quarter 20252922
3rd Quarter 20253021
4th Quarter 20253139
1st Quarter 20263240
Median sold price · AlgarveLatest 1st Quarter 2026: 3,240 · Min 1,696 · Max 3,240 · Range 1,544 · CAGR +10.9%/yr
Show all 26 rows
How Algarve sold prices have moved — data table — full series (26 periods)
PeriodMedian sold price · Algarve (€/m²)
4th Quarter 20191696
1st Quarter 20201721
2nd Quarter 20201740
3rd Quarter 20201772
4th Quarter 20201816
1st Quarter 20211836
2nd Quarter 20211857
3rd Quarter 20211922
4th Quarter 20212000
1st Quarter 20222095
2nd Quarter 20222199
3rd Quarter 20222264
4th Quarter 20222339
1st Quarter 20232429
2nd Quarter 20232496
3rd Quarter 20232564
4th Quarter 20232613
1st Quarter 20242632
2nd Quarter 20242677
3rd Quarter 20242701
4th Quarter 20242752
1st Quarter 20252814
2nd Quarter 20252922
3rd Quarter 20253021
4th Quarter 20253139
1st Quarter 20263240
Median sold price · AlgarveLatest 1st Quarter 2026: 3,240 · Min 1,696 · Max 3,240 · Range 1,544 · CAGR +10.9%/yr

Asking vs sold

Asking-price data pending — we publish an asking figure only from a licensed source, never scraped listings, and we always label it separately from the sold (INE) median so the two are never conflated.

What does each type of property cost in Algarve?

Two official medians, kept deliberately apart. Bank appraisals are what lenders valued homes at; registered sales are what buyers actually paid. They are measured differently, published on different cadences, and are never averaged together.

Flats vs villas

Bank appraisal · INE · €/m²

Median value of bank evaluations on housing — what lenders valued property at for mortgage purposes. It is a valuation opinion, not a transacted price, so it is never mixed with the sale medians below.

Median flats vs villas price per square metre in Algarve
FlatsMedian€2,988€/m²PeriodJune 2026
VillasMedian€2,795€/m²PeriodJune 2026
All housingMedian€2,942€/m²PeriodJune 2026

Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal — CC BY 4.0. Each row carries its own reference period, shown above.

New vs existing homes

Sold · INE · €/m²

Median value of registered dwelling sales — what buyers actually transacted at, split by whether the home was newly built or already existing. This is the sold family; it is never mixed with appraisals.

Median new vs existing homes price per square metre in Algarve
New dwellingsMedian€3,573€/m²Period1st Quarter 2026
Existing dwellingsMedian€3,158€/m²Period1st Quarter 2026
All dwellingsMedian€3,240€/m²Period1st Quarter 2026

Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal — CC BY 4.0. Each row carries its own reference period, shown above.

Prices are one part of the picture. Below, see how Algarve sits through the market cycle — bank appraisals against sold prices, transaction activity and rents, each drawn live from INE with its source and reference period.

Where exactly in Algarve?

Those trends describe Algarve as a whole. Below, place it on the map to see exactly where they apply — and, where the data allows, how prices vary from one part of the region to the next.

Algarve on the map

The 16 municipalities that make up the Faro distrito. Select a municipality to open its concelho guide.

AlbufeiraAlcoutimAljezurCastro MarimFaroLagoaLagosLouléMonchiqueOlhãoPortimãoSão Brás de AlportelSilvesTaviraVila do BispoVila Real de Santo António
  1. 1. Albufeira
  2. 2. Alcoutim
  3. 3. Aljezur
  4. 4. Castro Marim
  5. 5. Faro
  6. 6. Lagoa
  7. 7. Lagos
  8. 8. Loulé
  9. 9. Monchique
  10. 10. Olhão
  11. 11. Portimão
  12. 12. São Brás de Alportel
  13. 13. Silves
  14. 14. Tavira
  15. 15. Vila do Bispo
  16. 16. Vila Real de Santo António

Boundaries: Direção-Geral do Território — Carta Administrativa Oficial de Portugal (CAOP2025) — source — CC BY 4.0 (DGT)

What is living in Algarve like?

Knowing where a property sits is only half the decision — the other half is what daily life there is like. Here are the liveability signals we can source for Algarve today, each added as the data becomes available.

HealthcareINE · health access & supply

9.0doctors/1k inhab.

Medical doctors per 1,000 inhabitants · S7A2025

Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), PortugalCC BY 4.0

0.2pharmacies/1k inhab.

Pharmacies per 1,000 inhabitants · S7A2025

Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), PortugalCC BY 4.0

2hospitals

Hospitals · S7A2024

Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), PortugalCC BY 4.0

ConnectivityINE · fixed broadband

35,231accesses

Fixed broadband Internet accesses · S7A2025

Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), PortugalCC BY 4.0

SafetyINE · reported crime

50.8

crimes/1k residents

Registered crimes per 1,000 residents · 2025 crime counts over 2021 resident population

Derived: registered_crimes / population_2021 * 1000

Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), PortugalCC BY 4.0

CoastINE · Blue Flag beaches

86beaches

Blue Flag beaches (regional total) · S7A2026

Regional total (NUTS3) — shared across the surrounding region, not this municipality alone. NUTS regional total broadcast to member concelhos — the WHOLE region's count, NOT this concelho's own; never sum across concelhos.

Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), PortugalCC BY 4.0

ClimateIPMA · monthly temperature

13°C–31°C

Observed range · August 2025 – August 2026

Coolest: mean daily low, November 2025 · Warmest: mean daily high, July 2026

Not a full-year normal — our IPMA observations cover August 2025 – August 2026, so the coldest winter months are not represented.

IPMA — Instituto Português do Mar e da AtmosferaFree reuse with attribution to IPMA (open-data)

Explore the full climate strip →

Algarve at a glance

The Algarve spans Portugal’s southern coast, from the Spanish border at Vila Real de Santo António west to the cliffs of Sagres, with Faro as its administrative capital and airport gateway. It is the country’s most international housing market: demand is driven far more by non-resident holiday-home and relocation buyers than by the local economy, and it concentrates heavily along the coastal strip.

The regional median masks a wide internal spread — the central-coast resort concelhos trade well above the interior and the eastern sotavento. This page shows the official median for the region as a whole alongside the Faro concelho figure, each with its own provenance; concelho-level pages are planned so the full intra-region gap can be shown with the same discipline.

What are the rules and costs in Algarve?

Lifestyle is the human side of the decision; the rules and costs are the practical one. These are the two rules that shape most purchases in Algarve — plus the guides and calculator to model your all-in costs.

Two rules shape most purchases here — whether a property can be let short-term, and what it costs to hold each year — followed by the guides and calculator to model your full purchase.

Can you run a short-term rental here?

Short-term letting (Alojamento Local, AL) matters more in the Algarve than anywhere else in Portugal: for many foreign buyers the rental economics are central to the purchase decision. AL is regulated at the municipal level under the national regime (Decreto-Lei 128/2014, as amended), and several Algarve concelhos operate áreas de contenção that restrict or suspend new AL registrations in parts of their territory. Registration status and local rules vary by concelho and change over time.

This is general information, not legal advice — confirm the current AL status and any contention-zone limits for a specific address with the relevant câmara municipal before assuming a property can be operated as a short-term rental.

What about annual property tax (IMI)?

Municipal Property Tax (IMI) is levied annually by each concelho within a band set nationally, so the exact rate depends on the municipality and the property’s taxable value (VPT) — the rate in Faro can differ from that of the neighbouring resort concelhos. Any specific rate we publish is sourced from the official register with its reference year; where the warehouse cannot yet source a rate it is shown as pending rather than estimated.

Common questions about Algarve

How much does property cost per square metre in Algarve?
In Algarve, the median transacted (sold) price is about €3,240 per square metre (1st Quarter 2026). For comparison, the national median sold price is about €2,168 per square metre (1st Quarter 2026). Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal, CC BY 4.0.
How much do flats and villas cost per square metre in Algarve?
In Algarve, the median bank appraisal value is about €2,988 per square metre for flats and €2,795 per square metre for villas (June 2026). These are lender valuations for mortgage purposes, not transacted prices. Registered sales — what buyers actually paid — ran about €3,573 per square metre for newly built homes and €3,158 per square metre for existing homes (1st Quarter 2026). Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal, CC BY 4.0.
What is the average rent per square metre in Algarve?
In Algarve, the median new-lease rent — what tenants pay to let, a separate measure from any sale or asking price — is about €10.71 per square metre (1st Quarter 2026). Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal, CC BY 4.0.
What is the climate like in Algarve?
Over the August 2025 – August 2026 climate observations available for Algarve's anchor municipality, the mean daily low reached about 12.8°C (in November 2025) and the mean daily high about 30.7°C (in July 2026). This is the observed range for that window, not a full-year normal: our IPMA observations do not span a full calendar year, so the coldest winter months are not represented. Source: IPMA — Instituto Português do Mar e da Atmosfera, Free reuse with attribution to IPMA (open-data).
What is the reported-crime rate in Algarve?
Algarve's anchor municipality records about 50.8 crimes/1k residents (Registered crimes per 1,000 residents, reference period 2025 crime counts over 2021 resident population). Derived as registered_crimes / population_2021 * 1000. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal, CC BY 4.0.
What healthcare access does Algarve have?
Algarve's anchor municipality reports medical doctors per 1,000 inhabitants: 9.0 doctors/1k inhab., reference period S7A2025; pharmacies per 1,000 inhabitants: 0.2 pharmacies/1k inhab., reference period S7A2025; hospitals: 2 hospitals, reference period S7A2024. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal.
What is internet connectivity like in Algarve?
Algarve's anchor municipality reports fixed broadband internet accesses: 35,231 accesses, reference period S7A2025. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal.
How many Blue Flag beaches does Algarve have?
Algarve's anchor municipality reports blue flag beaches (regional total): 86 beaches (regional total, shared across the surrounding region), reference period S7A2026. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estatística (INE), Portugal.

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Municipalities in Algarve

Every municipality below has its own page, held to the same provenance discipline: a figure appears only when the warehouse can source it, shown with its INE source and reference period. Where it cannot, the page says so in place of the figure. Never an estimate.

Every figure on this page is drawn from the public data registry with full provenance — official sources, reference periods and licences. We publish a number only when the warehouse can source it.

Buying in Algarve?

Map the numbers on this page to your specific purchase. Speak with an advisor about costs, timeline and paperwork.

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