Buying property in Portimão and Alvor as a foreigner (2026): areas, prices and total costs

Where to buy in Portimão and Alvor

Portimão is a working city with a resort attached. The city itself sits on the Arade estuary; Praia da Rocha is the high-rise beach strip below it; Alvor is a separate fishing village to the west with its own character and its own price.

Area	Parish	What it is	Paid, €/m²	Asking, €/m²
Praia da Rocha	Portimão	The cliff-top beach strip; apartments, hotels, nightlife	–	4,629
Três Castelos	Portimão	Between Praia da Rocha and Vau; quieter, apartment-led	–	4,460
Alvor	Alvor	Fishing village, estuary, Prainha and Três Irmãos beaches	3,425	–
Portimão Cidade	Portimão	City centre and riverside; everyday town, not a resort	3,248	3,108
Boavista	Portimão	Golf and housing north-west of the city	–	3,105
Vale Franca, Barranco do Rodrigo	Portimão	Outer edges of the city	–	2,824
Mexilhoeira Grande	Mexilhoeira Grande	Rural parish inland towards Monchique	2,662	–

Paid figures are INE medians for the 12 months to June 2026; asking figures are idealista averages for August 2026. They are different measures and should not be compared with each other.

Alvor sold above Portimão city — €3,425 against €3,248 — despite the city having the famous beach. People buy Alvor for the village; they buy Praia da Rocha for the view, and pay for it in asking prices rather than in the municipal median.

What does a typical home cost?

Portimão’s median was €3,259/m² paid in the 12 months to June 2026. That is below the Algarve median of €3,338 and below Lagos at €3,949 or Albufeira at €3,490.

The growth rate is the story. Portimão rose 19.9% over the year against the Algarve’s 14.2%, and on the single quarter it reached €3,412/m² in Q2 2026, up 17.0% — slightly below the Algarve’s quarterly median of €3,500. A municipality that has sat below the regional average is closing the gap quickly.

Asking prices agree: €3,587/m² in August 2026, up 8.4% and at a record, with the city parish, Praia da Rocha, Três Castelos, the city centre and Boavista all at series highs in the same month. Boavista’s asking price rose 32.9% over the year.

There is almost no new-build premium here: €3,337/m² for new against €3,244 for existing.

The total cost of buying in Portimão

Since 25 May 2026, Decree-Law 97/2026 charges buyers who are not Portuguese tax resident a flat 7.5% IMT.

On a €350,000 apartment	Non-resident	Resident, second home
IMT	€26,250	about €15,300
Stamp duty (0.8%)	€2,800	€2,800
Difference	about €10,950 more	–

On a €700,000 villa	Non-resident	Resident
IMT	€52,500	€42,000
Stamp duty (0.8%)	€5,600	€5,600
Difference	€10,500 more	–

Above €1,150,853 every buyer pays a flat 7.5%. Add notary and registration, commonly €1,000 to €1,500 through Casa Pronta. Work your own numbers with the IMT calculator and the buying cost calculator.

Foreign-domiciled buyers paid €3,867/m² here against €3,187 for Portugal-domiciled buyers, a premium of 21.3%. EU-domiciled buyers paid €3,923 and non-EU buyers, including the UK and US, €3,818.

What to check before you offer

Praia da Rocha is apartment country. Ask for condominium accounts, the reserve fund and any pending façade or lift works before committing. Older blocks on the cliff carry maintenance that newer buyers do not expect.

Short lets. Decree-Law 76/2024 returned alojamento local regulation to councils, and Decree-Law 151/2026 gave councils with more than 1,000 registrations at the end of 2025 until 31 December 2026 to decide. We have not verified Portimão council’s position. Check with the câmara before buying for rental income.

The habitation licence. From 1 October 2026, Decree-Law 108/2026 requires the deed to state whether a habitation licence exists. See selling with unlicensed works.

Who Portimão and Alvor suit

Buyers who want a real town. Portimão has a hospital, a university campus, schools and shops that operate in February. Much of the Algarve does not.

Buyers priced out of Lagos. Lagos is €3,949/m² paid; Portimão is €3,259. Twenty minutes apart.

Buyers who want a village rather than a strip, in Alvor, which has kept its fishing harbour and its scale.

It suits you less if you want quiet in high summer near the beach, or if you dislike high-rise: Praia da Rocha is the most built-up beachfront in the western Algarve.

Our Portimão estate agents page lists the agencies operating locally.

Key points

• Portimão paid a median €3,259/m², below the Algarve’s €3,338 but rising 19.9%, faster than the region’s 14.2%.
• On the single quarter it hit €3,412/m², up 17.0%, slightly below the Algarve quarterly median.
• Asking prices are at a record €3,587/m², with five zones simultaneously at series highs.
• Alvor sold above Portimão city at €3,219 against €3,124.
• Non-residents pay a flat 7.5% IMT: about €10,950 more on €350,000.
• Foreign-domiciled buyers already paid 21.3% more per m² than Portugal-domiciled ones.