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1.345
Population
40%
Expat share
Updated 2026-08-30How we source our data →

Living in Comares

Comares is a village of 1,345 people on a rocky outcrop at 702 metres in the Axarquía, in Málaga province. Its origins are Arab and it was once a watchtower position; the tourism office calls it the balcony of the Axarquía. Málaga city is 33 kilometres away, all of it mountain road. The surprising fact is the foreigners: 544 of them, more than two in five residents, and about half of those are British. For a village this small, that is remarkable.

Know this before anything else: nobody publishes a price for Comares. The main Spanish asking price index has a page for the village, but every month for the past year shows no data. The government's valuation series only covers municipalities above twenty-five thousand inhabitants, which excludes Comares many times over. You will negotiate blind against whatever the seller says the house is worth. Get an independent valuation, expect wide spreads between asking prices for similar houses, and expect a slow sale if you ever want out.

The address matters more than the name. The municipality has eighteen separate population centres, and close to half the residents live in scattered dwellings outside any of them. The village itself holds a few hundred people. A house in Comares can sit a long way outside the village on an unmade road, so establish exactly where a property sits.

The verdict

Honestly considered, both sides.

The upside is real. So is the downside. Both matter more than any brochure will admit.

The case for

  • The view from seven hundred metres up

    The village sits on a rocky outcrop at 702 metres and the tourism office calls it the balcony of the Axarquía. On a clear day the outlook is the reason people come.

  • A long settled British community already here

    544 foreign residents in a village of 1,345 is remarkable, and about half the foreigners are British. A newcomer is not the first and will not be the last.

  • Serious walking country on the doorstep

    The paths and tracks between the eighteen population centres and the surrounding hills make this genuine walking territory, straight from the village rather than a drive away.

  • An Arab village core, not a copy

    The origins are Arab and the village grew on a watchtower site on its rocky outcrop. The narrow core is the real thing, shaped by defence and slope rather than by tourism.

  • Nothing about it is a resort

    There is no strip, no seafront and no seasonal machine. The village in February is the village in August, which suits buyers who want a place rather than a product.

The case against

  • No market price reference of any kind

    The main asking price index shows no data for Comares in any month of the past year, and the state valuation series excludes it entirely. You negotiate against the seller's opinion alone, so commission an independent valuation first.

  • A bus twice a week, nothing more

    One line runs Málaga to Olías to Comares, one service each way, Mondays and Fridays only. Out at half past one, back at eight in the morning. Without a car you cannot live here.

  • A shrinking and ageing population

    1,345 people, an average age of fifty-three, close to a third over sixty-five, and fewer residents than a decade ago. Services follow people, and here the people are leaving.

  • Almost no services in the village

    There is a surgery but no health centre, schools up to secondary but no sixth form, no vocational training and no library. Anything beyond the basics means the drive down to Vélez-Málaga or beyond.

  • The address tells you very little

    Eighteen population centres plus scattered dwellings mean a house sold as Comares can sit a long way outside it on an unmade road. Check the exact location and drive the access before anything else.

Editor's note

Where you might be better off elsewhere

We like Comares, but we would not recommend it to most of the people who ask us about it. Do not buy here if you cannot drive, if you may stop driving within ten years, if you have children heading for sixth form, if you need regular medical care, or if you will need to sell quickly: with no published price data, resale is slow and the spread between asking prices is wide. Do not buy here for rental income either; nothing about the place is a resort, and that is the point of it.

If you want the mountain village feeling with fewer compromises, look first at Frigiliana, a mountain village with actual services and an actual market price. Look at Vélez-Málaga or Torre del Mar if daily services and transport matter more than the view. Look at Nerja or Torrox if you want the coast and a market where prices are published and resale is realistic. Comares is for the small group who have read this page and still want exactly this.

Lifestyle data

Access

MÁLAGA AIRPORT
Málaga-Costa del Sol · AGP
276+ direct routes
Top direct
LondonManchesterDublinAmsterdamBrusselsCopenhagen

Community

40%
expat share
Spanish80%
English45%
German6%
Dutch5%

Amenities

0
Int. schools
0
Hospitals

Comares on the map

Comares FAQ

Honest answers to the questions buyers actually ask.

How much do houses in Comares cost?+
Nobody can tell you, and anyone who quotes a confident figure is guessing. The main Spanish asking price index has a Comares page, but every month for the past year shows no data. The national valuation series only covers municipalities above twenty-five thousand inhabitants, which excludes Comares many times over. In practice, commission an independent valuation, expect wide spreads between asking prices for similar houses, and negotiate on condition and access rather than on comparables, because there are none.
Is Comares the highest village in the Axarquía?+
No, and the claim is repeated often enough to be worth correcting. Comares stands at seven hundred and two metres. Alfarnate stands at eight hundred and eighty-six metres and Alfarnatejo at eight hundred and fifty-two, both clearly higher. Comares is high enough for the views, but it holds no altitude record. The tourism office's phrase, the balcony of the Axarquía, is the accurate one.
Can I live in Comares without a car?+
No. One bus line connects Málaga to Comares via Olías, with one service each way on Mondays and Fridays only. It leaves Málaga at half past one in the afternoon and leaves the village at eight in the morning. There is no other public transport. Every appointment, school run and shop beyond the village basics needs a car, and many properties also need one to reach the village itself. Treat a car, and ideally two per household, as a requirement, not an option.
Where are the properties in Comares actually located?+
Mostly not in the village. The municipality contains eighteen separate population centres, including Las Encinillas, Los Ventorros, Alquería, La Cuesta, Los Gallegos and El Olivar, and close to half of all residents live in scattered dwellings outside any of them. The village itself holds only a few hundred people. A listing headed Comares can mean a long way outside the village on an unmade road. Before viewing, get the exact location, drive the access yourself and ask what happens to that track in heavy rain.
How do you get to Comares and what are the roads like?+
Two narrow provincial mountain roads meet at the village, so there is more than one way in, but neither is quick. One climbs seventeen kilometres from Olías on the Málaga side. The other runs six and a half kilometres to the road between Benamargosa and Riogordo. Málaga city is thirty-three kilometres away, but that is mountain road, not motorway, so plan for a slow drive. If narrow mountain roads worry you, drive both routes before committing to anything.
Who actually lives in Comares?+
1,345 people as of 2025, with an average age of fifty-three and close to a third of residents over sixty-five. The population has shrunk over the past decade, not grown. Foreign nationals number 544, more than two in five residents, and about half of the foreigners are British. That is a striking share for a village this size, and it means an English speaking newcomer will find long settled neighbours who have already worked out the practical side of living here.
What services and schools does Comares have?+
The basics and little more. There is a doctor's surgery but no health centre. There is an infant school, a primary school and a secondary school, but no sixth form, no vocational training and no library. Older teenagers must travel for education, and Comares is assigned to the Hospital de La Axarquía in Vélez-Málaga for anything medical beyond routine care. Families should weigh the daily logistics carefully, and older buyers should think about how those same journeys will look at eighty rather than at sixty.
What are the costs of buying property in Comares?+
When buying property in Comares, budget for property transfer tax (ITP) of 7%, plus roughly 3-4% in notary, land registry and legal fees. Agency commission is usually paid by the seller. On the mainland and the Balearics, new builds pay VAT (IVA) of 10% plus AJD stamp duty instead of ITP. Transfer tax is set by Andalucía rather than nationally, and reduced rates can apply for main homes and younger buyers.
What are the ongoing costs of owning property in Comares?+
Annual property ownership costs in Comares include IBI (property tax) of 0.4-1.1% of cadastral value, community fees (for apartments), rubbish collection tax (basura), utility bills, and property insurance. Budget approximately 2-4% of property value per year for all running costs. IBI is set by the town hall of Comares within a national band, so it is municipal rather than regional.
What taxes do I pay when selling property in Comares?+
When selling property in Comares, you pay capital gains tax (plusvalía) on the profit at rates of 19-26% depending on the gain amount. Non-residents have 3% of the sale price withheld at completion. You may also pay municipal capital gains tax. Main residence exemptions may apply for residents over 65. Capital gains tax is national, so it is the same in Andalucía as anywhere in Spain. Plusvalia municipal is set by the town hall of Comares and has had two calculation methods since the 2021 reform, so ask your lawyer which one is cheaper for you.
Can I still get a Golden Visa by buying property in Spain?+
No. Spain withdrew the Golden Visa property investment route in April 2025, so buying in Comares no longer leads to residency. Non-EU buyers who want to live in Spain apply for a separate permit instead, most often the non-lucrative visa (proof of income and private health insurance) or the digital nomad visa (remote work for non-Spanish clients). Ask an immigration lawyer which route fits your situation before you buy.

Transfer tax rates as of August 2026. Rates are set per autonomous community and do change. Confirm the current figures with a Spanish lawyer or tax adviser before you budget.

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