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1.345
Population
40.4%
Foreign residents
Updated 19 Sept 2026How we source our data →

Living in Comares

Comares stands on a rock high above the Axarquía, an Arab watchtower site that became a village and never spread far beyond it. The tourism office calls it the balcony of the Axarquía, and on a clear day the view explains everything about why people put a village up here. The core is narrow and shaped by the slope, the way a defensive site is, rather than by anything built for visitors.

The name on the deeds tells you less here than almost anywhere. The municipality holds eighteen separate hamlets, and many residents live in houses scattered outside any of them, on tracks rather than streets. The village itself is a small place. A house sold as Comares can sit a long way out, so the exact spot and the state of the access road matter more than the address.

What makes this village unusual for its size is who lives here: more than two in five residents are foreign nationals. What you accept in return is the isolation that goes with a mountain road: a bus on Mondays and Fridays only, a surgery rather than a health centre, and no published figures to tell you what anything is worth.

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 the rock

    The village sits on an outcrop that the tourism office calls the balcony of the Axarquía, and on a clear day it is the reason people come.

  • A settled foreign community

    More than two in five residents are foreign nationals and about half of those are British, so a newcomer is neither the first nor the last.

  • Walking country from the door

    Paths and tracks run between the hamlets and into the surrounding hills, without driving anywhere first.

  • An Arab village core, not a copy

    The origins are defensive, and the narrow core follows the rock rather than a plan drawn for visitors.

  • Nothing here is a resort

    There is no strip, no seafront and no season, so February and August look much the same.

The case against

  • No reference for what anything is worth

    Nothing is published about prices in the village, so a buyer negotiates against the seller's opinion alone. Commission an independent valuation before committing.

  • A bus twice a week

    One line runs to Málaga via Olías, one service each way on Mondays and Fridays, out in the afternoon and back early morning. Living here without a car is not realistic.

  • A shrinking and ageing village

    There are fewer residents than a decade ago, the average age is in the fifties, and close to a third of residents are over sixty-five.

  • Almost no services

    There is a surgery but no health centre, schools to secondary level but no sixth form, and no library. Anything more means the drive down the mountain.

  • The address tells you very little

    Eighteen hamlets and scattered houses mean a listing headed Comares can be a long way outside the village on an unmade road.

Editor's note

Where you might be better off elsewhere

Comares suits a small group of buyers and nobody else, which is worth saying plainly. Anyone who cannot drive, has children heading for sixth form, needs regular medical care, or may want to sell quickly should look elsewhere, because a village with no published prices resells slowly. Frigiliana gives the mountain village setting with real services and a published market. Vélez-Málaga and Torre del Mar put daily services and transport first. Nerja and Torrox offer the coast with a market where resale is realistic.

Comares on the map

Lifestyle data

Access

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

Community

40.4%
Foreign residents

INE Annual Population Census, nationality basis, 1 January 2025

Amenities

0
Int. schools
0
Hospitals

Comares FAQ

Honest answers to the questions buyers actually ask.

How much do houses in Comares cost?+
Nobody can tell you, and anyone quoting a confident figure is guessing. Nothing is published for a village this size, so there are no comparables to work from. Commission an independent valuation, expect wide differences between asking prices for similar houses, and negotiate on condition and access instead.
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 in Vélez-Málaga for anything medical beyond routine care. Families should weigh the daily logistics carefully.
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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