Knight Frank’s latest European Residential Signals

Pia Arrieta DM Properties

13 Jul 2026 2 minutes to read

Knight Frank’s latest European Residential Signals report looks at how international buyer demand is shifting across Europe’s prime residential markets, with rising mobility, currency movements and lifestyle demand playing an important role.

The report highlights a rebalancing in overseas demand. European buyers remain the largest group, but UK and US purchasers have gained ground in the first half of 2026. UK buyers accounted for roughly one-third of overseas demand, while US buyers expanded their presence across several lifestyle and urban markets. Marbella is specifically identified among the European lifestyle destinations benefiting from this trend.

Key findings

European buyers, excluding the UK, remain the largest source of cross-border demand, although their share softened from around 45% in H2 2025 to just under 40% in H1 2026.
UK buyers accounted for roughly one-third of overseas demand across prime European markets.
US demand increased, especially in lifestyle and urban destinations.
Sterling remains supportive for UK buyers, with the pound retaining an advantage against the euro.
Marbella appears in Knight Frank’s ranking of sun-led markets that have recorded strong prime price growth since 2020.
Knight Frank expects continued upward pressure on residential prices across much of Europe, including Spain and Portugal.

A local view about Marbella and the Costa del Sol

These trends are clearly reflected in Marbella and the wider Golden Triangle. International demand remains one of the main drivers of the prime market, with UK buyers continuing to play an important role and growing interest from North American buyers adding further depth.

The latest Notaries’ Portal data to 31 March 2026 confirms that prices continue to hold firm locally. At the same time, sales volumes eased across the three municipalities, pointing to a market that remains active but more selective.

Why this matters

The report confirms Marbella’s place within Europe’s leading lifestyle markets. Demand remains international and broad-based, but buyers are taking more time and placing greater emphasis on location, quality and realistic pricing.

Download it here

Pia Arrieta, 13 Jul 2026 - Intelligence