Elche — Elx

The atmosphere

Elche, Elx in Valencian, is the third city of the Valencian Community: close to two hundred and thirty thousand inhabitants, some ten kilometres from the sea. The airport that carries its name is twenty minutes away. A palm grove of more than two hundred thousand trees runs through the city: inherited from Andalusi irrigation, it has been on the UNESCO World Heritage list since 2000.

Footwear has kept the city working for a century and a half, the Miguel Hernández University occupies the Altabix campus, and the two hospitals employ in large numbers. The pace is that of a provincial city: the market in the morning, terraces at midday, a walk under the palms of the municipal park. In August, the basilica of Santa María hosts the Misteri d’Elx, a sung medieval drama.

Services run all year without depending on tourism: town-centre shops, two public hospitals, state and state-assisted schools, sports clubs. The C-1 cercanías line reaches Alicante in twenty-five minutes, and the nearest beach, the Arenales del Sol, is a quarter of an hour away. The airport, built on the municipality’s own land, is twenty minutes away, with two direct flights a week from Findel.

The market is that of a city of residents: prices are set by local salaries, not by foreign demand. The price per square metre is the lowest in our whole coverage, new-build included, and developers stay active in the expansion sectors to the east. In exchange, resale is aimed first at Spanish buyers.

The micro-areas to know: the Ensanche and the historic centre, around the Huerto del Cura, for heritage and life on foot; Altabix, to the east, for recent blocks and the campus. The expansion sectors that continue it hold the new-build; Carrús, to the west, dense and working-class, shows the lowest prices; the Arenales del Sol take up the municipal coastline.

Elche suits buyers who reason in terms of use and budget rather than sea views: a rental investment backed by the university and the hospitals, an urban pied-à-terre twenty minutes from a direct flight, or year-round living. New-build in the city costs what an older property to renovate costs on the coast. The beach stays a quarter of an hour away by car, at the Arenales del Sol.

Everyday life

• Historic palm grove on the UNESCO World Heritage list
• Huerto del Cura, a garden of national interest, and the municipal park
• Miguel Hernández University and the Altabix campus
• Elche general university hospital and the Vinalopó hospital
• Basilica of Santa María and the Misteri d’Elx, UNESCO intangible heritage
• C-1 cercanías line: Alicante in 25 min, Murcia to the south
• Alicante-Elche airport, inside the municipality, 20 min away
• Municipal beaches of the Arenales del Sol and the Carabassí, 15 min away

The property market

New-build is concentrated in the expansion sectors to the east, around Altabix and the campus: blocks with a pool, a garage and a bike store, plus a few groups of terraced houses. Expect €2,000 to €2,600/m² for new-build against €1,200 to €1,800/m² for older stock in Carrús or the centre, so €200,000 to €300,000 for a new three-bedroom flat, the lowest price in our coverage.

Observed price range: €90,000 – €500,000

Who is it for?

The city suits investors targeting year-round letting, backed by the university and the two hospitals. It also suits buyers who prefer a city that works all year to a seaside resort, and Luxembourg families looking for a pied-à-terre on a contained budget. Twenty minutes from the airport makes a three-day stay workable.