Property for sale in Cascais

Choose an area

Cascais is a coastal town about 40 minutes by train from Lisbon, with a marina, beaches and a historic centre. It is also one of Portugal’s most expensive municipalities: the national statistics office reported a median sale price of about €5,200 per square metre in the second quarter of 2026, against about €5,300 in Lisbon and about €2,450 for the whole country. Advertised houses averaged around €1.35 million in May 2026, according to the Imovirtual municipal barometer.

• Cascais centre: apartments within walking distance of the marina, the beach and the station. Best for a lock-up-and-leave home or for rental.
• Estoril: townhouses and houses on quiet streets, close to the casino, the beaches and the Estoril Golf Club.
• Quinta da Marinha: villas on large plots with an 18-hole golf course on the estate. Best for families who want space.
• Carcavelos and surroundings: more affordable homes close to St. Julian’s School, the British and IB school. PaRK International School, an IB school, has a campus in Cascais.

The asking prices in this guide come from agency listings we reviewed, and they are a snapshot, not a valuation. Ask us for recent sales in the street you like.

The buying process step by step

You need a Portuguese tax number (NIF) to buy. A non-resident can obtain one at the tax office or through a representative. A tax representative is not needed for the NIF itself, but becomes mandatory when a non-resident living outside the EU and EEA owns property in Portugal. The representative must live in Portugal, and the penalty for not naming one ranges from €75 to €7,500.

• Offer and checks. Once your offer is accepted, your lawyer checks the property registry certificate, the tax record (caderneta predial), the energy certificate and the condominium certificate.
• CPCV. You sign the promissory contract and pay the deposit (sinal), typically 10% to 20% of the price. A buyer who withdraws loses it, and a seller who withdraws returns it twice over.
• Taxes and deed. You pay the IMT and the stamp duty, then sign the deed at a notary or through the Casa Pronta service, where the ownership is also registered.
• Keys. After the deed you receive the keys, and you set up the utilities and the condominium account.

One recent rule deserves attention: under Decree-Law 108/2026, the deed must state whether the property has an urban planning title, and a deed that omits it can be annulled. We check the licences before you sign anything. A lawyer is not legally mandatory, but we recommend an independent one, and our service is free for buyers because the seller pays the agent’s commission.

Taxes and costs

The transfer tax (IMT) is progressive. For a secondary home in 2026 the marginal rates run from 1% on the first €106,346 to 2% up to about €145,000, 5% up to about €198,000, 7% up to about €331,000 and 8% up to about €634,000, followed by a flat 6% up to about €1.15 million and 7.5% above that. For a main and permanent home the rates start at 0% on the first €106,346 and follow the same pattern, with the flat 6% beginning at about €661,000. Buyers up to 35 years old buying a main home benefit from a 0% rate up to €330,539.

On top of the IMT you pay stamp duty of 0.8% and the deed and registry fees. Each year the municipal property tax (IMI) applies: Cascais has set about 0.35% for 2026, with a reduction for a main home. Individuals with property worth more than €600,000 also pay the additional tax AIMI, at 0.7% on the first €1 million above the deduction, 1% between €1 million and €2 million and 1.5% above that.

Buying as a non-resident

Portugal treats you as a tax resident if you spend more than 183 days in the country in a 12-month period, or if you keep a home available as your habitual residence. Since May 2026, a buyer who is not a tax resident pays a flat 7.5% IMT on residential property, with no reductions. The law keeps three exceptions: the buyer was already a Portuguese tax resident, the buyer becomes one within two years and asks for a refund of the extra tax within six months, or the property is let as housing within six months at or below the moderate-rent cap for at least 36 months.

Rental income of a non-resident from a residential lease is taxed at an autonomous rate of 25%, and leases at moderate rents benefit from a reduced 10% rate for income earned until the end of 2029. The tax treatment of capital gains for non-residents has changed in recent years and sources disagree, so we do not quote a rate here: speak to a tax adviser before you sell. The old non-habitual resident regime is closed to new applicants, and its successor is limited to specific qualified activities, so it does not apply to a buyer simply because they own property.

Mortgages

Portuguese banks lend to non-residents, usually around 60% to 70% of the lower of the price and the valuation, so you should plan a deposit of 30% to 40% plus costs. The Banco de Portugal’s macroprudential recommendation, applied to new credit from 1 August 2026, caps lending at 90% of the value for a main and permanent home and at 80% for other purposes such as a second home. It also lowers the debt-service cap to 45% of income and limits the term to 40 years for borrowers up to 35 years old and 35 years for older ones. These are recommendations, and banks may apply stricter terms.

The average mortgage rate in Portugal was a little above 3% in spring 2026, and the 12-month Euribor was about 2.9% in July. We introduce mortgage brokers who work with international buyers and compare offers from several banks.

Residency and property

Buying a home does not give you the right to live in Portugal. The Golden Visa route for real estate was closed to new applicants in October 2023. The remaining investment route requires €500,000 in qualifying funds with a minimum maturity of five years, not property. People with a stable passive income can apply for the D7 visa, which requires income of at least the minimum wage, about €920 per month in 2026, plus 50% for a spouse and 30% for each child. We refer clients to immigration lawyers for the residence application itself.

Renting your home out

Short-term rental needs a local accommodation (AL) registration. A national law of July 2026 lets municipalities with at least 1,000 registrations suspend new ones and approve regulations by the end of 2026, so the rules are changing. We check the current position of the Cascais council with you before you buy a property for tourist rental. Gross rental yields in Cascais are typically around 3% to 4% for small apartments, below the national average of about 4.3%, so investors should look closely at the numbers. Long-term rental is simpler to manage, and we can introduce a property manager.

Mistakes to avoid

• assuming the old IMT table applies when you are not a tax resident
• signing a CPCV before the registry, tax and licence checks are done
• buying without a Portuguese tax number or without naming a tax representative when one is required
• choosing an agency without checking its IMPIC licence and insurance
• treating the purchase and residency as the same application
• buying for short-term rental without checking the council’s current AL rules

This guide is general information and is not legal or tax advice. Rules change, so check the current figures for your case.