Living in Los Boliches
Los Boliches is a barrio of Fuengirola, on the Malaga coast. The town hall is unusually direct about its status: because of its size and territorial character, Fuengirola has no districts as such, but it does have this one barrio, with its own devolved council office on Calle Parroco Ildefonso Lopez Lozano. There is no separate population register. The Andalusian statistical institute lists Fuengirola as one population centre of 85,598, and Los Boliches does not appear in it. The national count for the municipality was 85,211 at 1 January 2025.
The most useful thing to know before reading any listing: the price index splits the barrio into two markets, Los Boliches and Playa de los Boliches, each with its own standalone report, and the gap between them is the widest inside the barrio. In July 2026 Playa de los Boliches sat well above the Fuengirola average and was rising strongly, while Los Boliches sat below it and rose much more slowly. The index does not say where it draws the line, so check which series a listing falls in before comparing prices.
The other fact that matters is the railway. Los Boliches has its own station on the coastal commuter line, the last stop before Fuengirola, with the same line calling at Malaga airport and running on to the city centre.
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
Its own station on the coastal commuter line
Station 54515 sits on Avenida de los Boliches, the last stop before the Fuengirola terminus. The same line calls at Malaga airport and runs to Malaga's main station. No station exists anywhere in Mijas or Marbella.
Below-average prices in the cheaper series
In July 2026 the Los Boliches price series sat below the Fuengirola municipal average and rose much more slowly. For a buyer who does not need the seafront, that is likely the cheaper way in, though the index does not confirm which streets fall where.
A health centre expanded by half again
The Los Boliches health centre grew from twenty-four to thirty-six consulting rooms plus an emergency room, adding over a thousand square metres. It reopened in October 2025.
A separate civic identity inside one municipality
Los Boliches keeps its own devolved council office, its own patroness in the Virgen del Carmen, and its own July festivities, distinct from Fuengirola's, in a municipality that formally has no districts.
A beach with a documented working history
This was a fishing quarter. The tirada del copo, a net anchored about fifty metres offshore and hauled in from the beach by many hands, was the technique this fishing quarter worked by, and has been re-enacted annually since 1995.
The case against
One name, two price markets, easy to misread
The index publishes Los Boliches and Playa de los Boliches separately, and the gap is the widest inside the barrio. A quoted average may describe the wrong half. One recent month in the Los Boliches series carries no month-on-month change figure.
No population figure of its own
The Andalusian statistical institute lists Fuengirola as a single population centre with no sub-entries. You cannot check the barrio's density or the balance between residents and holiday use from official data.
Decisions are made at Fuengirola town hall
Los Boliches is a barrio, not a municipality. The devolved office serves the area, but planning, budgets and policy sit with Fuengirola, which formally has no districts at all.
The train helps some streets and disturbs others
The station is a real amenity, and during the local fair special services depart at half past two, three, and twenty to five in the morning. Depending on the street, that is convenience or noise.
The fishing quarter it was is largely gone
The trade that shaped the place is finished. The tirada del copo is no longer legally permitted and survives as an annual council re-enactment. What remains is the name, the festivities and the beach.
Editor's note
Where you might be better off elsewhere
We rate Los Boliches on what can be verified, and here more can be verified than usual: a station, an expanded health centre, two published price series. It is still not for everyone. Do not buy here if you want a place with its own town hall and its own statistics; Los Boliches has neither, and every decision that matters is made in Fuengirola. Do not buy here if you picture a working fishing village; that trade ended, and what survives is an annual re-enactment. And if a quiet street matters more to you than a train, walk the block before you view. Anyone who wants the same railway with a bigger centre around it should look at Fuengirola itself, one stop down the same line. Buyers who do not need a train and want to be further from the line should consider Mijas or La Cala de Mijas, which have no station at all. If a larger resort town is the point, Torremolinos sits further up the same line. Whatever you choose, check which price series a listing sits in before you compare anything.
Lifestyle data
Property market
Updated 2026-08-30
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Los Boliches on the map
Los Boliches FAQ
Honest answers to the questions buyers actually ask.
Is Los Boliches a separate town from Fuengirola?+
Why do price reports show two different figures for Los Boliches?+
Does Los Boliches have its own train station?+
What healthcare is available in Los Boliches?+
How many people live in Los Boliches?+
What was Los Boliches before Fuengirola absorbed it?+
What about buses, climate and local data?+
What are the costs of buying property in Los Boliches?+
What are the ongoing costs of owning property in Los Boliches?+
What taxes do I pay when selling property in Los Boliches?+
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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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