Buying costs range from almost nothing to well over a tenth of the price, depending on where you buy and whether you're buying from abroad. This page puts all 19 countries we cover side by side, for a home worth about €300,000 in each country's own currency.
Key points
- The main purchase tax drives most of the difference: some countries charge a flat few per cent, others charge banded rates or VAT on new builds.
- In most of Europe, foreign buyers pay the same taxes as locals.
- England and Northern Ireland, Canada and Australia charge extra taxes to buyers from abroad, and they can double or triple the bill.
- These figures update automatically whenever a country's rules change.
Buying costs by country
The table shows the total buying costs: purchase taxes, plus typical notary, lawyer and registry fees. It leaves out surveys, mortgage fees and agent fees, so you can compare like with like. The first column is a local buyer buying their main home. The second is someone who lives abroad buying a second or holiday home, which is how most overseas buyers buy.
| Country | Price used | Local buyer, main home | Buyer from abroad, second home |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Zealand | NZ$585,000 | NZ$2,600 (0.4%) | NZ$2,600 (0.4%) * |
| Canada | CA$480,000 | CA$8,075 (1.7%) | CA$128,075 (26.7%) * |
| Italy | €300,000 | €5,300 (1.8%) | €13,700 (4.6%) |
| UK | £258,000 | £4,700 (1.8%) | £22,760 (8.8%) |
| Ireland | €300,000 | €6,000 (2.0%) | €6,000 (2.0%) |
| Netherlands | €300,000 | €7,500 (2.5%) | €25,500 (8.5%) |
| US | US$348,000 | US$10,440 (3.0%) | US$10,440 (3.0%) |
| Belgium | €300,000 | €10,200 (3.4%) | €40,200 (13.4%) |
| Australia | A$534,000 | A$20,188 (3.8%) | A$83,848 (15.7%) * |
| Cyprus | €300,000 | €11,600 (3.9%) | €11,600 (3.9%) |
| Croatia | €300,000 | €12,600 (4.2%) | €12,600 (4.2%) |
| Dubai | AED 1,278,000 | AED 55,590 (4.3%) | AED 55,590 (4.3%) |
| Germany | €300,000 | €16,500 (5.5%) | €16,500 (5.5%) |
| Greece | €300,000 | €16,890 (5.6%) | €16,890 (5.6%) |
| Portugal | €300,000 | €17,506 (5.8%) | €17,506 (5.8%) |
| Malta | €300,000 | €18,000 (6.0%) | €18,000 (6.0%) |
| Austria | €300,000 | €18,300 (6.1%) | €18,300 (6.1%) |
| France | €300,000 | €22,500 (7.5%) | €22,500 (7.5%) |
| Spain | €300,000 | €27,630 (9.2%) | €27,630 (9.2%) |
\* Australia, Canada and New Zealand also limit what foreign buyers can buy: Australia bans most foreign buyers from established homes until 31 March 2027, Canada bans most non-Canadians from buying homes until 1 January 2027, and New Zealand bans most overseas buyers from existing homes. The figures show the taxes that would apply.
Prices are converted from €300,000 at example exchange rates and rounded, so each country is compared at a similar value. Percentages are of the price used.
Every cost for your price and situation in Spain, including taxes for buyers from abroad.
What makes the biggest difference
The purchase tax. It's called something different in every country: stamp duty in the UK, Ireland, Malta and Australia, ITP in Spain, IMT in Portugal, notaire fees in France (mostly taxes), Grunderwerbsteuer in Germany and Austria, the DLD fee in Dubai, and land transfer tax in Canada. Some charge a flat rate on the whole price. Others, like the UK and Australia, charge rising rates on slices of the price, so the tax jumps faster on more expensive homes.
New build or resale. In Spain, Cyprus, Croatia and Greece, a new home bought from a developer usually carries VAT instead of the transfer tax, which can make it cheaper or dearer. Spain charges 10% VAT on new homes plus stamp duty (AJD).
Main home or second home. Several countries give lower rates for your only or main home: Italy (2% instead of 9% of the cadastral value), the Netherlands (2% instead of 8%), Belgium, and the UK, where second homes pay an extra 5%. Buyers from abroad rarely qualify, because the home has to be where they live.
Where you live. In England and Northern Ireland, buyers who haven't lived in the UK for 183 days in the year before buying pay an extra 2%. Ontario charges 25% to buyers who aren't Canadian citizens or permanent residents, and NSW and Victoria charge 9% and 8%.
The fees on top
Almost everywhere you'll also pay a notary or conveyancing lawyer, land registry fees, and usually an independent lawyer of your own if you're buying abroad. Together these typically add about 1% to 3% of the price. Budget for a survey too, especially for older homes, and for currency transfer costs if you're paying from another country.
Buying a home doesn't give you the right to live there
In most countries, owning a home gives you no right to residence. The "golden visa" routes that once linked the two have mostly closed: Spain ended its investor visa on 3 April 2025, and Portugal stopped counting property purchases in October 2023. Greece still offers residence for property investment, but the minimum is now €800,000 in Attica (including Athens), Thessaloniki, Mykonos, Santorini and islands with more than 3,100 people, and €400,000 elsewhere, for a single property of at least 120 m² that can't be let short-term. Check the visa rules separately from the buying rules, and with an immigration lawyer.
What the price could do after you buy
Buying costs are money you don't get back, so it matters how long prices take to cover them. Here's what official national price history says for some popular countries:
- Spain: Official figures show prices in Spain changed by 7.1% a year over the last five years. Looking at every 5-year period since 2000, a typical period saw about 4.6% a year, a weaker one -3.9% and a stronger one 7.1%. Past changes don't predict future ones.
- Portugal: Official figures show prices in Portugal changed by 10.9% a year over the last five years. Looking at every 5-year period since 2000, a typical period saw about 1.3% a year, a weaker one -1.4% and a stronger one 9.3%. Past changes don't predict future ones.
- United Kingdom: Official figures show prices in the UK changed by 3% a year over the last five years. Looking at every 5-year period since 2000, a typical period saw about 4.2% a year, a weaker one 2.1% and a stronger one 5.7%. Past changes don't predict future ones.
The calculator shows cautious, typical and strong scenarios for your price, worked out from the same official data.
Tax back home
Buying abroad can create tax to pay and forms to file where you live, not just where you buy.
- UK residents are generally taxed on their worldwide income and gains. Rent from a home abroad goes on your Self Assessment return, and when you sell you may owe UK Capital Gains Tax. You can usually claim Foreign Tax Credit Relief for tax already paid in the other country, so the same income isn't fully taxed twice.
- US citizens and green-card holders are taxed on worldwide income wherever they live. Report foreign rental income on your US return. If your foreign bank accounts together go over $10,000 at any time in the year, file an FBAR (FinCEN Form 114), and you may also need Form 8938 (FATCA) if your foreign financial assets pass its thresholds. A home you own directly isn't reported on Form 8938, but the foreign account you pay through may be.
- Everyone else: check how your country taxes foreign rent and gains, and whether it has a tax treaty with the country you're buying in.
Plan this before you buy, ideally with a tax adviser who knows both countries.
Work out your own figures
These are averages for a typical purchase. Use the calculator to see every cost for your price, region and situation, including the taxes for buyers from abroad, the papers you'll need and the cash you'll need on the day.
Wise uses the mid-market exchange rate and shows its fee before you send. Sponsored: we may earn a fee if you use Wise, at no extra cost to you.