Costs of buying a home in Spain: what buying a house really costs
Updated: July 12, 2026
The price of the property is only the beginning. Between taxes, notary fees, registration and the rest, buying a home in Spain costs between 10% and 14% more than the listing price. Here is the full breakdown so your numbers add up the first time.
The biggest cost: taxes
- Resale homes: ITP. The Impuesto de Transmisiones Patrimoniales (the property transfer tax) depends on your autonomous region: from the effective 3% in Ceuta and Melilla or 4% in the Basque Country to rates of 10-13% in Catalonia or the Balearic Islands. It is the item that varies the most and where the biggest savings can be made through reduced rates (young buyers, large families, disability). Check your case in the ITP guide by region or go straight to the ITP calculator.
- New builds: IVA + AJD. You pay 10% IVA (Spain’s VAT; 4% for special-regime VPO subsidized housing; in the Canary Islands, IGIC) plus the AJD (Actos Jurídicos Documentados, stamp duty) on the deed, which each region also sets (roughly between 0.5% and 1.5%).
The “paperwork” costs of the purchase
Approximate figures for an average home; notary and registrar fees are regulated and depend on the price:
| Item | Approximate cost | Who pays it |
|---|---|---|
| Notary (deed of sale) | €600 – €1,000 | Buyer* |
| Land Registry | €250 – €450 | Buyer |
| Gestoría (if there is a mortgage, the bank requires it) | €300 – €500 | Buyer |
| Property valuation | €300 – €600 | Buyer |
| Municipal capital gains tax (plusvalía) | Depends on municipality and years | Seller |
*Strictly speaking, the notary fee for the original deed falls on the seller and the copies on the buyer, but in common practice the buyer takes on the deed of sale unless otherwise agreed.
And if there is a mortgage: what you no longer pay
Since Ley 5/2019, the costs of the mortgage loan are split as follows: the bank pays the notary, registration, gestoría and the loan’s AJD; you only pay the valuation. If you are offered anything different, it is illegal. Bear in mind that this applies to the mortgage costs, not to the costs of the property purchase itself, which are still yours.
The full bill: an example
A resale home costing €200,000 in Andalusia (ITP at 7%):
- ITP: €14,000
- Notary + registry + gestoría: ≈ €1,500
- Valuation: ≈ €400
- Total costs: ≈ €15,900 (8% of the price)
- 20% down payment the bank does not finance: €40,000
- Total savings needed: ≈ €55,900
Do the numbers work for you? You can check how much the bank would lend you on your income in how much can the bank lend me? and simulate the whole transaction — taxes included — in the calculator below.