Guides to buying costs

Featured comparisons

• Where buying costs are lowest: Portugal, Spain or England (2026)

  For a tax-resident buyer of a main home, Madeira and the Azores have the lowest buying taxes of the euro places on cheaper and mid-priced homes, then mainland Portugal; on expensive homes Madrid comes first. Catalonia has the highest. For a non-resident, Madrid comes first, because Spain has no non-resident surcharge and Portugal charges a flat 7.5% IMT. For a new build, Portugal is cheapest. England, in pounds, takes a small share of the price for a resident home mover, but a large one for a buyer who already owns a home.

• Portugal or Spain (2026): which costs less to buy a home?

  For a tax-resident buyer of a main home, Portugal usually costs less: its IMT starts at 0% and rises in bands, while Spain's regions charge 6% to 10% or more on a resale from the first euro. For a non-resident who will not move there, Portugal's flat 7.5% IMT plus 0.8% stamp duty makes Madrid and Andalusia cheaper. On a new build, Spain's 10% VAT makes every Spanish region the dearer choice.

• Spain or England (2026): where does buying a home cost more?

  For a resident buying their main home, England's stamp duty is a smaller share of the price than Spain's transfer tax, because England's bands start at 0% while Spanish regions charge 6% to 10% or more from the first euro. A buyer who already owns a home anywhere pays 5% extra in England from the first pound, so a second home in England can cost more than one in Madrid or Andalusia. New builds cost more in Spain, where they pay 10% VAT.

• Madrid vs Barcelona (2026): which costs less to buy a home in?

  Madrid is cheaper for almost every buyer. A resale home pays 6% transfer tax in Madrid and 10% to 13% in Catalonia, so a €300,000 second home pays €18,000 in Madrid against €30,000 in Barcelona. The gap narrows for a buyer aged 35 or under with a modest income, who pays 5% in Catalonia on a main home.

• Second home in Portugal or England (2026): which costs more to buy?

  A UK resident who already owns a home and buys a second one pays England's standard bands plus 5% of the price. The same buyer in Portugal is a non-resident there, so they pay a flat 7.5% IMT plus 0.8% stamp duty. On cheaper homes England usually takes the smaller share of the price; as the price rises England's share climbs past Portugal's flat rate. A buyer who moves to Portugal within two years can reclaim most of the IMT.

• Costa Blanca vs Costa del Sol (2026): where buying a home costs less

  For a resale home the Costa del Sol is cheaper: Andalusia charges 7% transfer tax against 9% in the Valencian Community, so a €300,000 second home pays €21,000 in Málaga province and €27,000 in Alicante province. For a new build bought as a main home it turns round: the Costa Blanca charges 0.1% stamp duty on the deed, against 1% or 1.2% in Andalusia.

Guides by section

By country

Places

• Buying a home in Madrid (2026): ITP, stamp duty and fees on top of the price

  A resale home in Madrid pays 6% transfer tax (ITP) on the higher of the price and the cadastral reference value. A main home worth up to €250,000 gets 10% off the tax bill, so 5.4% in effect. A new build pays 10% VAT plus AJD stamp duty of 0.4% to 0.75% depending on its value. Notary, registry and lawyer fees come on top.

• Buying a home in Barcelona and Catalonia (2026): ITP, stamp duty and fees

  A resale home in Barcelona or anywhere in Catalonia pays transfer tax (ITP) by slice: 10% on the value up to €600,000, 11% up to €900,000, 12% up to €1,500,000 and 13% above. Buyers aged 35 or under, large and single-parent families and some others pay 5% on a main home if their income is low enough. A new build pays 10% VAT plus 1.5% AJD stamp duty.

• Buying a home in Alicante, Valencia and the Costa Blanca (2026): taxes and fees

  A resale home in Alicante, Valencia, Castellón or anywhere on the Costa Blanca pays 9% transfer tax (ITP) for purchases from 1 June 2026, down from 10%. Above €1,000,000 the rate is 11% on the whole value. A new build pays 10% VAT plus AJD stamp duty: 0.1% if it is the buyer's main home, 1.4% otherwise.

• Buying a home in Málaga, Marbella and the Costa del Sol (2026): taxes and fees

  A resale home in Málaga, Marbella or anywhere in Andalusia pays a flat 7% transfer tax (ITP) on the higher of the price and the cadastral reference value. A main home worth up to €150,000 pays 6%, or 3.5% if the buyer is under 35. A new build pays 10% VAT plus 1.2% AJD stamp duty, or 1% for a main home up to €150,000.

• Buying a home in Lisbon, Porto or the Algarve (2026): are the costs different?

  The purchase costs are the same anywhere on mainland Portugal. IMT, the 0.8% stamp duty and the Casa Pronta deed and registration fee are set nationally, so a home in Lisbon, Porto, Cascais, Faro or elsewhere in the Algarve costs the same to buy at the same price. What changes by municipality is IMI, the annual property tax, which each council sets between 0.3% and 0.45% of the tax value.

• Buying a home in Madeira (2026): IMT, stamp duty and fees

  A home in Madeira pays the same taxes as on the mainland, IMT and 0.8% stamp duty, but IMT uses the autonomous regions' tables, where every bracket limit is 25% higher. An own permanent home pays no IMT up to €132,933, and a buyer aged 35 or under buying a first home pays none up to €413,174. Non-residents pay the same flat 7.5% as on the mainland.

• Buying a home in the Azores (2026): IMT, stamp duty and fees

  Buying a home in the Azores costs IMT and 0.8% stamp duty, as on the mainland, but IMT uses the autonomous regions' tables with every bracket limit 25% higher. An own permanent home pays no IMT up to €132,933 and a qualifying buyer aged 35 or under none up to €413,174. A non-resident pays the same flat 7.5% as anywhere in Portugal.

Taxes and fees

• IMT in Portugal (2026): property transfer tax rates and brackets explained

  IMT (Imposto Municipal sobre as Transmissões Onerosas de Imóveis) is the tax the buyer pays when a home changes hands in Portugal. It is charged in brackets on the higher of the price and the property's tax value: an own permanent home on the mainland pays nothing up to €106,346, and the rate rises to a single 7.5% on the whole value above €1,150,853.

• Spain's transfer tax (ITP) in 2026: rates by region, who pays and when

  ITP is the tax the buyer pays on a resale home in Spain. It is charged on the higher of the price and the Catastro's reference value, at a rate set by the region: 6% in Madrid, 7% in Andalusia, 9% in the Valencian Community since 1 June 2026, and 10% to 13% by slice in Catalonia.

• Stamp Duty Land Tax in England (2026): the bands and how they work

  Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is charged in slices: nothing on the first £125,000, 2% up to £250,000, 5% up to £925,000, 10% up to £1.5 million and 12% above. A buyer who owns no other home pays £5,000 on a £300,000 home. These bands have applied since 1 April 2025 and the October 2026 Budget left them unchanged.

• Stamp duty and VAT on a new build in Spain (2026): IVA and AJD by region

  A new home bought from its developer pays 10% VAT (IVA) on the price and stamp duty (AJD) on the deed, instead of transfer tax. The general AJD rate is set by each region: 0.75% in Madrid above €180,000, 1.5% in Catalonia, 1.4% in the Valencian Community and 1.2% in Andalusia, with lower rates for main homes and some buyers.

• Stamp duty in Portugal (2026): Imposto do Selo on a home purchase and a mortgage

  Stamp duty (Imposto do Selo) on a home purchase in Portugal is 0.8% of the higher of the price and the property's tax value, paid by the buyer with IMT before the deed. A buyer aged 35 or under who qualifies for the young buyer exemption pays none up to €330,539. A mortgage pays its own stamp duty: 0.6% of the loan when it runs for 5 years or more.

Buyer situations

• Stamp duty for first-time buyers in England (2026): who qualifies and what you pay

  A first-time buyer in England pays no Stamp Duty Land Tax on the first £300,000 and 5% on the part from £300,001 to £500,000. Above £500,000 the relief is lost and the normal rates apply to the whole price. Every buyer must never have owned a home anywhere in the world, and must be buying it to live in.

• IMT Jovem (2026): the under-35 exemption from IMT and stamp duty in Portugal

  A buyer aged 35 or under buying a first home to live in permanently pays no IMT up to €330,539 on the mainland, or €413,174 in Madeira and the Azores, and no stamp duty up to €330,539. Between that limit and €660,982 (€826,228 in the islands) IMT is charged only on the part above the limit, at 8%, and stamp duty is 0.8% of the part above €330,539, in the islands too. The relief is lost if the home is let or given another use within 6 years.

• Stamp duty on a second home or buy to let in England (2026): the 5% higher rates

  A buyer who will own more than one home at the end of the completion day pays the higher rates: 5% on top of every SDLT band, so 5% of the whole price extra. On a £300,000 second home that is £20,000 in stamp duty instead of £5,000. Homes owned abroad count. A buyer replacing their main home can avoid it, or claim it back if the old home sells within 3 years.

• Stamp duty refund on a second home in England (2026): getting the 5% higher rates back

  Yes, when the new home replaced the buyer's main home. A buyer who still owned their previous main home at completion pays the 5% higher rates, then gets them back by selling or giving away that home within 3 years and claiming from HMRC within 12 months of the sale, or of the new home's return filing date if later. On a £400,000 home the refund is £20,000. A holiday home or buy to let bought while keeping the main home gets no refund.

• Buying a home in Portugal, Spain or England as a US citizen (2026): what you pay

  Being American does not change the purchase tax in Portugal, Spain or England: each taxes by residence, not nationality. A US citizen who does not live in the country pays Portugal's flat 7.5% IMT for non-residents or England's 2% stamp duty surcharge, both refundable after a move in time. Spain charges every buyer the same taxes, but a non-resident owner from outside the EU pays 24% each year on an imputed income from the home.

• Buying in Portugal as a non-resident (2026): the flat 7.5% IMT, exceptions and refund

  Since 25 May 2026, a buyer who is not tax resident in Portugal pays IMT at a flat 7.5% of the price on any home, with no exemption or reduction, plus 0.8% stamp duty. It does not apply to a buyer who was tax resident in Portugal before. A buyer who becomes resident within 2 years, or lets the home at a moderate rent, pays 7.5% at the deed and can claim back the difference.

• Reduced transfer tax in Spain (2026): young buyers, main homes and families, by region

  Every region covered here charges less transfer tax on some main homes. Madrid takes 10% off the bill on a main home up to €250,000. Andalusia charges 6% on a main home up to €150,000, and 3.5% if the buyer is under 35. Catalonia charges 5% to buyers aged 35 or under, and Valencia 6% or 8% to buyers under 35, both with an income limit.

• Buying a home in Spain or Portugal after Brexit (2026): what changed for British buyers

  Brexit did not change the purchase taxes a British buyer pays in Spain or Portugal, because both charge by residence, not nationality. What changed is that people living in the UK are now outside the EU: since 1 January 2021 Spain taxes a UK-resident owner at 24% instead of 19% on the yearly imputed income from a holiday home, and Portugal requires a fiscal representative unless the owner signs up for electronic notifications. Portugal's flat 7.5% IMT for non-residents, from 25 May 2026, applies to every non-resident, not only to the British.

• Buying a home in Spain as a non-resident (2026): taxes, the NIE and the 3% retention

  A non-resident pays the same purchase taxes in Spain as a resident: transfer tax (ITP) on a resale home, or VAT and AJD stamp duty on a new build, at the region's rates. What differs is the paperwork: a foreigner's tax number (NIE), a traceable payment, and, if the seller is also non-resident, 3% of the price withheld for the tax agency. The proposed tax on non-EU buyers is not law.

• Buying a second home or an investment property in Portugal (2026): IMT and other costs

  A home that will not be the buyer's own permanent residence, such as a holiday home or a home to let, pays IMT on the 'other housing' table: 1% up to €106,346, rising through 2%, 5%, 7% and 8% bands to a single 6% from €633,931 and 7.5% above €1,150,853, plus 0.8% stamp duty. A non-resident buyer pays a flat 7.5% instead.

• Stamp duty for non-residents in England (2026): the 2% surcharge explained

  A buyer who is not UK resident pays a 2% surcharge on the whole price on top of the normal Stamp Duty Land Tax. On a £350,000 home that is £7,000 more. A buyer who already owns a home also pays the 5% higher rates, so 7% on top of the standard bands.

Costs by price

• Buying costs in England by price (2026): stamp duty and fees from £150,000 to £1.5 million

  For a buyer who owns no other home, stamp duty in England is £1,500 on a £200,000 home, £5,000 at £300,000, £15,000 at £500,000 and £43,750 at £1 million. First-time buyers pay less up to £500,000, buyers who already own a home pay 5% of the price more, and non-residents 2% more.

• Buying costs in Spain by price (2026): what a €150,000 to €1 million home costs, region by region

  On a €300,000 resale second home, the purchase tax is €18,000 in Madrid, €21,000 in Andalusia, €27,000 in the Valencian Community and €30,000 in Catalonia. Notary, registry and lawyer fees come on top. The tables below give the full cost at five prices in each region, for a second home, a main home and a new build.

• How much does it cost to buy a home in Portugal at each price? (2026)

  On top of the price, a home in Portugal costs IMT, which climbs with the price, 0.8% stamp duty, and deed, registration and lawyer fees. The tables on this page give the total at every price from €100,000 to €1.5 million for three buyers: a resident buying their own home, a resident buying a second home, and a non-resident, who pays a flat 7.5% IMT.

Comparisons

• Where buying costs are lowest: Portugal, Spain or England (2026)

  For a tax-resident buyer of a main home, Madeira and the Azores have the lowest buying taxes of the euro places on cheaper and mid-priced homes, then mainland Portugal; on expensive homes Madrid comes first. Catalonia has the highest. For a non-resident, Madrid comes first, because Spain has no non-resident surcharge and Portugal charges a flat 7.5% IMT. For a new build, Portugal is cheapest. England, in pounds, takes a small share of the price for a resident home mover, but a large one for a buyer who already owns a home.

• Portugal or Spain (2026): which costs less to buy a home?

  For a tax-resident buyer of a main home, Portugal usually costs less: its IMT starts at 0% and rises in bands, while Spain's regions charge 6% to 10% or more on a resale from the first euro. For a non-resident who will not move there, Portugal's flat 7.5% IMT plus 0.8% stamp duty makes Madrid and Andalusia cheaper. On a new build, Spain's 10% VAT makes every Spanish region the dearer choice.

• Spain or England (2026): where does buying a home cost more?

  For a resident buying their main home, England's stamp duty is a smaller share of the price than Spain's transfer tax, because England's bands start at 0% while Spanish regions charge 6% to 10% or more from the first euro. A buyer who already owns a home anywhere pays 5% extra in England from the first pound, so a second home in England can cost more than one in Madrid or Andalusia. New builds cost more in Spain, where they pay 10% VAT.

• Madrid vs Barcelona (2026): which costs less to buy a home in?

  Madrid is cheaper for almost every buyer. A resale home pays 6% transfer tax in Madrid and 10% to 13% in Catalonia, so a €300,000 second home pays €18,000 in Madrid against €30,000 in Barcelona. The gap narrows for a buyer aged 35 or under with a modest income, who pays 5% in Catalonia on a main home.

• Second home in Portugal or England (2026): which costs more to buy?

  A UK resident who already owns a home and buys a second one pays England's standard bands plus 5% of the price. The same buyer in Portugal is a non-resident there, so they pay a flat 7.5% IMT plus 0.8% stamp duty. On cheaper homes England usually takes the smaller share of the price; as the price rises England's share climbs past Portugal's flat rate. A buyer who moves to Portugal within two years can reclaim most of the IMT.

• Costa Blanca vs Costa del Sol (2026): where buying a home costs less

  For a resale home the Costa del Sol is cheaper: Andalusia charges 7% transfer tax against 9% in the Valencian Community, so a €300,000 second home pays €21,000 in Málaga province and €27,000 in Alicante province. For a new build bought as a main home it turns round: the Costa Blanca charges 0.1% stamp duty on the deed, against 1% or 1.2% in Andalusia.

• Madeira and the Azores vs mainland Portugal (2026): where buying a home costs less

  For a tax-resident buyer, a home in Madeira or the Azores pays less IMT than the same home on the mainland, or the same at the top end, because the islands' IMT brackets are 25% higher. Stamp duty, fees and the non-resident rate are the same everywhere, so a non-resident buyer pays the same in all three. Madeira and the Azores share one set of tables, so they always cost the same.

Moving abroad

• Does buying a home give residency or citizenship in Portugal, Spain or the UK? (2026)

  No. Buying a home does not by itself give a right to live in Portugal, Spain or the UK, or a path to citizenship. Portugal stopped accepting golden visa applications based on buying property from 7 October 2023 (Lei 56/2023), Spain abolished its investor visa, property route included, from 3 April 2025 (Ley Orgánica 1/2025), and the UK has no visa based on buying a home. Owning a home does not make the buyer tax resident either.

• Moving to Portugal (2026): buying a home before or after you become tax resident

  A buyer who is not yet tax resident in Portugal pays IMT at a flat 7.5% on any home bought since 25 May 2026. If they become tax resident within 2 years, they can ask the Tax Authority, within 6 months of becoming resident, to refund the difference from the normal rates. A buyer who is already resident at the deed pays the normal rates straight away, and anyone who was tax resident in Portugal before is outside the 7.5% rule.

• Moving to England and buying a home (2026): stamp duty before and after the move

  Someone who buys in England before becoming UK resident pays the 2% non-resident surcharge, and can claim it back within 2 years if they then spend 183 days in the UK within the time allowed. A buyer who still owns a home abroad also pays the 5% higher rates, unless that home was their main home and is sold within 3 years. Buyers who have never owned a home anywhere can get first-time buyer relief.

• Moving to Spain and buying a home (2026): before or after you become resident

  Spain charges the same purchase taxes whether the buyer is resident or not. What changes the bill is whether the home becomes the buyer's main home: Madrid takes 10% off the tax on a main home up to €250,000, and Andalusia charges 6% instead of 7% up to €150,000. To keep those rates the buyer must move in within 12 months and live there for 3 years.

Explainers

• Conveyancing and other fees when buying in England (2026): what each one costs

  Besides stamp duty, a buyer in England pays a conveyancer, the searches the conveyancer orders, and HM Land Registry's fee to register the new owner. Purchase quotes averaged about £1,500 including VAT and disbursements in mid 2026, according to reallymoving's index. The Land Registry fee is fixed by the price: £150 for a home from £200,001 to £500,000 registered online.

• Notary, Land Registry and lawyer fees when buying in Spain (2026)

  Notary and Land Registry fees in Spain are fixed by official scales (Real Decreto 1426/1989 and Real Decreto 1427/1989): a sliding rate on the value of the home, less 5%, plus page and copy charges and VAT. A lawyer or gestoría is not compulsory and charges a market fee.

• Deed, land registry and Casa Pronta fees in Portugal (2026)

  The cheapest official route is Casa Pronta, a registry counter that does the deed and the land registration in one visit: €375 when only the purchase is registered, €700 for a purchase with a mortgage, plus €50 for each extra property. Using a notary or a lawyer instead means their own fee for the deed plus the land registry fee of €250 for the purchase, or €500 with a mortgage.