Calculate: All the extra costs of buying a home in Spain
Looking to buy your first property in Spain? Find out all the hidden costs involved and how much you can expect to pay on top of the purchase price.
If you're looking to buy a property in Spain, it’s important to know that things here probably work a little differently to how they do back in your home country.
The most significant factor to keep in mind is that you’ll need to pay between 10 and 12 percent of the cost of the property on top of the sales price in different fees and taxes. This is also on top of the 20 percent you need for the mortgage deposit or down payment.
This 10-12 percent extra cost is compulsory and none of these fees are optional, so there’s no way to get around them or save on the cost.
We will know break all these extra costs down individually and give you an idea of what you can expect to pay in total for a €200,000 property in Spain.
Property Transfer Tax
If you buy a pre-owned home in Spain then it will be subject to a property transfer tax called ITP or Impuesto sobre Transmisiones Patrimoniales.
The amount of this tax will depend on the region in which you are buying the property which are set by each of Spain’s 17 regions.
In 2025, these fees range from 4 percent in the Basque Country up to 10 percent in Galicia, Valencia, Catalonia and Cantabria. Most regions hover between 6 and 9 percent.
The tax is usually paid to the notary on completion of purchase.
ITP: What you need to know about property transfer tax in Spain
VAT and AJD
If you buy a new build in Spain, you will not have to pay ITP, instead you will have to pay VAT.
VAT on property purchases is 10 percent in all regions, apart from the Canary Islands where it’s 7 percent.
A second tax must be added to VAT when you buy a new home, which is known as AJD or Documented Legal Acts tax. It’s the equivalent of stamp duty in the UK and is paid by the buyer, not the seller.
AJD ranges between 0.50 percent in the Basque Country and Navarre to 1.5 percent in Murcia, Galicia, Extremadura, Valencia, Catalonia, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Cantabria and Aragón.
All other regions are either 0.75 or 1.2 percent.
CHECKLIST: The 15 steps to buying a property in Spain
Land registry fee
Once the deeds of the property have been signed by the buyer, the seller and the notary, they must be registered.
These fees are fixed by Spanish law and the cost will depend on the price of the property you purchase. Typically they are between €400 and €700.
Notary fee
The notary will also need a fee for organising the paperwork and singing the escrituras or property deeds. The notary is kind of similar to a solicitor in the UK, but the big difference is they don’t represent you, they are an intermediary between you and the seller.
They usually charge between €600 and €875, but again it depends on the price of the property.
Gestor or lawyer fees
If it’s your first time buying a property in Spain or you don’t speak Spanish well, it’s advisable to hire a gestor or a lawyer to help with the purchase. Surprisingly, Spaniards don’t always use one and may find it strange that you want to hire one, but it’s a good idea as they represent you.
These fees can vary greatly depending on the type of lawyer and firm they work for, some sources suggest around €300, while others say up to €800 for simple conveyancing.
But you'll find many lawyers charge up to the maximum allowed, which is around 1 percent of the property price for purchases over €100,000.
READ ALSO: What’s the difference between a gestor, a lawyer and a notary in Spain?
Architect and surveyor costs
This is not mandatory in Spain, and typically unless they are buying a home to renovate, Spaniards will not get a survey. This is very different to the UK, where almost everyone will get a survey done before making an offer and purchasing a property.
It’s still worth hiring one for peace of mind however, as they could save you money in the long run.
This cost can be anything from €400 for a basic report up to thousands for a large detached villa or properties that need extensive renovations.
Mortgage costs
If you need to take out a mortgage in Spain then there are several extra fees associated with this too. These could be extra charges and commissions which are between 0.5 and 1 percent of the amount you borrow. Establishment fees where an appraisal is carried out by the bank will typically be an extra €300, then there’s interest and any other associated product costs to take into account.
Some banks may also charge you a fee to either open an account or take out a mortgage and this fee can be up to 2 percent of the amount loaned.
READ ALSO: The hidden costs of taking out a mortgage in Spain
Total
To conclude, if you were to buy a property in Spain worth €200,000 then you would expect to pay an extra €20,000 to €24,000 on top of this price in fees, taking it up to around €220,000 instead of just €200,000.
It's important that you budget for this when looking for a property to buy so you know exactly how much you can afford, because it can be a significant amount to add on top.
And remember - the above calculation of initial extra fees (€20K to €24K) does not include the interest you will pay on your mortgage over the course of many years. This will depend on all manner of factors: your interest rate, the property price, how long your mortgage lasts etc
For interest's sake, a 30-year fixed 3 percent mortgage rate on a €200,000 property in Madrid, for which €60,000 (30 percent) has been paid as a down payment, will result in just under €80,000 in interest over those three decades.
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