Property Buying Cost Calculator

A property buying cost calculator for Australian buyers. Enter the price and each cost, and it adds up what you need on top of the deposit: stamp duty, registration fees, lender fees, lenders mortgage insurance, and the smaller costs that arrive at settlement. Below the tool are the real South Australian numbers to check it against, and what changes them for first home buyers.

Want a more accurate result?

Calculator results are estimates only. Stamp duty, fees and insurance depend on the property, your lender and whether you qualify for relief, and a broker can test the total against a real loan and your conveyancer’s estimate.
No fee from us for arranging your finance. No obligation. Takes 2 minutes

What this calculator is modelling

A property buying cost calculator adds the costs that sit outside the price and the deposit. The tool groups them in three places: government charges, lender fees and other buying costs. Lenders mortgage insurance is the one most buyers have never priced, so it gets its own card.

Government charges

Stamp duty, the fee to register the transfer into your name, and the fee to register your lender’s mortgage. Stamp duty is set by the state and is usually the largest of these by a wide margin.

Lender fees

The lender’s application or establishment fee, legal fees and a valuation fee. One guide puts the application fee at $200 to $700 and a valuation at $100 to $300, and some lenders waive the application fee.

Lenders mortgage insurance

Insurance that protects the lender, not you, if you borrow more than 80 per cent of the price. It can cost thousands, or tens of thousands, and some lenders let you add it to the loan. It is the cost that changes most with the size of your deposit.

Other buying costs

A conveyancer or solicitor, a building and pest inspection, a strata search on units, moving, connecting utilities, insurance, and your share of council and water rates on the day you settle. Each is small. Together they reach thousands.
Fill in every box, including the small ones. Then check your total against the price: in the South Australian example below, the costs on top of the deposit come to about 6 per cent of the price. If your figure is far from that, look for a missing line.

To see how much you could borrow first, use the borrowing power calculator, and for stamp duty on its own, the stamp duty calculator.

The deposit is not the whole number

Many buyers save a 20 per cent deposit and stop. The cash you need on settlement day is higher. On a $650,000 established home in South Australia the deposit is $130,000, and the costs on top add up to $39,746. The cash you need is $169,746, which is 26 per cent of the price, not 20.

Those costs do not come back. The deposit buys part of the home. The costs are spent. Stamp duty is charged on the price, not on your deposit, so a smaller deposit does not make it smaller.
Cash needed to settle

= deposit + stamp duty + registration fees + lender fees + lenders mortgage insurance (if paid upfront) + conveyancing, inspections and other costs

Use the contract price for the deposit and for stamp duty. If you can add lenders mortgage insurance to the loan, your upfront cash falls, but your loan is bigger.
Two things about that total are worth pausing on.

First, most of these costs have to come from your own savings. Lenders mortgage insurance is the one that some lenders allow you to add to the loan.

Second, and this is where most published advice goes wrong, a smaller deposit does not mean smaller costs. It usually adds lenders mortgage insurance, and a bigger loan. ING notes that a lender might let you borrow more so you can cover stamp duty with less deposit, and that this usually brings lenders mortgage insurance with it.

What the costs come to at five prices

Each card below takes one purchase price for an established home in South Australia and shows the costs with a 20 per cent deposit, so there is no lenders mortgage insurance. Stamp duty is the RevenueSA scale. Registration fees are the Land Services SA transfer fee for that price plus the $204 mortgage registration fee. Other costs are a flat $3,500 for conveyancing, inspections and moving.

The figures are illustrative estimates for an owner-occupier with no concessions and are not a quote.

$450,000 home

Stamp duty  $18,830
Registration fees  $4,626
Other costs  $3,500
20 per cent deposit  $90,000
Cash to settle  $116,956

costs on top of the deposit come to 6.0 per cent of the price

$550,000 home

Stamp duty  $24,080
Registration fees  $5,646
Other costs  $3,500
20 per cent deposit  $110,000
Cash to settle  $143,226

costs on top of the deposit come to 6.0 per cent of the price

$650,000 home

Stamp duty  $29,580
Registration fees  $6,666
Other costs  $3,500
20 per cent deposit  $130,000
Cash to settle  $169,746

costs on top of the deposit come to 6.1 per cent of the price

$750,000 home

Stamp duty  $35,080
Registration fees  $7,686
Other costs  $3,500
20 per cent deposit  $150,000
Cash to settle  $196,266

costs on top of the deposit come to 6.2 per cent of the price

$850,000 home

Stamp duty  $40,580
Registration fees  $8,706
Other costs  $3,500
20 per cent deposit  $170,000
Cash to settle  $222,786

costs on top of the deposit come to 6.2 per cent of the price
Read down the stamp duty line. Above $500,000 every extra dollar of price adds 5.5 cents of duty, and every extra $100,000 adds about $1,020 in registration fees. So each extra $100,000 of price adds about $6,500 of costs as well as $20,000 of deposit.

The costs stay close to 6 per cent of the price all the way up. They are not a rounding error that shrinks as you spend more. The exception is a first home buyer of a new home, covered next.

Worked example: $650,000, four ways to buy it

The figures below are illustrative and are not a rate offer, a quote, or tax advice. They show how the arithmetic behaves.

Take a $650,000 home in South Australia. Stamp duty on an established home is $29,580, registration fees are about $6,666 and other costs are $3,500, so the costs on top of the deposit are $39,746.

1. Established home, 20 per cent deposit
Deposit $130,000. No lenders mortgage insurance. Cash to settle $169,746. Loan $520,000.

2. Established home, 10 per cent deposit
Deposit $65,000, so cash before insurance is $104,746. Loan $585,000. Lenders mortgage insurance at 1 to 3 per cent of the loan is about $5,850 to $17,550, which some lenders let you add to the loan.

3. Established home, 5 per cent deposit through the Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme
For eligible first home buyers within the price cap. Deposit $32,500, no lenders mortgage insurance, cash to settle $72,246. Loan $617,500.

4. New home, eligible first home buyer, 5 per cent deposit
No stamp duty for eligible first home buyers of new homes. Deposit $32,500 plus registration and other costs is $42,666. The First Home Owner Grant of up to $15,000 would take that to $27,666.

Same price, and the cash needed ranges from $27,666 to $169,746. The loan goes the other way, from $520,000 to $617,500.
That is why the route that needs the least cash is rarely the route that costs least overall. Each step down in cash raises something else: a bigger loan, lenders mortgage insurance, or a new home rather than an established one. See what a bigger loan does to the repayment on the loan repayment calculator, and whether buying suits you at all on the rent vs buy calculator.

What the calculator does not show you

A cost total is one input into a buying decision. These are the others, and every one of them can move the answer.

Owning starts costing on day one

The calculator stops at settlement. Council rates, water, insurance and maintenance continue for as long as you own the home, and a renter does not pay them. The rent vs buy calculator puts these costs side by side with rent.

Selling or refinancing costs again

What you spend to buy is not recovered when you sell, and selling carries its own costs. Moving to a new lender has costs too. Estimate them on the property selling cost calculator and the mortgage refinance calculator.

Who you are changes the bill

In South Australia the same stamp duty scale applies to owner-occupiers, investors and first home buyers of established homes. Foreign purchasers pay an extra 7 per cent surcharge. Eligible first home buyers of a new home, an off-the-plan apartment or vacant land may pay no stamp duty, but not on an established home.

A smaller deposit costs you later

Borrowing more means a bigger repayment, more interest over the loan and often a higher rate for a higher loan to value ratio. Check what you can afford on the borrowing power calculator and compare saving longer against buying sooner on the savings goal calculator.

Before you compare quotes

Most buying cost calculators stop at one total. Ask your conveyancer for an estimate of every settlement cost early, ask each lender which fees it will waive and what lenders mortgage insurance would cost on your deposit, and ask whether you qualify for stamp duty relief or a grant before you choose between a new and an established home. Then keep a buffer for the costs nobody quotes.
Related tools on this site: stamp duty calculator, borrowing power calculator, rent vs buy calculator, loan repayment calculator and the property selling cost calculator.

If you want the numbers checked against a real loan, see first home buyer loans, buying a home or home loans in Adelaide.
Sources
RevenueSA: Rate of stamp duty, Stamp duty relief for first home buyers and the First home owner grant.
Land Services SA: Document lodgement fees 2026-27 and the Transfer registration fee scale.
Finder: Costs of buying a house or unit; NerdWallet: Costs of buying a house; ING: Getting real about home buying costs; Aussie: How does stamp duty work in SA.
ABC News: The expanded first home buyer scheme explained and Mozo: Home Guarantee Scheme guide, for the 5% deposit scheme.

About the figures on this page. Stamp duty is the RevenueSA scale, for example $21,330 plus 5.50 per cent of the amount above $500,000, which gives $29,580 at $650,000. Registration fees are the Land Services SA transfer registration fee from its 2025-26 scale, the latest available when this page was built ($6,462 at $650,000, rising $102 for each further $10,000 of price, so expect it to be a little higher now), plus the $204 mortgage registration fee for 2026-27. Other costs of $3,500 and lenders mortgage insurance at 1 to 3 per cent of the loan are illustrative assumptions, not quotes, and the registration fee may differ on a transfer with no stamp duty payable.
Important information. This page and calculator provide general information only. They are not credit, financial or tax advice and do not take your objectives, financial situation or needs into account. Results are estimates based on the figures you enter and the assumptions stated on this page. Stamp duty, fees, lenders mortgage insurance, grants and government schemes vary by state, lender and property and change over time, and eligibility is decided by the relevant body, so check the current rules before you rely on them. Mentioning a scheme or product feature is not a recommendation of any product. Loanity is a credit representative and can provide credit assistance once we understand your situation.
STILL GOT QUESTIONS?

Property buying cost questions, answered

How much do I need on top of my deposit to buy a house?

In South Australia, about 6 per cent of the price on an established home. On a $650,000 home the costs on top of the deposit come to about $39,746: stamp duty of $29,580, registration fees of about $6,666 and $3,500 for conveyancing, inspections and moving. Lenders mortgage insurance is extra if you borrow more than 80 per cent.

It is charged on a sliding scale by RevenueSA. The top bracket is $21,330 plus $5.50 for every $100 or part of $100 over $500,000, so a $650,000 home pays $29,580. The same scale applies to owner-occupiers, investors and first home buyers of established homes. The stamp duty calculator shows yours.

Not on a new home, an off-the-plan apartment or vacant land if they are eligible, as RevenueSA offers relief for those. On an established home there is no first home buyer relief and full duty applies. Check eligibility with RevenueSA before you choose between a new and an established home.

A one-off payment of up to $15,000 for eligible first home owners buying or building a new home to live in, according to RevenueSA. It is separate from stamp duty relief and you apply for each separately. You must live in the home as your principal place of residence for at least six continuous months. Eligibility rules change, so confirm them with RevenueSA.

It protects the lender if you borrow more than 80 per cent of the price and cannot repay. One guide puts the cost at 1 to 3 per cent of the loan, so on a $585,000 loan that is about $5,850 to $17,550. You usually pay it once, and some lenders let you add it to the loan. The bigger your deposit, the less you pay, and above 20 per cent you usually pay none.

Possibly. The Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme, also called the First Home Guarantee, lets eligible first home buyers buy with a 5 per cent deposit without paying lenders mortgage insurance. Since October 2025 it has had no income cap and no cap on places, but price caps apply, it is accessed through participating lenders and you still pay stamp duty on an established home. Your loan is larger, so check the repayment.

Two fees go to Land Services SA. The transfer registration fee is set by the price, and on the 2025-26 scale it was $6,462 for a $650,000 home, rising $102 for each further $10,000. The mortgage registration fee is $204 for 2026-27. Your conveyancer will confirm both for your purchase.

Usually only some of them. Lenders mortgage insurance can often be added to the loan. Stamp duty, registration and conveyancing generally have to come from your own savings, although a lender might let you borrow more against a smaller deposit, which usually brings lenders mortgage insurance with it. Ask your broker what each lender allows.

In South Australia the stamp duty scale is the same for owner-occupiers and investors, but first home buyer relief and the grant are for a home you will live in. Foreign purchasers pay a 7 per cent foreign ownership surcharge on top of duty. Investors may also face land tax, which the tool covers as a separate line.

We do not charge you a fee for arranging your home loan. Brokers are generally paid a commission by the lender when the loan settles. Lenders may charge their own establishment, annual or package fees, and those are disclosed to you before you commit. If any fee from us would ever apply, you would be told in writing beforehand.