{"id":730,"date":"2026-10-06T18:21:41","date_gmt":"2026-10-06T14:51:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/liasam.com\/blog\/spain-property-buying-costs\/"},"modified":"2026-10-06T18:46:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-06T15:16:38","slug":"spain-property-buying-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/liasam.com\/en\/blog\/spain-property-buying-costs\/","title":{"rendered":"The real cost of buying a home in Spain: what to budget beyond the price"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"730\" class=\"elementor elementor-730 elementor-727 elementor-bc-flex-widget\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2hro e-con-full lx-route lx-ar-hero lx-hero e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a2hro\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2hin e-con-full lx-rt-in e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a2hin\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2hww elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a2hww\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<nav class=\"lx-rt-bc\"><a href=\"\/en\/\">Home<\/a><span>\/<\/span><a href=\"\/en\/blog\/\">Journal<\/a><span>\/<\/span><em>Buying property<\/em><\/nav><span class=\"lx-rt-file\">Buying property<\/span><h1 class=\"lx-ar-h1\">The real cost of buying a home in Spain: what to budget beyond the price<\/h1><p class=\"lx-ar-deck\">The asking price is not everything you pay. There are taxes, notary, registry and legal fees too. Here we work out the numbers for the Costa del Sol and Andalusia, simply and with examples.<\/p><p class=\"lx-ar-meta\">6 October 2026 \u00b7 8 min read<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2fig e-con-full lx-route lx-ar-fig e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a2fig\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2fin e-con-full lx-rt-in e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a2fin\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2img lx-ar-img elementor-widget elementor-widget-image\" data-id=\"a2img\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"image.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/liasam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/blog-buying-costs.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full wp-image-739\" alt=\"Costs of buying a home in Spain: contract, calculator and house keys\" srcset=\"https:\/\/liasam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/blog-buying-costs.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/liasam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/blog-buying-costs-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/liasam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/blog-buying-costs-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/liasam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/blog-buying-costs-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/liasam.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/blog-buying-costs-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2bdy e-con-full lx-route lx-ar-body e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a2bdy\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2bin e-con-full lx-rt-in e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a2bin\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2bww elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a2bww\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lx-ar-g\"><aside class=\"lx-ar-toc\"><span class=\"lx-rt-eb\">In this article<\/span><ol><li><a href=\"#resale\">Resale homes: transfer tax<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#newbuild\">New builds: VAT<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#fees\">Notary, registry, lawyer and the rest<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#examples\">Two worked examples<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#yearly\">Annual costs after you buy<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#proposal\">About the 100% tax headlines<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#tips\">How to avoid surprises<\/a><\/li><\/ol><a class=\"lx-ar-toc__cta\" href=\"\/en\/contact\/\">Talk to an adviser<\/a><\/aside><article class=\"lx-ar-txt\"><div class=\"lx-ar-sum\"><span class=\"lx-rt-eb\">In short<\/span><ul><li>For a resale home in Andalusia, budget roughly 9% of the price for purchase costs.<\/li><li>New builds cost more, because you pay 10% VAT instead of transfer tax.<\/li><li>Annual running costs also belong in the budget from day one.<\/li><\/ul><\/div><h2 id=\"resale\">Resale homes: transfer tax<\/h2><p>When you buy from a previous owner you pay property transfer tax (ITP). In Andalusia, which includes Marbella and the whole Costa del Sol, it is a flat <strong>7%<\/strong> of the price, regardless of the buyer&#8217;s nationality.<\/p><h2 id=\"newbuild\">New builds: VAT<\/h2><p>Buying directly from a developer replaces ITP with two other taxes: <strong>10%<\/strong> VAT (IVA) and stamp duty (AJD), which is about <strong>1.2%<\/strong> in Andalusia. That is why costs on a new build usually run a few points higher.<\/p><h2 id=\"fees\">Notary, registry, lawyer and the rest<\/h2><table class=\"lx-ar-tbl\"><tr><th>Cost<\/th><th>Roughly<\/th><\/tr><tr><td>Notary<\/td><td>Hundreds to a few thousand euros<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Land Registry<\/td><td>Hundreds to a few thousand euros<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Independent lawyer<\/td><td>Usually around 1% + VAT<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>NIE, translations, admin<\/td><td>A few hundred euros<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Valuation and bank fees (with a mortgage)<\/td><td>Variable<\/td><\/tr><\/table><p>Notary and registry fees follow official scales based on the price. Legal fees are not regulated: always ask for a fixed, written quote before you start.<\/p><h2 id=\"examples\">Two worked examples<\/h2><h3>A \u20ac1,000,000 resale villa<\/h3><table class=\"lx-ar-tbl\"><tr><td>Transfer tax (7%)<\/td><td>\u20ac70,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Lawyer (1% + VAT)<\/td><td>about \u20ac12,100<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Notary and registry<\/td><td>about \u20ac3,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Admin and sundries<\/td><td>about \u20ac1,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><th>Total<\/th><th>about \u20ac86,000 (8.6%)<\/th><\/tr><\/table><h3>A \u20ac1,000,000 new-build apartment<\/h3><table class=\"lx-ar-tbl\"><tr><td>VAT (10%)<\/td><td>\u20ac100,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Stamp duty (about 1.2%)<\/td><td>about \u20ac12,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><td>Lawyer, notary, registry, sundries<\/td><td>about \u20ac16,000<\/td><\/tr><tr><th>Total<\/th><th>about \u20ac128,000 (12.8%)<\/th><\/tr><\/table><p>These figures are estimates. For any specific home we give you a precise written estimate before you sign a reservation.<\/p><h2 id=\"yearly\">Annual costs after you buy<\/h2><ul><li><strong>IBI:<\/strong> the yearly municipal property tax, based on the cadastral value.<\/li><li><strong>Community fees:<\/strong> significant in gated communities and buildings with shared pools and gardens.<\/li><li><strong>Rubbish collection and home insurance.<\/strong><\/li><li><strong>Non-resident income tax:<\/strong> if you are not tax resident in Spain, you pay a small annual tax on &#8220;deemed income&#8221;, even if you do not let the property.<\/li><\/ul><h2 id=\"proposal\">About the 100% tax headlines<\/h2><p>In 2025 the Spanish government proposed a tax of up to 100% of the property value for non-EU buyers who do not live in Spain. The proposal has stalled in parliament and had not been approved at the time of writing. We will update this article if that changes.<\/p><h2 id=\"tips\">How to avoid surprises<\/h2><ol><li>Set aside about 10% of the price for a resale home and about 13% for a new build.<\/li><li>Ask for a written estimate of all costs before paying a deposit.<\/li><li>If you also plan to apply for residency, keep your financial-proof budget separate.<\/li><li>Include annual costs when you calculate rental yield.<\/li><\/ol><p class=\"lx-ar-note\">This article is general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules and figures may change.<\/p><\/article><\/div>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2rel e-con-full lx-route lx-ar-relw e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a2rel\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2rin e-con-full lx-rt-in e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a2rin\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2rww elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a2rww\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lx-rt-head\"><span class=\"lx-rt-eb\">Read next<\/span><\/div><nav class=\"lx-ar-rel\"><a href=\"\/en\/buying-property-in-spain\/\"><strong>Buying in Spain, step by step<\/strong><em><\/em><\/a><a href=\"\/en\/blog\/spain-golden-visa-ended-what-now\/\"><strong>The golden visa has ended: what now?<\/strong><em><\/em><\/a><a href=\"\/en\/properties\/\"><strong>All properties<\/strong><em><\/em><\/a><\/nav>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2cta e-con-full lx-route lx-rt-cta e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a2cta\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2cin e-con-full lx-rt-in e-flex e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"a2cin\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a2cww elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"a2cww\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"lx-rt-cta__t\"><span class=\"lx-rt-eb\">Have a question?<\/span><h2 class=\"lx-rt-h2\">Let&#8217;s look at your case together<\/h2><p>Every family is different. A short conversation is enough to know where to start.<\/p><\/div><a class=\"lx-rt-btn lx-rt-btn--brass\" href=\"\/en\/contact\/\">Book a consultation<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Transfer tax, notary, registry, lawyer and annual costs: what buying on the Costa del Sol really costs beyond the price, with two worked examples.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":739,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[117],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-buying"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/liasam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/liasam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/liasam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liasam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liasam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=730"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/liasam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":733,"href":"https:\/\/liasam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/730\/revisions\/733"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liasam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/739"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/liasam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liasam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/liasam.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}