Number format: this calculator uses German notation throughout — a comma is the decimal separator and a dot groups thousands. “1.234,56” means one thousand two hundred thirty-four euros and fifty-six cents. The figures come from German tax law, so they are shown the way German authorities write them.
Purchase costs
Buying property adds substantial costs on top of the purchase price. This calculator shows them for all 16 federal states: the Grunderwerbsteuer at the substantiated state rate, plus notary, land registry and agent as adjustable guide figures. At the end stands the amount you need to borrow — one click carries it into the loan calculator.
Purchase costs
48.280,00 €
equals 12,07 % of the purchase price — to be raised on top of it.
| Real estate transfer tax | 26.000,00 € | 6,5 % · statutory (North Rhine-Westphalia) |
|---|---|---|
| Notary costs | 6.000,00 € | 1,5 % · Guide figure |
| Land registry costs | 2.000,00 € | 0,5 % · Guide figure |
| Agent's commission | 14.280,00 € | 3,57 % · Guide figure |
| Total purchase costs | 48.280,00 € | 12,07 % |
| Purchase price | 400.000,00 € |
|---|---|
| + purchase costs | 48.280,00 € |
| Total cost | 448.280,00 € |
| − own funds | 100.000,00 € |
| Amount to borrow | 348.280,00 € |
Work through the amount to borrow in the loan calculator →
- The transfer tax is the only item fixed by law — its rate is set by the federal state and is substantiated here. Notary, land registry and agent costs are adjustable guide figures: notary and land registry follow the GNotKG and depend on the transaction value, while the agent's commission is freely negotiable and varies by region.
- These purchase costs normally have to come out of your own funds — banks usually lend only against the purchase price. The amount to borrow shown here can be carried into the loan calculator.
Terms used on this page
Each term has its own page with a plain-language explanation, the technical detail and a worked example.
- Purchase costs (Erwerbsnebenkosten) — The costs on top of the purchase price: transfer tax, notary, land registry and any agent, usually 9 to 15 percent.
- Real estate transfer tax (Grunderwerbsteuer) — Tax on buying land or property — each federal state sets its own rate, between 3,5 and 6,5 percent.
How the figures are calculated
Only the transfer tax is fixed by statute
The rates of the 16 federal states are set out in state statutes and are held here with their sources — they run from 3,5 % to 6,5 %. Everything else is a guide figure, and the calculator labels them expressly as such.
Notary, land registry, agent: adjustable guide figures
Notary and land registry costs follow the GNotKG and depend on the transaction value and the specific instruments; a general percentage is an approximation. The agent's commission is freely negotiable and has been shared between the parties for residential property since 2020.
Purchase costs cannot be financed like the purchase price
Banks generally will not finance them — they have to come out of your own funds. So the calculator states the total cost and the equity needed separately.
Example: 400.000 € purchase price in North Rhine-Westphalia
| Transfer tax (6,5 %, statutory) | 26.000,00 € |
|---|---|
| Notary + land registry (guide figures) | 8.000,00 € |
| Agent's commission (guide figure) | 14.280,00 € |
| Total purchase costs | 48.280,00 € |
12,07 % of the purchase price on top — and mostly out of your own funds. In Bavaria, with 3,5 % transfer tax, it would be around 36.000 €.
What this calculator does not cover
Pretending to be complete is the costliest mistake a financial calculator can make. These points are deliberately absent — either because they need details this page does not ask for, or because they cannot be substantiated in general terms:
- Exact notary costs. The GNotKG scales by transaction value and type of instrument; the percentage here is a guide figure.
- Modernisation and renovation costs, moving, a kitchen, a surveyor.
- The annual property tax after the purchase — that is a running cost, not a cost of acquisition.
Related calculators
- Loan calculator — financing the purchase price, including follow-on financing
- Gross to net — which instalment the household's net income supports