Upfront Costs of Buying a Home Calculator

How much cash you need to buy: your deposit plus stamp duty, title registration fees, LMI and the usual professional costs, for every state.

State or territory

Purchase price ($)

Deposit ($)The part of the price you pay yourself. The rest is borrowed.

I'll live in it (my home) First home buyer New home (never lived in) Changes stamp duty for first home buyers in Queensland and South Australia, and for house and land packages in the Northern Territory. Buying with the 5% Deposit Scheme The Australian Government scheme for first home buyers: no LMI with a deposit from 5%, under a price cap.

Area Sets the 5% Deposit Scheme price cap.

Add LMI to the loan instead of paying it upfront

Typical costs (estimates: change them to match your quotes)

Conveyancing and legal ($)Fees plus searches and settlement costs. Often $800 to $3,800 in total.

Building and pest inspection ($)Usually $400 to $900. Strata reports cost extra.

Loan application fee ($)Many lenders charge nothing; others up to about $900 with valuation.

Other costs ($)Moving, council and water rates adjustments, insurance and anything else.

Total cash needed

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Deposit–

Upfront costs–

Stamp duty–

Loan amount–

Loan to value ratio (LVR)–

Next: repayments on this loan

Estimate only. Stamp duty and registration fees are 2026-27 government rates checked 15 Oct 2026 (revenue office, land titles office). LMI is an estimate from one lender's published premium table; professional costs are typical amounts, not quotes. Not financial advice.

Breakdown of your upfront cash

Item	Amount	Source

Upfront Costs of Buying a Home: how it works

Rates checked 15 Oct 2026 against each state's revenue office and land titles office 2026-27 fee schedules.

Buying a home takes more cash than the deposit. This adds up the deposit, stamp duty (with home and first home buyer concessions), the land titles office fees to register the transfer and register the mortgage, an estimate of lenders mortgage insurance if you borrow more than 80%, and typical conveyancing, building and pest inspection and loan application costs that you can change.

Stamp duty and registration fees are 2026-27 government rates, checked 15 Oct 2026. Registration fees for 2026-27: NSW $182.73 for the transfer and $182.73 for the mortgage; Queensland $248.04 plus $46.56 per $10,000 over $180,000 for the transfer, and $248.04 for the mortgage; South Australia's transfer fee rises $105 per $10,000; Tasmania $256.76 and $167.58; the ACT $496 and $184; WA's mortgage fee is $225.10.

Some fees are estimates because the office publishes only a calculator or document: Victoria's transfer and mortgage fees, WA's transfer fee and South Australia's mortgage fee. Northern Territory registration fees aren't included. LMI and the typical costs are estimates too, not quotes.

General information only, not financial, tax or credit advice. Check your situation with the ATO, your state revenue office or a licensed adviser.

Upfront Costs of Buying a Home FAQs

How much cash do I need to buy a $750,000 home in NSW?

About $122,080 with a 10% deposit: the $75,000 deposit plus $47,080 in costs. That's $27,937 stamp duty, $365 in registration fees, about $15,977 LMI and $2,800 for conveyancing, inspection and loan fees. A first home buyer using the 5% Deposit Scheme pays no duty and no LMI, so needs about $40,665 with a 5% deposit.

What are the upfront costs besides the deposit?

Stamp duty is usually the biggest. Then come the transfer and mortgage registration fees, LMI if your deposit is under 20%, conveyancing, a building and pest inspection and any loan application fee. On a $650,000 Queensland home with a 10% deposit they come to about $34,485.

How much are title registration fees in 2026-27?

In NSW, $182.73 each to register the transfer and the mortgage. In Queensland the transfer is $248.04 plus $46.56 per $10,000 over $180,000 ($2,436 on $650,000), plus $248.04 for the mortgage. Victoria's and South Australia's transfer fees also rise with the price.

Can I add LMI to my loan to need less cash?

Usually, yes. Tick the box to move LMI out of your cash total and into the loan. You'll pay interest on it, and it raises your loan amount.

Are the conveyancing and inspection costs accurate?

They're typical amounts, not quotes: $1,800 for conveyancing and legal, $600 for a building and pest inspection and $400 for a loan application fee. Change them to match your quotes; many lenders charge no application fee.