Cost of Buying a House in Portugal: the Full Budget for 2026
The price is the first number. It is not the last.
The cost of buying a house in Portugal is the price plus a second, smaller budget that buyers often discover late: transfer tax, stamp duty, the deed, the registration, the costs of the loan, and then the taxes and charges of ownership. For a resident buying with a mortgage, these come to roughly six per cent of the price before professional fees, and more for a second home or a buyer who lives abroad. This guide lists every line, says who pays it, and works through one example at 2026 rates. For the full tax tables, see our guide to property taxes in Portugal.
The taxes on the purchase: IMT and stamp duty
Two taxes are paid before the deed, both calculated on the higher of the price and the property's tax value. IMT, the municipal transfer tax, replaced the old sisa, a tax with medieval roots, in 2004. For homes it is progressive, with brackets updated each year: in 2026, a permanent home is exempt up to €106,346, and the marginal rate rises to 8% before a flat 6% applies above €660,982 and a flat 7.5% above €1,150,853. A second home pays 1% from the first euro. Since 25 May 2026, a non-resident buyer pays a flat 7.5%, refundable in part on conditions: see our guide for foreign buyers.
Stamp duty, the imposto do selo, adds 0.8% on the same base. Both are paid through the Tax Authority before signing, and the receipts are shown at the deed.
The deed and the registration
The sale can be signed before a notary, as a private document authenticated by a lawyer or solicitor, or at a Casa Pronta desk of the land registry. Notaries set their own fees, which vary with the act. Casa Pronta has fixed prices: €375 for a purchase with a single registration, €700 when there is also a mortgage, and €50 for each additional property, with taxes paid separately. If the deed is signed elsewhere, registering the purchase costs €225 online or €250 at the counter, and the mortgage is registered too. A permanent land registry certificate, needed during the checks, costs €15 online.
A lawyer is not compulsory, but most buyers, and almost every buyer from abroad, use one for the checks, the promissory contract and the deed. Fees are agreed freely, so ask for a written quote at the start. See our note on the CPCV.
The cost of the mortgage
A loan adds its own costs. Stamp duty of 0.6% falls on the amount borrowed when the term is five years or more, and stamp duty of 4% falls on interest and bank commissions. The bank charges for its valuation and for processing the file, according to its published price list. It will usually require life insurance and home insurance. Under the Banco de Portugal's recommendation for loans signed from 1 August 2026, the loan can reach 90% of the value for a permanent home and 80% for any other purpose, so the deposit and the purchase costs must come from the buyer's own funds.
Six per cent, give or take, before anyone has moved a single box.
A worked example: €400,000 in Lisbon
A resident aged 40 buys an apartment in Lisbon for €400,000 as a permanent home, with a tax value below the price, and borrows €320,000 over thirty years. The deed is signed at a Casa Pronta desk. IMT is €400,000 × 8% minus €13,763.35, that is €18,236.65. Stamp duty on the purchase is €3,200. Stamp duty on the loan is €1,920. Casa Pronta, with the purchase, the mortgage and both registrations, is €700. Total: €24,056.65, or about 6% of the price, before the lawyer, the bank's fees and the insurance.
Change one fact and the figure moves. As a second home, IMT rises to €19,300.11. For a non-resident, it is €30,000. For a buyer aged 35 or under buying a first permanent home, it falls to €5,556.88, with stamp duty of €555.69.
Under 35: the exemption
Since August 2024, under Decree-Law 48-A/2024, buyers aged 35 or under pay no IMT and no stamp duty on the purchase of their first permanent home up to €330,539 in 2026. Between €330,539 and €660,982 they pay only on the part above the threshold. Above €660,982 there is no relief. The buyer must not be a dependant for income tax, must not have owned a home in the previous three years, must live in the house within six months and keep it as a permanent home for six years, with some exceptions. There is no income limit. The exemption does not cover the stamp duty on the loan.
Who pays the estate agent
The agency's commission is owed by whoever signed the mediation contract with it, and only when the sale is completed. In Portugal that is usually the seller, and so is the energy certificate. A buyer pays a commission only if he has hired an agent of his own. See our guide to mediation contracts and commission.
After the keys: IMI, condominium, works
Ownership has its own budget. IMI, the annual municipal tax, is 0.3% to 0.45% of the tax value of an urban property, as set by each municipality, and is owed by whoever owns the property on 31 December: a buyer who completes in November pays the whole year, billed the following year. In a building, ask the seller for the administrator's statement of condominium charges and debts before the deed: a buyer who waives it takes on the seller's debts to the condominium. Then come the removal, the furniture, and often works, which in an old Lisbon apartment deserve their own estimate: see our guide to restoring an old house.
Wiseguys Properties can walk you through these figures before you make an offer. To see a property in Lisbon, such as The Diplomat in Arroios, or to plan a purchase, contact us. For the sequence of the purchase, read buying property in Portugal, step by step.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to buy a house in Portugal on top of the price?
For a resident buying a permanent home with a mortgage, about 6% of the price in taxes and registration, plus lawyer, bank fees and insurance. A second home or a non-resident buyer pays more IMT.
What is IMT in Portugal?
The municipal property transfer tax, paid by the buyer before the deed on the higher of the price and the tax value. Rates for homes go up to 8%, with flat rates of 6% and 7.5% at the top.
Who pays the estate agent's commission in Portugal?
Whoever signed the mediation contract, usually the seller. The buyer pays only if he has hired his own agent.
Are there notary fees in Portugal?
Yes, but they are modest compared with the taxes. A Casa Pronta purchase with a mortgage and its registrations costs €700; notaries set their own fees.
Do young buyers pay IMT?
Buyers aged 35 or under buying a first permanent home pay no IMT or stamp duty up to €330,539 in 2026, and partial tax up to €660,982.
This article is general information as of October 2026 and does not replace legal or tax advice. Figures for mainland Portugal. Sources: Autoridade Tributária, Ofício-Circulado 40129/2026 (IMT tables 2026); Decreto-Lei 97/2026; Decreto-Lei 48-A/2024; Stamp Duty General Table; Instituto dos Registos e do Notariado, Casa Pronta and land registry fees; Banco de Portugal, macroprudential recommendation from 1 August 2026; Lei 15/2013; Civil Code, article 1424-A. Photographs: Wiseguys Properties.
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