Free tool

How much do you really need saved to buy a home in Spain?

The deposit isn't the only thing the mortgage won't pay. There are the purchase taxes and fees, due in cash on signing day. This calculator uses your region's rates, verified one by one against the official gazette.

What you pay the seller
Optional. Left empty, the price is used
Share of the price, usually 80%

And now: can you get to that figure?

That is the real question, and a calculator doesn't answer it. Seeing month by month whether your current saving pace gets you there by the date you want to sign does. In Cuéntamo you set the goal with the full figure and check it without rebuilding the spreadsheet every time.

Start for free → See Cuéntamo for the home

Why the tax isn't based on the price you pay

Since 2022, the taxable base for transfer tax on a property is the reference value assigned by the Catastro, not the price in the deed. The price only wins if it is higher: the larger of the two figures is taken, so the rule never plays in your favour.

That's why the calculator asks for both. Your property's reference value is public and takes two minutes to look up on the Catastro's electronic office with the cadastral reference. Checking it before signing the deposit contract is the difference between knowing what you'll pay and finding out with the tax return in front of you.

What the mortgage doesn't cover

The gap between regions is huge

Transfer tax is set by each region and runs from 6% in Madrid to 13% in the top band of Catalonia and the Balearic Islands. Five regions don't apply a flat rate but a scale by value, and each computes it differently. On top of that, in the three Basque chartered territories a home is not taxed at the 7% that applies to property in general, but at 4%, and at 2.5% if it is no larger than 120 m².

Most regions also have reduced rates for main homes, young buyers, large families or disability, each with its own value and income limits. The calculator applies them and tells you which condition you would have to meet.

The full worked numbers, with the legal references at the foot, are in the taxes and costs of buying a home.

Frequently asked questions

On top of the 20% the bank won't lend, the purchase taxes and fees. On a €200,000 flat with an 8% transfer tax, the savings needed go from €40,000 to about €58,600, nearly 29% of the price. The exact share depends mostly on your region's rate.
There is no single age: each region sets it. It's 30 in Illes Balears; 35 in Andalucía, Aragón, Asturias, Cataluña, Comunitat Valenciana and Madrid; 36 in Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y León, Extremadura and Galicia; and 40 in La Rioja and the Region of Murcia. Canarias is the only one with no reduced rate for young buyers. Most also require the home to be your main residence and its value to stay under a cap (from Aragón's €100,000 to Illes Balears' €270,151), and some add an income limit. Watch the fine print: where the rate drops to almost zero (Castilla y León's 0.01% or Madrid's 100% relief) it's usually tied to the size of the town, not just your age.
Not necessarily: it is paid on the Catastro reference value, unless the price or the declared value is higher, in which case the larger of the two applies. If the property has no reference value, you go back to the greater of declared value, price and market value.
The loan deed is the bank's business: notarial fees, registering the security, conveyancing and the stamp duty on the loan. You pay the appraisal. The purchase deed, its registration and its conveyancing are the buyer's.
Because there the 7% is the rate for property in general, but a home is taxed at 4%, and at 2.5% if it is no larger than 120 m² of built area. It isn't a reduced rate with personal requirements: it is the rate that applies to almost any home purchase.
Yes, and it is worth keeping the invoices. The taxes and fees of the acquisition add to your acquisition value, so they reduce the capital gain the day you sell. And if you rent the property out, they feed the base of the 3% annual depreciation.

Rates verified in September 2026, article by article, against the consolidated text of each regional and chartered rule.

This tool is indicative and does not replace professional advice. Notary, registry and conveyancing costs are estimates and depend on the value and the specific deed. Reduced rates carry further requirements (effective residence periods, income caps, sale of the previous home) that are not checked here. When in doubt, ask your adviser or your territory's tax authority.

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