Compare French notary fees between two départements for the same purchase
Two properties either side of a départemental border do not cost the same fees.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy
French notary fees on the same purchase change from one département to another, because each départemental council votes its transfer tax rate. The comparison tool calculates the full fees in two départements for the price you enter and shows the gap in euros. Between Paris, at 5%, and Indre, the only département at 3.80%, it reaches €3,685 on a €300,000 resale property. Between a 5% département and one of the eleven still at 4.50%, it is about 0.51% of the price. Neighbouring pairs with different rates are rare but real: Alpes-Maritimes and Var, Oise and Val-d’Oise, Drôme and Isère, Charente and Charente-Maritime. For a first-time buyer, most gaps disappear. It is most useful if you are searching near a départemental border. The table below lists six such pairs.
Difference in fees for the same property
€3,685
more in Paris than in Indre
| Département | Transfer tax rate | Total fees |
|---|---|---|
| Paris | 6.319 % | €23,516 |
| Indre | 5.09 % | €19,831 |
Neighbours that did not vote the same rate
| Pair | Rates | Fees on €300,000 | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nice or Toulon | 4.50 % / 5.00 % | €21,981 / €23,516 | €1,536 |
| Oise or Val-d’Oise | 4.50 % / 5.00 % | €21,981 / €23,516 | €1,536 |
| Drôme or Isère | 4.50 % / 5.00 % | €21,981 / €23,516 | €1,536 |
| Saône-et-Loire or Côte-d’Or | 4.50 % / 5.00 % | €21,981 / €23,516 | €1,536 |
| Charente or Charente-Maritime | 4.50 % / 5.00 % | €21,981 / €23,516 | €1,536 |
| Indre or Indre-et-Loire | 3.80 % / 5.00 % | €19,831 / €23,516 | €3,685 |
When the comparison makes sense
The fee gap matters most to a buyer searching in an area that straddles two départements: the Rhône valley between Drôme and Isère, the hinterland between Alpes-Maritimes and Var, the area north of Paris between Oise and Val-d’Oise. At the same price, the property on the side of the département still at 4.50% costs a few thousand euros less to buy. Elsewhere, almost all of France is at 5%, and the département no longer makes much difference.
The comparison also works the other way round: a seller in a département still at 4.50% can point out to buyers that fees are lower than a few kilometres away. And the gap shrinks to nothing for a first-time buyer, who pays 4.50% wherever the 5% rate was voted.
What the tool assumes
A resale purchase, at the same price in both départements, with identical disbursements. It does not include differences in property prices, property tax or loan guarantee costs. For a new-build purchase there is no point comparing: the reduced tax is the same everywhere in France.