Total cost of buying property in France 2026: every fee and tax added up
What you actually pay, excluding the loan: each item calculated with the rule that governs it, in your département.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy
Buying a home in France costs more than the advertised price. On top come the notary fees, mostly transfer tax at a rate set by each département; the estate agency commission when the buyer pays it; a refund to the seller of the share of the year’s property tax still to run; and, depending on the project, works and the development tax on a new build or extension. For a house at €280,000 net to the seller in the Loire-Atlantique, with €12,000 of commission paid by the buyer, €10,000 of works and a property tax of €1,300, completed on 1 July, the total reaches €324,692, including €22,041 of notary fees and €652 of property tax refunded to the seller. The calculator adds these items using this site’s engines; mortgage costs, which depend on the bank, come on top.
Total cost of the purchase
€324,692
Including €34,692 of costs and taxes, 12.4 % of the price
| Net seller price | €280,000 |
| Agency fees paid by you | €12,000 |
| Notary fees (incl. €17,692 transfer tax) | €22,041 |
| Property tax refunded to the seller (signing on 1 July) | €652 |
| Works | €10,000 |
| Total cost, excluding the loan | €324,692 |
Excluding loan arrangement, guarantee and insurance costs, which depend on the bank.
Same price, new or resale: the real cost
Difference in costs
€14,569
| Total cost, resale | €280,565 |
| Total cost, new build | €265,996 |
| Costs as a share of price (resale) | 7.9 % |
The items, in the order of the notary’s statement
After the price, the largest item is nearly always the notary fees. The name misleads newcomers: about four fifths is transfer tax passed to the département, the municipality and the State, at the rate the département voted for 1 June 2026. The rest pays the notary under a regulated tariff, funds the land registry and covers disbursements. The calculator includes them all, with the first-time buyer rule that keeps the rate at 4.50% in départements that moved to 5%.
Next comes the agency commission when the listing says the buyer pays it. How it is presented matters: paid by the buyer and shown separately in the deed, it stays outside the base for transfer tax; included in a fees-included price paid to the seller, it is taxed. In our example, the same commission costs €885 more when it is built into the price.
Third, the property tax refund. The seller owned the home on 1 January and will receive the year’s notice; the deed makes you refund the days left after completion. Completing in July means refunding about half the annual tax; in December, almost nothing. Finally come works in the year of purchase and, if you build or extend, the development tax.
| Département | Net seller price | Agency | Notary fees | Property tax refund | Total cost | Costs and taxes / price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | €350,000 | €15,000 | €27,205 | €602 | €392,806 | 12.2 % |
| Gironde | €280,000 | €12,000 | €22,041 | €602 | €314,642 | 12.4 % |
| Loire-Atlantique | €250,000 | €10,000 | €19,827 | €602 | €280,429 | 12.2 % |
| Indre | €120,000 | €6,000 | €8,763 | €602 | €135,364 | 12.8 % |
Why each item needs its own rule
Calculators that quote one global percentage apply a single rule to costs that follow four. Transfer tax follows the département’s rate; the commission follows the agency’s scale; the property tax refund follows the number of days; the development tax follows the rates voted by the town and the département. Adding averages gives a total that is wrong twice: in amount, and in what you can negotiate. The table shows how much the département alone changes the bill at the same price.
New build or resale
On a new build, notary fees drop to about 2.3 % of the price, against 7.9 % on a resale home in the Loire-Atlantique, because VAT-able sales pay a reduced tax. Property tax is often exempt for two years, wholly or partly depending on the town, and the PTZ zero-interest loan is available in every zone. New builds bring other costs instead: utility connections, development tax on a house you have built, landscaping.
What stays outside the total
The calculation deliberately stops at costs that do not depend on the loan. Arrangement fees, the loan guarantee, borrower insurance and any broker’s fee come on top, according to the bank’s offer. For buyers moving from abroad, add currency conversion, international transfer charges and, for a second home, the taxe d’habitation that French second homes still pay. Keep a margin: the notary’s final statement is only issued after the sale has been registered.