With an agent, often about 10 to 12 percent of the purchase price. On €450,000 that is a little over 11 percent: €27,000 of transfer tax, €6,750 to €9,000 for the notary and land registry, and about €16,065 for the agent.
Property Purchase Costs Calculator for Germany
This calculator adds the closing costs when buying property in Germany: property transfer tax (Grunderwerbsteuer) for the state where the property sits, an estimate for notary and land registry fees, and, if you choose it, the buyer's usual share of the agent commission. Berlin is the default.
How this calculator works
Take a purchase price of €450,000, the example in the cost of buying property in Berlin. Berlin’s property transfer tax is 6 percent, so €27,000. Notary and land registry fees in that same reckoning are about 1.5 to 2 percent, €6,750 to €9,000. With an agent, the buyer’s share is about 3.57 percent including VAT, around €16,065. Together that is roughly €50,000, a little over 11 percent of the price. Without an agent the same guide puts the range nearer 7.5 to 8.5 percent.
The transfer tax is the state’s rate on the consideration, in practice usually the purchase price. Notary and land registry fees here are an estimate, not a fee invoice. The notary’s bill depends on the deed, the land-registry applications, and the transaction value. The agent share appears only when you choose yes. It is the usual buyer’s share, not a statutory fee on every contract.
The rates sit in each state’s law. For Berlin, the Senate Department of Finance states 6 percent since 1 January 2014. How tax, notary, and agent differ in the purchase itself is in Berlin transfer tax (Grunderwerbsteuer). How the monthly loan payment sits next to these costs is in mortgage financing in Berlin.
Property transfer tax by state
As of October 2026. The rate follows the state where the property is located, not where the buyer lives. States can change the rate. Check it before the notary appointment.
| State | Rate | In effect since |
|---|---|---|
| Baden-Württemberg | 5 % | 5 November 2011 |
| Bavaria | 3.5 % | federal statutory rate |
| Berlin | 6 % | 1 January 2014 |
| Brandenburg | 6.5 % | 1 July 2015 |
| Bremen | 5.5 % | 1 July 2025 |
| Hamburg | 5.5 % | 1 January 2023 |
| Hesse | 6 % | 1 August 2014 |
| Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania | 6 % | 1 July 2019 |
| Lower Saxony | 5 % | 1 January 2014 |
| North Rhine-Westphalia | 6.5 % | 1 January 2015 |
| Rhineland-Palatinate | 5 % | 1 March 2012 |
| Saarland | 6.5 % | 1 January 2015 |
| Saxony | 5.5 % | 1 January 2023 |
| Saxony-Anhalt | 5 % | 1 March 2012 |
| Schleswig-Holstein | 6.5 % | 1 January 2014 |
| Thuringia | 5 % | 1 January 2024 |
Common questions
Because the buying-cost guide gives 1.5 to 2 percent as an orientation, not a fixed fee. The notary’s bill depends on the transaction value and the applications. The calculator therefore shows the lower and upper end.
The buyer’s 3.57 percent share drops out. Transfer tax and the notary and land registry estimate remain. In Berlin that range then sits nearer 7.5 to 8 percent of the purchase price.
No. Berlin is 6 percent. Bavaria is 3.5 percent, and several states are 6.5 percent. What counts is the state where the property is located. The table on this page lists the current rates.
No. Commitment interest, a survey, the move, and later repairs are missing. Transfer tax is usually due about a month after the assessment, often before the bank pays the purchase price.