Home buying costs calculator

The price is not the only cost of buying a home. See the deposit, transfer duty and fees you need in cash, using the SARS transfer duty table.

From your attorney. We do not publish a fee table until one can be sourced officially.

Inspection, rates clearance, moving, repairs, anything else you expect.

Cash you need on transfer day

R 201 786

Deposit
R 180 000
Transfer duty
R 21 786
Attorney and Deeds Office fees
R 0
Other once-off costs
R 0
Bond amount
R 1 620 000

Attorney and Deeds Office fees are not included yet. Add the quotes you have so the total is complete.

Estimates only. Not financial advice.

Where the cash goes

How the home buying costs calculator works

Last updated 10 November 2026

Buying a home costs more than the deposit. On transfer day you also pay transfer duty to SARS, your attorney’s fees, the bond registration fees and Deeds Office charges. This calculator adds them up so you know how much cash you need.

How it works

  • Transfer duty comes from the SARS table kept on this site, applied bracket by bracket. It is zero on a purchase below the first bracket.
  • Attorney, bond registration and Deeds Office fees are the quotes you type in. The calculator counts the bond registration quote only when a bond is needed.
  • Cash needed = deposit + transfer duty + fees + other costs.

Worked example

With the starting figures:

  1. The price shown needs a bond of R 1 620 000.
  2. Transfer duty is R 21 786.
  3. With the deposit of R 180 000, the cash needed is R 201 786.

How to read your result

The headline is the cash you need on transfer day, on top of the bond. With the starting figures, the bond is R 1 620 000 and the cash needed is R 201 786.

The bond amount is the price less your deposit. It is shown for information and is not part of the cash total, because the lender pays it. The donut chart shows how the cash splits between the deposit, transfer duty, fees and other costs.

Costs that are easy to forget

The deposit and transfer duty are the big items. Smaller once-off costs add up, and many are not known until you are well into the purchase. The Other costs box is for them. Examples include:

  • A home inspection before you sign.
  • Rates clearance and similar municipal charges.
  • Moving costs.
  • Repairs or painting before you move in.
  • Insurance for the home.

Transfer duty or VAT

Transfer duty applies when you buy a home from a private seller. When you buy a new home from a developer who is registered for VAT, the price already includes VAT and no transfer duty is payable. Tick the box in the calculator for that case.

Which rule applies to your purchase depends on the seller and the contract. Your attorney or the seller can tell you, and the SARS website has the official rules.

Why the fee boxes start at zero

Attorney and Deeds Office fees depend on the price, the attorney and the bond. This site does not publish a fee table until one can be sourced from an official schedule, so it asks for your quotes instead. Until you add them, the total is incomplete, and the calculator says so.

Ask for the transfer quote and the bond registration quote in writing, so the figures you enter are the ones you will actually be charged.

Things to watch

  • Add your attorney’s quotes. Until then the total is incomplete.
  • Your bond provider may need a larger deposit than you planned for. Ask before you commit.
  • Duty tables change. The site shows the date its figures were last checked.

To see what the bond will cost each month, use the bond repayment calculator. For the duty alone, see the transfer duty calculator.

Questions people ask

Is transfer duty always payable?

No. If you buy new from a VAT-registered developer, VAT is included in the price and no transfer duty is payable. Tick the box in the calculator for that case.

Why are attorney fees blank?

Conveyancing and bond registration fees depend on the property price and your attorney. We do not publish a fee table until one can be sourced from an official guideline, so the calculator asks for your attorney’s quote.

Which costs are missing?

Moving, repairs, insurance and municipal clearance figures differ for every purchase. Use the Other costs box to add them.

Transfer duty calculatorTransfer duty on a property purchase, bracket by bracket.Bond repayment calculatorMonthly repayments, total interest and the effect of paying extra.Bond affordability calculatorRoughly how much house your income could buy.

Figures last checked on 10 November 2026 for the 2026/27 tax year. Sources: STBB – Tax tables 2026/27, ooba – Transfer duty 2026.

Estimates only, based on 2026/27 figures. Not financial advice. Read the full disclaimer.