What will it really cost to buy?
Every pound of cash you need to complete — the deposit, the Stamp Duty and the fees that stack on top.
The purchase
Where the cash goes
The cash it takes to complete
A £300,000 purchase with a 20% deposit needs £69,200 of actual cash on the defaults above: £60,000 deposit, £5,000 of stamp duty, and £4,200 across legal work, survey, lender fee and removals. First-time buyers do better, £64,200, because their stamp duty on this price is zero. The deposit gets all the planning attention, and then the other several thousand pounds turns up in the same fortnight, which is precisely the fortnight nobody wants a surprise in.
Where the smaller numbers hide
Conveyancing quotes often exclude the searches, land registry fees and bank transfer charges that appear on the completion statement. Surveys range from a lender's basic valuation to a full structural report, and on older property the expensive one is usually the cheap one. Mortgage arrangement fees can be added to the loan, where they quietly accrue interest for 25 years; paying them upfront is almost always cheaper if the cash exists. Leasehold flats add management pack fees on the way in and ground-rent enquiries that can slow everything down.
Sizing the whole project
Tax is the piece that moves most with price and circumstance: the stamp duty calculator handles England and Northern Ireland with first-time buyer relief and the second-home surcharge, with Scottish and Welsh equivalents for those markets. And before any of it, the affordability calculator confirms the target price is one a lender will actually finance.
Common questions
What are the upfront costs of buying a house?
Beyond the deposit, expect Stamp Duty (on purchases above the threshold), conveyancing and legal fees, a survey, any mortgage arrangement fee, and removals. Together these commonly add several thousand pounds on top of the deposit, which this calculator totals up.
How much is Stamp Duty when buying a home?
For a home mover in England or Northern Ireland it is 0% up to £125,000, 2% to £250,000, 5% to £925,000 and more above. First-time buyers pay nothing up to £300,000. Scotland and Wales use their own systems — see the LBTT and LTT calculators.
Do first-time buyers pay less to buy?
Usually yes, because first-time buyer Stamp Duty relief removes the tax up to £300,000 (and part of it to £500,000) in England and Northern Ireland. Choose “first-time buyer” to see the effect on the total cash you need.
These results are estimates for general information only and are not financial advice. Property decisions have real consequences — check every figure and take appropriate professional advice before acting. Read the full disclaimer.