Preparing financially
Costs of buying a home in Victoria
The complete upfront cost picture beyond your deposit — duty, registration fees, professional costs, settlement adjustments and moving costs, with an exact worked example.
- Land transfer duty is usually the largest single upfront cost, unless a first-home buyer exemption or concession applies.
- Your contract deposit is part of the purchase price, not an extra cost — the real additional costs are duty, registration fees, professional costs, settlement adjustments and moving costs.
- Duty and Land Use Victoria's registration fees can be calculated exactly; conveyancing, inspections and moving costs are quote-dependent.
Land transfer duty in Victoria
Land transfer duty (often called "stamp duty") is calculated on the property's dutiable value — generally the greater of the purchase price and market value — and is usually the largest single upfront cost for most buyers. Eligible first-home buyers in Victoria currently pay no duty on a home valued up to $600,000 (State Revenue Office Victoria, verified 7 Aug 2026), with a reduced (concessional) rate up to $750,000. Buyers who don't meet the first-home buyer criteria pay duty at the general rate (State Revenue Office Victoria, verified 29 Jul 2026) — a meaningfully larger cost to budget for.
The complete cost picture
Your contract deposit is a part-payment of the purchase price, not an additional buying cost — it counts toward what you owe, not on top of it. The genuinely additional costs fall into a few groups: government charges (duty and registration fees, which can be calculated precisely), professional costs (conveyancing, inspections — usually quote-dependent), finance costs (loan application and valuation fees, mortgage registration), settlement adjustments (council rates, water service charges, owners corporation charges and other contract-specific outgoings, apportioned between buyer and seller at settlement), and moving costs (removalists, utility connections). You may also incur inspection and contract-review costs more than once if an earlier offer or property doesn't proceed — a cost of searching, not just of the property you eventually buy.
When each cost falls due
| Stage | Costs |
|---|---|
| Before an offer or auction | Building and pest inspection, contract/Section 32 review — potentially more than once if earlier properties don't proceed |
| When the contract is signed | Contract deposit (part of the purchase price, not an extra cost) |
| Before and at settlement | Remaining purchase price, duty, transfer and mortgage registration fees, loan establishment fees, settlement adjustments, first building/contents insurance premium |
| Immediately after settlement | Removalists, utility connections, any urgent repairs |
Worked example: buying costs on a $700,000 established home
Assumptions: established (not off-the-plan) home, buyer does not qualify for a first-home-buyer duty exemption or concession, electronic (PEXA) settlement, 2026-27 Victorian fee schedule. Duty and registration fees are exact calculations; conveyancing, inspection and moving figures are labelled example quotes, not fixed charges.
| Cost | Amount |
|---|---|
| Land transfer duty (general rate: $2,870 + 6% of the excess over $130,000) | $37,070 |
| Transfer registration fee (Land Use Victoria, electronic) | $1,742.30 |
| Mortgage registration fee (Land Use Victoria, electronic) | $129.20 |
| Conveyancing / legal fees (example quote) | $900–$2,200 |
| Building and pest inspection (example quote) | $400–$900 |
| Loan application and valuation fees (example quote) | $0–$900 |
| Removalists (example quote) | $500–$3,000 |
| Utility connections (example quote) | $100–$400 |
Duty and the two Land Use Victoria registration fees alone total $38,941.50 on this example — before conveyancing, inspections, loan fees, moving costs, settlement adjustments or LMI (see the deposit guide) are added. A flat percentage rule of thumb can conceal large differences caused by duty concessions, LMI, multiple inspections and property type, which is why this table calculates duty and registration exactly rather than estimating them.
How Victoria's duty compares nationally
Land transfer duty (called "conveyance duty" or "stamp duty" in some states) is set independently by each state and territory — the same $700,000 purchase price can cost tens of thousands of dollars more or less in duty alone depending on where you buy. The figures below are each state's general (non-concessional) rate — what a buyer who doesn't qualify for a first-home-buyer concession pays, the same basis as the Victorian worked example above, so the two are directly comparable.
| State/territory | Duty on $700,000 (general rate) |
|---|---|
| ACT | $20,040 (ACT Revenue Office, verified 7 Aug 2026) |
| Queensland | $24,525 (Queensland Revenue Office, verified 7 Aug 2026) |
| New South Wales | $25,687 (Revenue NSW, verified 7 Aug 2026) |
| Tasmania | $26,747.50 (State Revenue Office Tasmania, verified 7 Aug 2026) |
| Western Australia | $27,265 (RevenueWA (Dept of Treasury and Finance, WA), verified 7 Aug 2026) |
| South Australia | $32,330 (RevenueSA, verified 7 Aug 2026) |
| Northern Territory | $34,650 (Territory Revenue Office, Northern Territory, verified 7 Aug 2026) |
| Victoria | $37,070 (State Revenue Office Victoria, verified 29 Jul 2026) |
Every state and territory also runs its own first-home-buyer duty concession or exemption and grant, which can significantly reduce these figures — Victoria's own exemption and concession, covered above, is one of the largest of the eight up to $600,000. See first-home buyer duty concessions outside Victoria for what applies in your state, or government support schemes for the full picture including cash grants.
Before you set a purchase-price ceiling
A percentage allowance is a starting point, not a final figure. Before you commit to a price, get a written funds-to-complete figure from your conveyancer and lender — this is the actual cash you'll need at settlement, combining duty, registration fees, adjustments and loan costs for your specific property and finance.
Practical checklist
Before you set a purchase-price ceiling
- Get a duty estimate for your specific price and eligibility status
- Get quotes for conveyancing/legal fees and a building & pest inspection
- Ask your lender for a full breakdown of loan-application and valuation fees
- Budget for inspection and contract-review costs on more than one property if needed
- Get a written funds-to-complete figure from your conveyancer and lender before settlement
Questions for a professional
- What is my exact duty liability at this purchase price, including any concession?
- What will your conveyancing fee cover, and what's charged separately?
- Are there any settlement adjustments I should expect beyond the purchase price?
Official resources
- State Revenue Office Victoria: land transfer duty
- Consumer Affairs Victoria: buying property
- Land Use Victoria: transfer of land fees
Sources and methodology
- First home buyer duty exemption or concession — State Revenue Office Victoria (retrieved 29 Jul 2026)
- Land transfer duty – principal place of residence (current rates) — State Revenue Office Victoria (retrieved 29 Jul 2026)
- Land transfer duty – non-principal place of residence (current rates) — State Revenue Office Victoria (retrieved 29 Jul 2026)
- Conveyance duty for non-commercial property | ACT Revenue Office — ACT Revenue Office (retrieved 7 Aug 2026)
- Transfer duty rates | Queensland Revenue Office — Queensland Revenue Office (retrieved 7 Aug 2026)
- How to calculate transfer duty | Revenue NSW — Revenue NSW (retrieved 7 Aug 2026)
- Rates of duty | State Revenue Office Tasmania — State Revenue Office Tasmania (retrieved 7 Aug 2026)
- Duties Fact Sheet - Residential Land | Western Australian Government — RevenueWA (Dept of Treasury and Finance, WA) (retrieved 7 Aug 2026)
- Rate of stamp duty | RevenueSA — RevenueSA (retrieved 7 Aug 2026)
- Land or property transfer stamp duty calculator | NT.GOV.AU — Territory Revenue Office, Northern Territory (retrieved 7 Aug 2026)
Figures on this page are drawn from Delora's local knowledge graph, refreshed from these primary sources and checked for changes on a regular schedule. If a figure here looks out of date, the official source above is always the authority — please let us know.