The true cost to buy and own a home
The cash you need to settle and what it costs each month after, in any state, each figure from its own source.
True cost calculator
Cash you need to buy
$192,059
Your $150,000 deposit plus $42,059 in stamp duty and registration fees. Add your quotes below to complete it.
Then each month
$3,655
$3,655 loan repayments. Add your running costs below for the full cost.
We could not work that out.
The numbers on this page have not changed. Try different numbers, or reload the page. The rates, thresholds and worked examples on this page do not need the calculator.
Cash to buy a $750,000 home in each state
Established home, 20% deposit of $150,000. The $600,000 loan costs $3,655 a month everywhere (6.15%, 30 years).
| State or territory | First home buyer: duty and fees | First home buyer: cash | Not a first home: duty and fees | Not a first home: cash |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | $365 | $150,365 | $28,302 | $178,302 |
| Victoria | $42,059 | $192,059 | $42,059 | $192,059 |
| Queensland | $14,075 | $164,075 | $22,750 | $172,750 |
| Western Australia | $24,825 | $174,825 | $30,341 | $180,341 |
| South Australia | $42,987 | $192,987 | $42,987 | $192,987 |
| Tasmania | $29,359 | $179,359 | $29,359 | $179,359 |
| Australian Capital Territory | $19,888 | $169,888 | $19,888 | $169,888 |
| Northern Territory | $37,487 | $187,487 | $37,487 | $187,487 |
Sources for this table
(Revenue NSW, verified 27 Sep 2026) (Revenue NSW, verified 27 Sep 2026) (NSW Land Registry Services, verified 27 Sep 2026) (State Revenue Office Victoria, verified 18 Sep 2026) (Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel (Victoria), verified 27 Sep 2026) (Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel (Victoria), verified 27 Sep 2026) (Queensland Revenue Office (Queensland Treasury), verified 27 Sep 2026) (Queensland Revenue Office (Queensland Treasury), verified 27 Sep 2026) (Queensland Titles Registry Pty Ltd, verified 27 Sep 2026) (Queensland Revenue Office (Queensland Treasury), verified 27 Sep 2026) (Department of Treasury and Finance (RevenueWA), verified 27 Sep 2026) (Department of Treasury and Finance (RevenueWA), verified 27 Sep 2026) (Parliamentary Counsel's Office (Western Australia), verified 27 Sep 2026) (RevenueSA, verified 1 Oct 2026) (Land Services SA, verified 1 Oct 2026) (State Revenue Office Tasmania, verified 27 Sep 2026) (Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (Land Titles Office), verified 27 Sep 2026) (ACT Parliamentary Counsel's Office, verified 27 Sep 2026) (ACT Parliamentary Counsel's Office, verified 27 Sep 2026) (Parliamentary Counsel, Northern Territory, verified 1 Oct 2026) (Parliamentary Counsel, Northern Territory, verified 1 Oct 2026)
The default example, explained
A first home buyer paying $750,000 for an established home in Victoria needs about $192,059 in cash: a $150,000 deposit (20%, which keeps the loan at the level above which lenders mortgage insurance may apply (ASIC (Moneysmart), verified 22 Oct 2026)) plus $42,059 in stamp duty and registration fees (State Revenue Office Victoria, verified 18 Sep 2026) (Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel (Victoria), verified 27 Sep 2026) (Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel (Victoria), verified 27 Sep 2026). At this price the first home buyer concession no longer applies, so someone who has owned a home before pays the same.
Borrowing the other $600,000 over 30 years at 6.15%, the average rate on new owner-occupier loans (Reserve Bank of Australia, verified 22 Oct 2026), costs $3,655 a month. Owning it adds council rates, the Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund, water service charges, insurance and, for an apartment, owners corporation levies: choose the council in the calculator to add the Victorian government charges, and enter your own figures for the rest.
Contract dated 1 October 2026. Conveyancing, inspections, loan fees and lenders mortgage insurance are not included: they depend on your quotes.
Every cost, and where its figure comes from
Each cost keeps its own line and says where its number comes from; anything that would have to be guessed is left out.
| Cost | When | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Deposit | Once | Your own figure. The calculator starts at the deposit that keeps the loan at the lenders mortgage insurance threshold. Deposit, LVR and LMI |
| Stamp duty, concessions and grants | Once | Worked out from each state’s own rules for the price, buyer, property and contract date. Stamp duty calculator |
| Land registry fees | Once | The transfer and mortgage registration fees each state publishes. Duty and registration at settlement |
| Lenders mortgage insurance | Once | Flagged when the loan is above the threshold. Not costed: insurers don’t publish premiums. Lenders mortgage insurance |
| Conveyancing, inspections, loan fees | Once | Your quotes. Never estimated. Complete buying costs |
| Loan repayments | Monthly | Principal and interest at your rate and term, plus what a rate rise would do. Borrowing power calculator |
| Council rates and charges | Yearly | Victoria: each council’s adopted 2026-27 budget, times the valuation. Elsewhere: your rates notice. Council rates and services |
| Emergency Services and Volunteers Fund | Yearly | Victoria: the State Revenue Office’s residential charge and rate. Check an address |
| Water service charges | Yearly | Victoria: your water corporation’s 2026-27 service charges. Usage isn’t included. Ongoing costs of home ownership |
| Land tax | Yearly | Investments only. Victoria: the State Revenue Office scale on the site value you enter. Land tax by state |
| Owners corporation levies | Yearly | From the owners corporation certificate. Never estimated. Checking the owners corporation |
| Building insurance | Yearly | Your quote. For an apartment it is usually part of the levies. Insurance for homeowners |
| Maintenance, contents insurance, utilities | Ongoing | Not included: they depend on the property and how you live in it. Building a maintenance buffer |
The yearly cost of owning it
For a Victorian home, choose the council and the water corporation and the calculator works out the yearly government charges from each one’s adopted 2026-27 budget or price list, the same figures Address Check shows for a single address. Every rate is quoted from the published document and checked against an archived copy before it is used. Charges follow the property’s council valuation (capital improved value); until you enter it from the rates notice or the Section 32, the calculator uses the price, and says so.
Outside Victoria we don’t yet hold council or water charges, so the calculator asks for the figure from the rates notice or the seller’s disclosure documents instead of guessing one. The same goes for owners corporation levies and insurance everywhere: the owners corporation certificate and a quote are the only reliable sources, so the total lists them as not included until you add them.
Land tax is only shown for an investment: a home you live in is generally exempt. For a Victorian investment, enter the site value to add land tax on that property alone. Land tax is charged on everything the owner holds, so it may be higher than that. See land tax by state.
Frequently asked
How much cash do I need to buy a $750,000 home?
In Victoria, a first home buyer with a 20% deposit needs about $192,059 before conveyancing and inspections; a buyer who has owned before needs about $192,059. The table above shows every state. (State Revenue Office Victoria, verified 18 Sep 2026) (Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel (Victoria), verified 27 Sep 2026) (Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel (Victoria), verified 27 Sep 2026)
Does the calculator include lenders mortgage insurance?
No. It tells you when your loan is above the level where a lender may charge it, but insurers don't publish premiums, so it gives no figure. (ASIC (Moneysmart), verified 22 Oct 2026)
Are council rates included?
For Victorian councils whose 2026-27 rates we hold, yes: choose the council. For other councils and other states, enter the yearly figure from the rates notice.
Is anything I enter saved?
No. Nothing is stored or sent to us. Your numbers stay in the page's address, so a copied link keeps them.
Related
Sources and methodology (40)
- Save for a house deposit | Moneysmart.gov.au — ASIC (Moneysmart) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Lenders' Interest Rates | RBA — Reserve Bank of Australia (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Choosing a home loan | Moneysmart.gov.au — ASIC (Moneysmart) (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Australian Government 5% Deposit Scheme | First Home Buyers — Housing Australia (retrieved 22 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Principal place of residence exemption | Revenue NSW — Revenue NSW (retrieved 7 Aug 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Land tax current rates | State Revenue Office Victoria — State Revenue Office Victoria (retrieved 8 Aug 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Land tax rates for individuals | Queensland Revenue Office — Queensland Revenue Office (retrieved 7 Aug 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Land Tax Fact Sheet - Private Residences | Western Australian Government — RevenueWA (Dept of Treasury and Finance, WA) (retrieved 7 Aug 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Residential exemptions | RevenueSA — RevenueSA (retrieved 7 Aug 2026). Licence: CC BY 3.0 AU
- Rates of land tax | State Revenue Office Tasmania — State Revenue Office Tasmania (retrieved 7 Aug 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Land tax exemptions | ACT Revenue Office — ACT Revenue Office (retrieved 7 Aug 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Territory Revenue Office (TRO) | Department of Treasury and Finance — Territory Revenue Office, Northern Territory (retrieved 7 Aug 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- How to calculate transfer duty — Revenue NSW (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Past thresholds and rates for transfer duty — Revenue NSW (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme — Revenue NSW (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- First Home Buyers Assistance Scheme (consumer-facing, with the FY2026-27 reduced-rate worked table) — NSW Government (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- 2026/27 Fees Update — NSW Land Registry Services (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Land transfer duty – non-principal place of residence (current rates) | State Revenue Office — State Revenue Office Victoria (retrieved 16 Sep 2026, last checked 18 Sep 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Transfer of Land (Fees) Regulations 2016, S.R. No. 29/2016, Authorised Version No. 008 — Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel (Victoria) (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Licence: Victorian legislation — free reuse per legislation.vic.gov.au copyright notice
- Victoria Government Gazette No. S 234 — Monetary Units Act 2004 notice (fee unit 2026-27) — Treasurer of Victoria (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Licence: State of Victoria copyright — reproduction permitted with acknowledgement
- Monetary Units Act 2004, Authorised Version No. 008 — Office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel (Victoria) (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Licence: Victorian legislation — free reuse per legislation.vic.gov.au copyright notice
- Transfer duty rates | Queensland Revenue Office — Queensland Revenue Office (Queensland Treasury) (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Transfer duty home concession rates | Queensland Revenue Office — Queensland Revenue Office (Queensland Treasury) (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Titles Registry Fees FY2026/27 | Queensland Titles Registry — Queensland Titles Registry Pty Ltd (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Transfer duty assessment — Department of Treasury and Finance (RevenueWA) (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- First Home Owner Rate of Duty — Fact Sheet 00817495 (as at 28 July 2026) — Department of Treasury and Finance (RevenueWA) (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Duties Act 2008 (WA), consolidation 03-y0-00 — Parliamentary Counsel's Office (Western Australia) (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Transfer of Land Regulations 2004 (WA), consolidation 05-w0-00 — Parliamentary Counsel's Office (Western Australia) (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Licence: CC BY 4.0
- Rate of stamp duty — RevenueSA (retrieved 1 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Stamp Duties Act 1923 (SA), Version: 15.9.2026 — SA Office of Parliamentary Counsel (retrieved 1 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Fees and Charges 2026-2027 (Real Property (Fees) Notice 2026 / Registration of Deeds (Fees) Notice 2026) — Land Services SA (retrieved 1 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Transfer Registration Fees as at 1 July 2026 (Industry Ad Valorem Fees 2026-27) — Land Services SA (retrieved 1 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Rates of duty | State Revenue Office Tasmania — State Revenue Office Tasmania (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Land Titles Office Brief Schedule of Fees, effective 1 July 2026 — Department of Natural Resources and Environment Tasmania (Land Titles Office) (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Taxation Administration (Amounts Payable--Duty) Determination 2026 — ACT Parliamentary Counsel's Office (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Land Titles (Fees) Determination 2026 (No 2) — ACT Parliamentary Counsel's Office (retrieved 27 Sep 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Stamp Duty Act 1978 (NT), reprint REPS013, as in force at 1 July 2025 — Parliamentary Counsel, Northern Territory (retrieved 1 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Registration Regulations 2009 (NT), as in force at 1 July 2026 — Parliamentary Counsel, Northern Territory (retrieved 1 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Revenue Units Act 2009 (NT), as in force at 1 July 2022 — Parliamentary Counsel, Northern Territory (retrieved 1 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
- Value of a revenue unit from 1 July 2026 (WebSearch synthesis of a Cloudflare-blocked treasury.nt.gov.au/nt.gov.au page) — Territory Revenue Office (secondary corroboration only) (retrieved 1 Oct 2026). Reuse terms: see the publisher's site
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.