Money · 2 July 2026 · 5 min read
The 10 to 13 percent rule, explained once.
Every guide to buying in Spain repeats the same advice: budget 10 to 13% on top of the price. Almost none of them explain where the number comes from, which is why buyers either over-provision by €15,000 or get caught short. Here is the anatomy.
The stack
Buying a resale in Andalusia, you pay: transfer tax (ITP) at 7% of the price, your independent lawyer at roughly 1% plus VAT, the notary and Land Registry (usually €1,200 to €2,000 combined), and small administrative costs for NIE numbers and power of attorney. Total: about 8.5 to 9.5%. Call it 9.
Buying new-build, the tax line changes: 10% VAT (IVA) plus 1.2% stamp duty (AJD) instead of the 7% ITP. Same professional fees on top. Total: about 12.5 to 13%. That is the entire mystery of the range: resale sits near the bottom, new-build defines the top.
What moves the number
A mortgage adds a valuation (a few hundred euro) and typically a 1% arrangement fee on the loan, though since 2019 the bank pays the loan's own taxes and registry costs. Currency conversion is the invisible line for anyone funding from sterling or dollars: get it wrong and it outweighs the notary several times over. And furniture, first repairs and utility connections are not purchase costs, but the first month spends like one.
Use the calculator instead
Rules of thumb are for pub conversations. For your actual budget, our cost calculator does the line-by-line sum at any price, resale or new-build, with or without a mortgage. Thirty seconds, and your search suddenly has a real ceiling.