Home Buying Costs Calculator
Add up the cash you need before transfer: deposit, SARS transfer duty, attorney fees and the bank initiation fee.
Purchase and costs
Worked example
These are the calculator's starting values, so the results above match this example until you change an input.
Buying a R 2 000 000 home with a R 200 000 deposit means a bond of R 1 800 000. Transfer duty on that price is R 33 786, and the bank initiation fee is R 6 037,50 (the legal maximum, which most banks charge).
Before attorney fees that is R 239 823,50 in cash. Add your conveyancer's quotes for transfer and bond registration, which depend on the price and the bond amount.
What the costs are
- Deposit: the part of the price the bond does not cover.
- Transfer duty: a SARS tax worked out from the price with the 2026/27 table. No duty applies up to R 1 210 000, or when the seller charges VAT.
- Transfer attorney fees: the conveyancer's fee for registering the home in your name, plus VAT, Deeds Office fees and disbursements.
- Bond registration fees: the bond attorney's fee for registering the home loan, plus VAT and Deeds Office fees.
- Bank initiation fee: the lender's once-off fee. The National Credit Act caps it at R 6 037,50 including VAT for a home loan, and many banks let you add it to the bond.
Attorney fees depend on the price and the bond amount, so ask the conveyancer and the bank for a written estimate and enter those figures above. If you pay cash, leave the deposit equal to the price: bond registration and initiation fees are then left out.
Transfer duty rates checked on 12 October 2026 against SARS: transfer duty rates. They apply from 1 March 2026 to 28 February 2027 and are unchanged from the year before. Rates usually change from 1 March after the February Budget. This page is general educational information, not tax or financial advice.
Related calculators
Transfer Duty Calculator
SARS transfer duty on any price, with the 2026/27 rates.
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Deposit as a share of the price.
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Monthly bond repayment and total interest.
Open calculator →Frequently asked questions
How much cash do I need to buy a house in South Africa?
Your deposit plus transfer duty, attorney fees for the transfer and the bond, and the bank initiation fee. For a R 2 000 000 home, transfer duty alone is R 33 786.
Are transfer costs included in the bond?
Usually not. Banks normally expect transfer duty and attorney fees in cash. The initiation fee can often be added to the loan.
Does the seller pay any costs?
The seller usually pays the estate agent's commission, compliance certificates (such as electrical) and the cost of cancelling their own bond.
Do I pay transfer duty on a new development?
Not if the developer is a VAT vendor. VAT is then included in the price instead, but you still pay attorney fees.