The Costs of Buying a House in QLD: The Full List for 2026
Besides the price, the costs of buying a house in QLD are transfer duty, Titles Queensland registration fees, legal and search costs, inspections, and your lender’s charges. Transfer duty is usually the largest of them. On a $750,000 established home, the government charges alone come to $22,750 for an owner-occupier, before legal fees, inspections or loan costs.[1][2]
This guide lists every cost a Queensland buyer should budget for, who charges it and when you pay it. It then works through the same purchase for an owner-occupier, a first home buyer and an investor, so you can see how much your circumstances change the bill. It uses the 2026–27 Titles Queensland fees and the Queensland Revenue Office rates current in October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Transfer duty is the biggest cost. What you pay depends on whether the home is to live in, whether it is your first home, and whether it is new.
- Titles Queensland charges a fee to register the transfer that rises with the price, plus a separate fee to register your mortgage.
- Legal and conveyancing fees, searches, building and pest inspections, and lender fees are quoted, not fixed, so get quotes early.
- A deposit below 20% usually means lenders mortgage insurance, and insurance on the home may be a condition of the loan.[7]
- Investors pay transfer duty at the general rates, and may pay land tax each year on top.
The costs at a glance
Most of these costs fall due between signing the contract and settlement. The table shows who charges each one and how it is worked out. The sections below explain each line.
| Cost | Charged by | How it is worked out |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer duty | Queensland Revenue Office | Rate tables by price, with concessions for homes and first homes[3] |
| Transfer registration | Titles Queensland | A set fee plus an amount for every $10,000 over $180,000[2] |
| Mortgage registration | Titles Queensland | A set lodgement fee, if you borrow |
| Legal or conveyancing fees | Your solicitor or conveyancer | Quoted, plus sundry expenses |
| Searches | Titles Queensland, council and other authorities | Per search, usually arranged by your conveyancer |
| Building and pest inspections | Licensed inspectors | Quoted per inspection |
| Loan costs | Your lender | Application, establishment and valuation fees, which vary by lender |
| Lenders mortgage insurance | Your lender’s insurer | Usually applies when the deposit is below 20% |
| Insurance | Your insurer | Often required by the lender before settlement |
| Rates and water adjustments | Settled between buyer and seller | Shown on the settlement statement |
For your own numbers, the IPS purchase calculator adds transfer duty and buying costs to a purchase price in a few seconds.
Transfer duty: the biggest cost
Transfer duty (still called stamp duty by most people) is charged on the dutiable value of the property, usually the price. The Queensland Revenue Office sets two scales that matter for most buyers:
- The general rates apply to investors and anyone who does not qualify for a concession. Between $540,000 and $1,000,000, duty is $17,325 plus $4.50 for each $100 over $540,000.[3]
- The home concession rates apply if you are buying a home to live in. In the same band, duty is $10,150 plus $4.50 for each $100 over $540,000.[1]
First home buyers
First home buyers get more. For an established home under a contract signed on or after 9 June 2024, a first home concession amount is deducted from the home concession duty. It is $17,350 for a home up to $709,999.99, tapers in steps above that, and is nil from $800,000.[1]
For a new home, the first home (new home) concession reduces duty to nil, with no value cap, for contracts dated 1 May 2025 or later. You must move in within 1 year of settlement. For transactions from 1 August 2026, it is limited to Australian citizens, permanent residents and specified foreign retirees.[4]
Grants and federal schemes for first home buyers are covered in our guides to first home buyer schemes in 2026 and preparing to buy your first home in Queensland. Our stamp duty and land tax guide goes deeper on the duty rules.
Foreign buyers
Foreign persons, including companies and trusts, pay an additional 8% duty when they buy residential land in Queensland, on top of transfer duty.[3]
Your name goes on the title when the transfer is registered with Titles Queensland, and the fee rises with the price. In the 2026–27 schedule, lodging a transfer of one lot costs $248.04, plus $46.56 for each $10,000 or part of $10,000 of the price above $180,000.[2] On a $750,000 house that is $2,901.96.
If you borrow, the mortgage is registered too. The same schedule lists $248.04 for lodging most other instruments, which is the fee to budget for a standard mortgage.[2] The fee for releasing the seller’s mortgage is the seller’s cost, not yours, and Queensland abolished mortgage duty in 2008.[5]
Your solicitor or conveyancer prepares the transfer, runs the searches, works out the settlement figures and settles for you. Agree the cost before they start, including the sundry expenses they charge on top of their professional fee.[5]
The searches cost money as well. Fees are paid to Titles Queensland, the local council and other authorities.[5] In Brisbane, for example, a rates or water balance enquiry has to be made before settlement. A rates balance is free online, but search fees apply when your conveyancer orders it as part of a full inspection of council records.[6]
Those balances matter because council rates and water charges are shared between buyer and seller at settlement. If the seller has paid ahead, you repay their share for the days you will own the home; if they are behind, the arrears come off what you pay. Your conveyancer shows these adjustments on the settlement statement.
A building inspection looks for structural problems, damp, electrical safety issues and likely repair costs, and a pest inspection looks for termites and other pests. Moneysmart suggests arranging both during the cooling-off period.[7] In Queensland, a building and pest condition in the contract gives you a deadline to do this, and inspectors quote per property, so book early.
Two property types bring extra costs:
- A house with a pool. If the seller gives you a Form 36 (notice of no pool safety certificate) instead of a certificate, you must get a pool safety certificate within 90 days of settlement, and the barrier must comply at all times. Check the QBCC pool register before you sign.[8] Any repairs to the barrier are your cost.
- A unit or townhouse. Budget for a search of the body corporate records as well, so you know the levies, the sinking fund and any planned special levies before you commit. For a shared pool, the body corporate must get the certificate.[8]
Borrowing adds its own costs. Banks and other lenders may charge loan establishment fees and valuation fees, and may charge you for their solicitors’ work on the mortgage documents.[5] Compare the fees as well as the interest rate when you choose a loan.
The deposit you put down also drives cost. A 20% deposit can help you avoid paying lenders mortgage insurance, which protects the lender, not you, if you cannot repay. Some smaller-deposit options may still avoid it.[7] Below 20%, ask your broker or lender for the premium in dollars, and whether it is paid upfront or added to the loan.
At auction, you pay a deposit on the day, for example 10% of the price.[7] That is part of the price rather than an extra cost, but it has to be ready as cleared funds or a deposit bond. Our guide to vendor bids at auction covers the auction rules. Insurance on the home may be a condition of your loan, so arrange it before settlement.[7]
Here are the government charges on the same $750,000 house for four buyers, using the 2026–27 Titles Queensland fees and the Queensland Revenue Office rates. Each buyer is borrowing, so each pays the mortgage registration fee.[3][1][4][2]
| Buyer | Transfer duty[1][3][4] | Transfer registration[2] | Mortgage registration[2] | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner-occupier, established home | $19,600 | $2,901.96 | $248.04 | $22,750.00 |
| First home buyer, established home | $10,925 | $2,901.96 | $248.04 | $14,075.00 |
| First home buyer, new home | Nil | $2,901.96 | $248.04 | $3,150.00 |
| Investor | $26,775 | $2,901.96 | $248.04 | $29,925.00 |
How the duty figures work: the home concession duty is $10,150 plus $4.50 for each $100 of the $210,000 above $540,000, which is $19,600. The first home buyer of an established home deducts the $8,675 first home concession for the $750,000 band, leaving $10,925. The investor pays the general rates: $17,325 plus the same $9,450, which is $26,775.[3][1]
Add the quoted costs to these totals: legal fees, searches, inspections, loan fees, any mortgage insurance, insurance on the home, and moving. They vary with the property and your lender, so get quotes before you make an offer.
An investment property starts with higher duty, because the home concession does not apply; in the example, that is $7,175 more than an owner-occupier pays on the same house.[3][1] After that comes land tax, an annual cost.
Land tax applies to individuals, companies and trusts on the land they own at midnight on 30 June each year. Your home is generally exempt. The tax is worked out on a sliding scale above a threshold, and the rates and thresholds can change each year, so check the current figures with the Queensland Revenue Office before you buy.[9] The IPS investment calculator helps you test the numbers on a rental property.
Treat the buying costs as part of your purchase budget, not something to find later. A practical order of work:
- Work out your transfer duty and registration fees for your price range with the purchase calculator, or the other IPS calculators.
- Get a written quote from a solicitor or conveyancer, including their sundry costs.
- Ask your broker or lender for the loan fees, the valuation fee and any mortgage insurance premium, in dollars.
- Get prices for building and pest inspections, and for a pool or body corporate check if the property needs one.
- Keep a buffer for rates and water adjustments, insurance and moving.
Prices vary widely across South East Queensland, so the duty band you land in can move your costs by thousands of dollars. Our Brisbane suburb reports are a starting point for matching suburbs to your budget.
IPS Buyer’s Agents works only for buyers. Our buyer’s agent services include researching and negotiating the property, coordinating your building and pest inspection, and working with your broker or bank and your solicitor through to settlement. So the costs above are planned for from the start, not discovered at the end. Tim Allen, who leads IPS, is also a qualified finance broker, and we work across Brisbane, Moreton Bay and the rest of South East Queensland.
The price is only part of what you pay. Transfer duty, Titles Queensland fees, legal and search costs, inspections and loan costs all land before or at settlement, and they differ a lot between an owner-occupier, a first home buyer and an investor. Work them out for your own situation before you make an offer, and you will know your real limit.
This article is general information only, current at October 2026. It is not legal, financial or tax advice and does not consider your circumstances. Duty rates, concessions and fees change, so confirm them with the Queensland Revenue Office, your solicitor or conveyancer, and your lender before you act.
If you would like help working out what a purchase will really cost, and finding the right property within it, book a time with Tim Allen.
- Queensland Revenue Office — Home concession rates (updated 31 July 2026)
- Titles Queensland — Titles Registry fees FY2026/27
- Queensland Revenue Office — Transfer duty rates (updated 25 June 2026)
- Queensland Revenue Office — First home (new home) concession (updated 31 July 2026)
- Queensland Law Handbook (Caxton Legal Centre) — Outlays when buying a home
- Brisbane City Council — Rates and water balance enquiries
- Moneysmart — Buying a house (updated 14 October 2026)
- QBCC — Buy, sell or lease a property with a pool
- Queensland Revenue Office — Land tax
How much does it cost to buy a $750,000 house in Queensland on top of the price?
The government charges come to $22,750 for an owner-occupier buying an established home with a loan: $19,600 transfer duty at the home concession rates, $2,901.96 to register the transfer and $248.04 to register the mortgage under the 2026–27 fees. Legal fees, searches, inspections, loan fees and any mortgage insurance come on top, so get quotes for those.
Do first home buyers pay transfer duty in Queensland?
It depends on the home. For a new home, the first home (new home) concession reduces duty to nil for contracts dated 1 May 2025 or later, with no value cap. For an established home, a first home concession is deducted from the home concession duty: $17,350 up to $709,999.99, tapering to nil from $800,000.
Who pays the Titles Queensland registration fees?
The buyer pays to register the transfer into their name and to register their own mortgage. In 2026–27 the transfer fee is $248.04 plus $46.56 for each $10,000 of the price above $180,000. The fee to release the seller’s existing mortgage is the seller’s cost.
When do I pay transfer duty in Queensland?
The buyer pays transfer duty, and when a lender is involved it is usually paid before or at settlement. Your solicitor or conveyancer arranges the duty assessment and payment with the Queensland Revenue Office as part of the purchase, so make sure the money is ready well before your settlement date.
Do I have to pay lenders mortgage insurance?
Usually only when your deposit is less than 20% of the price. Lenders mortgage insurance protects the lender if you cannot repay, and it can be paid upfront or sometimes added to the loan. Some government schemes and lender options for smaller deposits avoid it, so ask your broker or lender for the cost in dollars before you buy.
Do investors pay more to buy in Queensland?
Yes. Investors pay transfer duty at the general rates, because the home concession is only for a home you will live in. On a $750,000 house that is $26,775 instead of $19,600. Investors may also pay land tax each year on the land they own above the threshold; your own home is generally exempt.