What this includes
Purchase costs are large: real estate transfer tax is 3.5%–6.5% depending on the state, notary and land registry add roughly 2%, and an estate agent can add more.
Germany
The monthly number is not the payment.
Four planning tools for buyers and owners in Germany: annuity-loan owner cost, a price ceiling, break-even on early repayment compensation, and transfer tax, notary and land registry by state.
Mortgage
Principal and interest plus insurance and building charges — the monthly number the payment quote leaves out. Extra principal is a first-class input.
Afford
The highest price at which owner cost is 28% of gross income, with how lenders in this market actually test it.
Refinance
Months to recover switching costs from a lower payment. Compare the break-even period with how long you expect to keep the new loan.
Stamp & taxes
Real estate transfer tax for all 16 German states plus notary and land registry.
Official sources used for Germany
- Baden-Württemberg 5.0% — Baden-Württemberg tax offices — real estate transfer tax
- Bavaria 3.5% — Bavarian State Tax Office — real estate transfer tax FAQ
- Berlin 6.0% — Berlin Senate Department for Finance — real estate transfer tax FAQ (since 1 Jan 2014)
- Brandenburg 6.5% — Brandenburg tax offices — real estate transfer tax (since 1 Jul 2015)
- Bremen 5.5% — Bremen service portal — real estate transfer tax (since 1 Jul 2025)
- Hamburg 5.5% — City of Hamburg — real estate transfer tax: information and responsible office
- Hesse 6.0% — Hesse State Parliament, printed paper 20/8232 — answer of the Minister of Finance (since Aug 2014)
- Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania 6.0% — Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania tax portal — real estate transfer tax
- Lower Saxony 5.0% — Lower Saxony State Tax Office — FAQ (since 1 Jan 2014)
- North Rhine-Westphalia 6.5% — North Rhine-Westphalia tax offices — real estate transfer tax (since 1 Jan 2015)
- Rhineland-Palatinate 5.0% — Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Finance — questions and answers (since 1 Mar 2012)
- Saarland 6.5% — Saarland service portal — real estate transfer tax (since 1 Jan 2015)
- Saxony 5.5% — Saxony Real Estate Transfer Tax Rate Act, § 1 (since 1 Jan 2023)
- Saxony-Anhalt 5.0% — Saxony-Anhalt State Statistical Office — press release 209/2023 (2023)
- Schleswig-Holstein 6.5% — Schleswig-Holstein Real Estate Transfer Tax Rate Act, § 1 (since 1 Jan 2014)
- Thuringia 5.0% — Thuringia Real Estate Transfer Tax Rate Act, § 1 (since 1 Jan 2024)
- German Real Estate Transfer Tax Act, § 11 (rounding down to full euro)
Rules checked on 24–25 September 2026.