What Costs Are Added on Top of the Price When Buying Abroad?
Written by: Marcus M. Araz, MBA, PhD · Updated:
Between 4 and 10 percent of the price, depending on the country. The one item that makes the difference is the purchase tax: a flat 4 percent in Dubai, a flat 3.09 percent in Greece, and in the UK a banded stamp duty that changes with the price and with the buyer's profile. The remaining items are close to each other in all three countries.
The three countries side by side
| England | Dubai | Greece | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total added on top of the price | Stamp duty plus roughly £2,500 to £4,000 | About 4.3 percent | About 6.73 percent plus 684 euro |
| Largest item | stamp duty | DLD transfer fee, 4 percent of the price | Transfer tax, 3.09 percent of the price |
| Solicitor | £1,295 plus VAT | Not required, the developer and the DLD handle it | 1.24 percent of the price |
| Notary | None | None | 1.70 percent of the price |
| Is the purchase tax rate fixed | No, it changes with the price and the buyer's profile | Yes, 4 percent | Yes, 3.09 percent |
| Annual property tax | Council tax applies | None | ENFIA applies |
England
Costs other than stamp duty come to roughly £2,500 to £4,000: the solicitor’s fee, title and local authority searches, the land registry fee, the survey and transfer charges. Stamp duty sits on top and can run to tens of thousands of pounds on its own, because it is worked out in bands and adds 2 points for a non-resident buyer and a further 5 points on an additional home.
So what sets the total cost in the UK is not the price but who the buyer is. The item by item breakdown is on our the total cost of buying a home in the UK page.
Dubai
Buying off plan directly from the developer, the total cost is roughly 4.3% of the price and almost all of it is the one off 4% DLD transfer fee. On top come the Oqood registration fee, the title deed issue charge and the agency commission, which usually does not arise on an off plan purchase. On a resale, once commission and the NOC fee are added, the figure can reach 6.5%.
What sets Dubai apart is not the cost but the taxes that do not exist: no annual property tax, no VAT on the sale of a home, no stamp duty and, for an individual buyer, no tax on rental income. The detail is on our Is there property tax in Dubai and Cost of buying a home in Dubai pages.
Greece
The total cost is roughly 6.73% of the price plus about €684 in fixed items. The largest item is the 3.09% transfer tax; on top of it come the notary at 1.70%, the lawyer at 1.24% and land registration at 0.70%. On a €250,000 flat that means about €17,500 of extra budget.
Announced, not law yet. Greece has announced that the property transfer tax on homes bought by individuals who are nationals of countries outside the European Union will rise from 3% to 15%; the announced start date is 1 July 2027 and Turkish citizens fall within its scope. The measure is not law yet, and the scope and exemptions can change. The detail and what it means in figures are on our the cost of buying a home in Greece page.
What is different about Greece is that a lawyer and a notary are compulsory. The item by item breakdown is on our the cost of buying a home in Greece page.
The same budget in three markets: what you pay on £250,000
Reading the percentages one by one can mislead; the real question is what sits on top of the price when you put the same money into each market. The table below puts the costs on a £250,000 apartment side by side, in pounds.
| England | Dubai | Greece | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property price | £250,000 | AED 1,190,000 | 294.000 € |
| Purchase tax or fee | £7,500 (no other home) or £20,000 (owns another home) | AED 47,600 (4% DLD) | €9,100 (3.09%) |
| Solicitor, notary, registration and fees | £2,700 | AED 3,600 (Oqood and title deed) | 11.400 € |
| Total costs | £10,200 or £22,700 | AED 51,200 | 20.500 € |
| Sterling equivalent | £10,200 or £22,700 | £10,700 | £17,400 |
| As a share of the price | 4.1% or 9.1% | 4.3% | 7.0% |
Dirham and euro amounts are converted at the fixed rates we use across the site (1 euro = 0.85 pounds, 1 dirham = 0.21 pounds); the actual rate is set on the day of the transaction. The Dubai figure is for an off plan purchase directly from the developer; on a resale the commission and the NOC fee are added. The UK figure is for a non-resident buyer.
What the table says is this: at this budget both the lowest and the highest cost ratio are in the United Kingdom. A buyer with no other home pays 4.1%, the cheapest of the three markets; the same buyer who owns a home in Turkey pays 9.1% because of the additional dwelling surcharge, more than double, which also puts the UK above Greece. Dubai sits between the two at 4.3%. So the question is not which country is cheap, but who you are. The line by line breakdowns are on our England, Dubai and Greece cost pages.
The items common to all three
Whatever the country, three items have to go into the budget. Exchange and transfer cost: the bank's exchange margin when converting from Turkish lira, the item most buyers never calculate. Annual service charge: present in all three countries, and it rises as facilities such as a pool, a gym or a concierge are added. Management commission: if you are going to let the property, part of the gross rent goes here.
Frequently asked questions
Which country has the lowest purchase cost? As a percentage, Dubai: about 4.3 percent buying directly from the developer. In the UK the answer varies a lot with the buyer's profile.
Is there stamp duty in Dubai and Greece? No. Its counterpart is the 4 percent DLD transfer fee in Dubai and the 3.09 percent transfer tax in Greece.
Do I have to instruct a lawyer? In the UK and Greece, in practice yes. In Dubai it is not required; the developer and the Land Department handle the process.
Can the costs be included in the price? No, all of it comes on top of the price and most of it is asked for in cash at the title stage.
What is there on the annual cost side? The service charge, in all three countries. On the tax side there is council tax in the UK and ENFIA in Greece; in Dubai there is no annual property tax.
How do I work out my own scenario? We have a separate calculator for each of the three countries; enter the price and you see the total cash needed.
Sources
The figures come from our own cost pages: England, Dubai and Greece. The UK items rest on a real solicitor's quote and on land registry tariffs, the Dubai items on the Dubai Land Department tariff, and the Greek items on notary and land registry tariffs. Rates can change; before any purchase decision we confirm the current position together.
How we help you with this
As capital.works®, the Overseas Property Centre, we represent selected developments in England, Dubai and Greece. Every development live on the site has its price list, floor plans and completion schedule on its own page. We are an FCA authorised credit broker (FRN 1049015) and a member of the NACFB; the purchase, the finance, residency and post completion management are all run by one team.
Legal notice
capital.works® (YATIRIM UK LIMITED) is a real estate advisory company; it does not provide tax or legal advice. This page is for general information. In each country the title and tax process is carried out by a lawyer or an accountant qualified there.
The next step
Write to us with your budget and the country you have in mind, and we will set the three scenarios side by side: Contact us. To see your own figure, use our England, Dubai and Greece calculators.