How much tax is due on buying the same home in different countries?
Buy a home priced at 500,000 in local money and the tax you pay just for the transfer varies more than tenfold depending on where you are. Of the 19 places we compared across 5 countries, Victoria, Australia charges the most: A$21,970, or 4.39% of the price. Texas charges US$0.
In the UK, a home mover in England pays £15,000 in stamp duty, 3.00% of the price. That's more than Ireland at 1.00%, more than Toronto at 2.59%, and less than New South Wales at 3.34% or Victoria.
How we worked out these numbers
We put the same price, 500,000, into each country's purchase tax calculator on this site, in that country's own currency. So the UK figure is for a £500,000 home, the Canadian figures are for C$500,000, the Australian ones for A$500,000, Ireland's for €500,000 and the US ones for US$500,000.
We kept every amount in its own currency. A pound isn't a dollar, so the cash figures aren't directly comparable. What is comparable is the share of the price that goes in tax, which is why the chart and the ranking use that. It needs no exchange rate. We didn't add a converted column: the site's currency calculator takes the rate you enter rather than publishing a dated rate of its own, and a figure built on a rate we picked would look more precise than it is.
The calculators we used, and what each one counts:
- United States: the real estate transfer tax calculator, which applies each state's deed or transfer tax plus the typical local rate it holds for that state. City add-ons in places like New York City, San Francisco, Chicago and Philadelphia aren't included, and neither is who pays: in many states it's the seller by custom.
- England: the UK stamp duty calculator, for a UK resident, once as a home mover and once as a first-time buyer. Scotland and Wales have their own taxes and aren't included.
- Canada: the land transfer tax calculator for Ontario outside Toronto, Toronto (provincial plus municipal tax), and British Columbia, all for a buyer who isn't a first-time buyer.
- Australia: the stamp duty calculator for New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland, for an owner-occupier who isn't a first home buyer, buying an established home.
- Ireland: the Irish stamp duty calculator, for a standard residential purchase.
None of the figures include foreign buyer surcharges, second-home surcharges, legal fees or registration costs.
Every place, side by side
Click any column heading to sort. The tax column is in each place's own currency; the two share columns compare across countries.
Tax on buying a 500,000 home in the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Ireland (2026)
Download CSVSame nominal price in each local currency (US$, £, C$, A$, €). Tax shown in local currency, rounded to the nearest whole unit. Effective rate is tax divided by price, so it compares across currencies without an exchange rate.
| Victoria, Australia | AUD | 21,970 | 4.39% | 5.50% | Transfer duty, owner-occupier, not a first home buyer |
| Delaware, US | USD | 20,000 | 4.00% | 4.00% | State transfer tax plus the typical local rate the calculator applies; big-city add-ons excluded |
| New South Wales, Australia | AUD | 16,687 | 3.34% | 3.92% | Transfer duty, owner-occupier, not a first home buyer |
| England, UK (home mover) | GBP | 15,000 | 3.00% | 4.38% | Stamp Duty Land Tax, UK resident, not a first-time buyer |
| Toronto, Canada | CAD | 12,950 | 2.59% | 3.29% | Ontario plus Toronto municipal land transfer tax, repeat buyer |
| Pennsylvania, US | USD | 10,000 | 2.00% | 2.00% | State transfer tax plus the typical local rate the calculator applies; big-city add-ons excluded |
| England, UK (first-time buyer) | GBP | 10,000 | 2.00% | 4.38% | Stamp Duty Land Tax with first-time buyer relief |
| Queensland, Australia | AUD | 8,750 | 1.75% | 3.08% | Transfer duty, owner-occupier, not a first home buyer |
| British Columbia, Canada | CAD | 8,000 | 1.60% | 1.80% | Property transfer tax, repeat buyer |
| Washington, US | USD | 6,750 | 1.35% | 1.44% | State transfer tax plus the typical local rate the calculator applies; big-city add-ons excluded |
| Ontario, Canada (outside Toronto) | CAD | 6,475 | 1.29% | 1.65% | Provincial land transfer tax, repeat buyer |
| Ireland | EUR | 5,000 | 1.00% | 1.00% | Residential stamp duty |
| New Jersey, US | USD | 4,175 | 0.83% | 1.96% | State transfer tax plus the typical local rate the calculator applies; big-city add-ons excluded |
| Florida, US | USD | 3,500 | 0.70% | 0.70% | State transfer tax plus the typical local rate the calculator applies; big-city add-ons excluded |
| New York, US | USD | 2,000 | 0.40% | 1.40% | State transfer tax plus the typical local rate the calculator applies; big-city add-ons excluded |
| Illinois, US | USD | 750 | 0.15% | 0.15% | State transfer tax plus the typical local rate the calculator applies; big-city add-ons excluded |
| California, US | USD | 550 | 0.11% | 0.11% | State transfer tax plus the typical local rate the calculator applies; big-city add-ons excluded |
| Colorado, US | USD | 50 | 0.01% | 0.01% | State transfer tax plus the typical local rate the calculator applies; big-city add-ons excluded |
| Texas, US | USD | 0 | 0.00% | 0.00% | State transfer tax plus the typical local rate the calculator applies; big-city add-ons excluded |
UK stamp duty vs Australia and Canada
Australia's state duties are the steepest of the non-US places here. On A$500,000, Victoria charges A$21,970 (4.39%) and New South Wales A$16,687 (3.34%). Queensland, with an owner-occupier concession, is much lower at A$8,750 (1.75%).
England sits in the middle. A home mover pays £15,000, or 3.00%. A first-time buyer pays £10,000, or 2.00%, thanks to first-time buyer relief. Our UK stamp duty figures by buyer type show how that changes across prices, including the cliff at £500,000.
Canada depends on the city. Outside Toronto, Ontario charges C$6,475 (1.29%). Inside Toronto, the city adds a second land transfer tax of its own, doubling the bill to C$12,950 (2.59%). British Columbia charges C$8,000 (1.60%).
Ireland is the simplest. Stamp duty on a €500,000 home is €5,000, a flat 1.00%.
Do US states charge stamp duty?
Most US states charge something when a deed is recorded, though the usual name is transfer tax or documentary stamps, and the seller often pays. The range is wide. On US$500,000, Delaware's combined state and local rate gives US$20,000 (4.00%), Pennsylvania US$10,000 (2.00%), Washington US$6,750 (1.35%) and New Jersey US$4,175 (0.83%).
New York State charges US$2,000 (0.40%), Florida US$3,500 (0.70%) and California's county tax US$550 (0.11%). Colorado's documentary fee is US$50, and Texas has no transfer tax at all.
For every state, see our ranking of real estate transfer tax by state.
How the tax grows with the price
Most of these taxes are banded, so the share of the price rises as the price rises. At 1,000,000 in local currency, England's home mover rate climbs to 4.38%, Toronto's to 3.29% and Victoria's to 5.50%. New York State jumps at US$1,000,000 because its mansion tax starts there. Ireland's rate stays at 1.00% all the way to €1,000,000.
What this means if you're moving countries
If you're comparing a move between these countries, the tax on buying is a one-off cost but a big one. In Victoria or England it can take a sizeable bite out of a deposit; in much of the US the buyer may pay little or nothing. Run the calculator for your exact price and buyer type, because first-time buyer reliefs and surcharges change the answer more than the country does.
Getting your own figure
Each calculator linked above takes your own price and buyer details. For the UK, start with the stamp duty calculator; for Canada, the land transfer tax calculator; for Australia, the stamp duty calculator; and for a US state, the real estate transfer tax calculator.
