Most home-buying calculators stop at stamp duty. This one keeps going — deposit, mortgage, conveyancing, survey, searches, Land Registry, mortgage product fees, removals, buildings insurance — so you can see the total upfront cash, the monthly mortgage cost and a realistic ongoing-cost view in one place.

What costs are included in this calculator?

Everything that materially affects the total cash needed to complete a UK purchase, plus the monthly mortgage. Specifically:

• Stamp duty (SDLT) — exact, using the standard residential rates from 1 April 2025, with first-time buyer relief and the 5% additional-property surcharge applied automatically based on buyer type.
• Deposit — your input. Loan-to-value and monthly mortgage are calculated from it.
• Mortgage repayment — exact monthly payment from the standard amortisation formula, using your rate and term.
• Conveyancing legal fees — tiered by price band and complexity (basic / standard / complex).
• Survey — RICS Level 1 (condition report), Level 2 (HomeBuyer) or Level 3 (Building) estimated against current UK ranges.
• Local-authority searches — fixed estimate of £320 (council, environmental, water-and-drainage).
• Land Registry registration — exact, using HM Land Registry's online Scale 1 fees.
• Mortgage product/arrangement fee — typical UK range £999 (many products are £0–£2,000; if yours is free, set it lower).
• Mortgage valuation fee — typical £300 (some lenders waive this entirely).
• Removals — estimated by bedrooms × moving distance.
• Buildings insurance — required from exchange, typical £280/year mid-range.
• Bank transfer (CHAPS) fees — typical £35.

Upfront costs explained

"Upfront cash" is the money you need before completion happens — split into three windows:

• Pre-exchange. Survey, mortgage valuation, local-authority searches, sometimes the mortgage product fee. Typically £500–£1,500 in total.
• On exchange. Your deposit goes to the seller's solicitor — usually 10% of the property price, regardless of your actual deposit size. If your overall deposit is bigger, the rest follows at completion.
• At completion. The balance of your deposit, stamp duty, conveyancing balance and Land Registry registration. This is when the biggest cash movement happens.

Hidden costs when buying a house

The unexpected costs most often raised by readers:

• Chain-related sale-side conveyancing. If you're moving home, you'll need a conveyancer on both transactions. Sale-side fees are usually 70–85% of purchase-side.
• Leasehold pack fees. Buying leasehold often adds £200–£400 of management-pack fees plus deeds copies.
• New build indemnity insurance. Often £100–£150 to cover specific title risks on new builds.
• Gifted-deposit AML checks. If family are contributing, expect 1–3 weeks of source-of-funds checks. No cash cost but a timeline cost.
• SDLT additional-property surcharge. If you'll own more than one property at completion — including overlap with a property you're selling — the 5% surcharge applies. You can reclaim it if you sell the previous main home within 3 years.
• Immediate post-move costs. Locks, basic furnishings, council tax registration, utility set-up, broadband install. Plan £500–£2,000 of headroom.

A safe contingency on top of the calculator output is 1–2% of the property price.

First-time buyer notes

• FTB SDLT relief. No stamp duty up to £300,000. 5% on the £300k–£500k slice. Above £500,000, no relief at all — standard rates apply. The calculator handles this automatically when you pick First-time buyer.
• Lifetime ISA (LISA). If you're 18–39, the 25% government bonus on contributions up to £4,000/year (max £1,000/year of free money) is available for first-home purchases up to £450,000. Use the deposit savings calculator to model the LISA acceleration.
• Joint applications. Both applicants must be first-time buyers for FTB SDLT relief to apply. Both can hold separate LISAs.
• Affordability. Before negotiating, use the affordability calculator to see your borrowing range at conservative / standard / stretch multiples.

Moving home notes

• Two transactions in parallel. Sale and purchase usually exchange and complete on the same day. Your sale-side conveyancing is typically 70–85% of purchase-side.
• Chain risk. Allow 2–4 weeks of buffer in your moving plans. The longer the chain, the more variable the completion date becomes.
• SDLT additional-property trap. If your sale completes after your purchase (even by one day), you'll pay the 5% surcharge and reclaim it later. Most conveyancers structure transactions to avoid this, but it's worth flagging.
• Removals timing. Book removals 4–6 weeks ahead. Local moves can sometimes be booked closer, but Friday completions in summer are tight.

Frequently asked questions

What's included in the total cost of buying a house in the UK?

The big costs are the deposit, stamp duty (SDLT), and the mortgage you'll repay over the term. On top there are conveyancing fees (£950–£3,000 depending on price and complexity), a survey (£250–£1,500 depending on level), local-authority searches (~£320), Land Registry registration (£20–£500 by price), mortgage product/arrangement fees (often £0–£2,000), valuation fees (typically £250–£400), removals (£500–£4,000 by size and distance), and buildings insurance from exchange (£220–£400/year).

How much upfront cash do I need to buy a house?

Plan for: your deposit (5–25% of the property price), stamp duty (paid within 14 days of completion), conveyancing fees plus disbursements, your survey cost, and any mortgage product/arrangement fee if it's paid up front rather than added to the loan. A first-time buyer on a £350,000 home with a 10% deposit, no SDLT (FTB relief applies), standard conveyancing, a HomeBuyer survey and modest fees typically needs around £40,000–£42,000 of upfront cash.

What costs are paid before completion vs at completion?

Before exchange: survey fee, mortgage valuation, searches, mortgage product fee (if paid up front). On exchange: deposit released to seller (usually 10% of price). At completion: balance of deposit, stamp duty, conveyancing balance, Land Registry registration. After completion: buildings insurance (from exchange onwards), removals, council tax registration. Mortgage payments start the month after completion.

What are hidden costs when buying a house?

The most common surprises: chain-related sale-side conveyancing if you're moving home; leasehold pack fees (£200–£400) if buying leasehold; SDLT additional 5% surcharge if you'll own more than one property at completion; bank transfer (CHAPS) fees of around £35; gifted-deposit AML checks if family are contributing; and immediate post-completion costs like locks, basic furnishings, council tax registration and utility set-up. Budget £1,000–£3,000 of contingency.

How accurate are these estimates?

SDLT and the mortgage repayment are exact from the formulas. Other costs (conveyancing, survey, removals, mortgage fees, insurance) are estimates based on current UK averages and are clearly labelled as such in the breakdown. Actual quotes for those services typically sit within ±20% of the estimate. Always get firm quotes from regulated providers before committing.

Do first-time buyers pay stamp duty?

First-time buyers in England and Northern Ireland pay no stamp duty on properties up to £300,000, and a reduced 5% rate on the £300,000–£500,000 slice. Above £500,000 there's no FTB relief at all and standard residential rates apply. The calculator handles this automatically when you select First-time buyer.

What about second homes and buy-to-let?

Buying an additional property (second home or buy-to-let) adds a 5% surcharge to every SDLT band, applied above the £40,000 entry threshold. So on a £400,000 second home the SDLT bill is around £29,500, compared to roughly £9,500 if it were your main residence. The calculator applies this surcharge automatically for Second home and Buy-to-let buyer types.

Should I budget for ongoing costs too?

Yes — the upfront cost is only half the picture. Ongoing monthly costs include the mortgage payment, buildings insurance, council tax (typically £150–£300/month), utilities (£180–£280/month), and any maintenance reserve. Allow 1% of property value per year for typical maintenance on a freehold house, or factor in your service charge and ground rent for a leasehold flat.

What to do next

1. Pin down your borrowing range on the affordability calculator — that sets your true price ceiling.
2. Decide your deposit target with the deposit calculator (LTV bands) or the deposit savings calculator (timeline to save).
3. Stress-test the monthly with the mortgage stress test — what happens if rates rise 1–3 points.
4. Get firm quotes for conveyancing, survey and removals 4–6 weeks before exchange.
5. Confirm SDLT exactly in the main SDLT calculator — including non-UK resident surcharge if it applies.

Related calculators

To understand take-home pay supporting all of this, PayslipCheck breaks down a UK payslip line by line. For longer-form deposit and budgeting strategy, PennyWise Finance has a first-time buyer savings guide.

Calculation rules last reviewed: 24 May 2026.