🇦🇺 Country Hub
Australian property costs and rules: stamp duty by state, LMI below 20% down, the auction process, and FIRB for foreign buyers.
Australia is a stamp duty market with an insurance twist. Every state charges transfer duty on purchase — NSW alone has seven bands — and if your deposit is under 20% you also pay Lenders Mortgage Insurance, an expensive one-off charge added straight to the loan. Auctions, where most inner-city homes sell, are unconditional and make the pre-approval number even more important.
This hub runs through the purchase costs, the state-by-state duty, the LMI math, and the FIRB rules foreign buyers must clear before they can even bid on established homes.
The deposit is only the beginning — these are the costs that actually move your budget. Figures are illustrative country defaults; confirm live rates locally.
| Cost | Typical | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | 5–20% | 5% possible; below 20% triggers LMI |
| Lenders Mortgage Insurance | ~2–4% of loan | one-off, usually added to the loan balance |
| Stamp duty (transfer duty) | 1.25–7% bands | state-set; NSW proxy, seven bands |
| Legal + registration | $2,000–3,500 | conveyancer, searches, registration |
| Annual holding | ~0.6% of value / yr | council rates + strata on apartments |
| Typical process | 4–8 weeks | private treaty or unconditional auction |
Turn an asking price into the numbers you can carry:
NSW-style banded transfer duty on your price
the repayment at the rate and term you are offered
duty, legal and registration in cash-to-close
whether you clear the 20% LMI threshold
if you are buying with foreign funds
Duty is set by state and banded — NSW runs 1.25% up to 7% depending on price, so a $1m NSW home carries roughly $40,000 of duty. The Stamp Duty Calculator applies the band method to your price.
If your deposit is under 20%, the lender charges LMI — typically 2–4% of the loan, added to the balance. The LTV Calculator shows exactly which side of the 20% line you sit on.
Yes, but FIRB approval is required and foreign buyers are generally restricted to new or off-plan dwellings; established homes are off-limits without a special exemption. States also add foreign surcharges — NSW adds 8% on top of duty.
Educational content. Figures use illustrative country defaults with named, dated sources and are not legal, tax, or valuation advice. Property rules, fees, and taxes change — confirm every number with a qualified local professional before you commit.
