The cost of buying a home in Lisbon (2026)

On top of the price, buying a home in Lisbon costs between about 7% and 11% in Portugal generally, and closer to 10% for a buyer who pays the flat 7.5% transfer tax for non-residents. The largest item by far is IMT, the municipal property transfer tax, followed by stamp duty, the deed and registration, and your lawyer. This guide works through each one on three prices: a €400,000 flat, a 100 m² home at Lisbon's median of €5,192/m² (INE, 12 months to June 2026), which comes to €519,200, and an €800,000 flat.

All calculations use the 2026 IMT tables for mainland Portugal, published by the tax authority in Ofício Circulado n.º 40129/2026, and assume the price is higher than the property's tax value (IMT and stamp duty are charged on the higher of the two). To run your own figures, use the purchase costs calculator.

IMT: the transfer tax

For buyers who are tax resident in Portugal, or who were at some point, IMT is progressive and depends on what the home will be. A permanent own home (habitação própria e permanente) pays 0% on the first €106,346; a second home or a home to let pays 1% from the first euro. In each band below the top two, the rate applies to the whole price and a fixed deduction is subtracted, which gives the same result as charging each slice at its own rate. Above €633,931 for a second home and €660,982 for a permanent home, a single rate applies to the whole price with no deduction.

Source: CIMT article 17 and Ofício Circulado n.º 40129/2026 (mainland Portugal). The draft 2027 state budget proposes raising the bands by 2.3%; that is a proposal, not law, and these tables apply to deeds signed in 2026.

The flat 7.5% for non-residents

Since 25 May 2026, under Decreto-Lei 97/2026 of 20 May 2026, IMT is charged at 7.5% of the whole price, with no exemption or reduction, when the home is intended exclusively for housing and the buyer is not tax resident in Portugal and has never been. The test is tax residency, not nationality. For a married couple buying under a joint property regime, the 7.5% applies only if both spouses are non-resident and neither has ever been resident; under separate property, and for other co-buyers, each buyer is assessed individually (Ofício Circulado n.º 40131/2026 of 4 September 2026).

The difference can be refunded in two cases: if the buyer becomes tax resident in Portugal within two years, or if, within six months of the purchase, the home is let for housing at up to €2,300 a month and stays let for at least 36 months within the first five years. The claim (reclamação graciosa) must be filed within six months of becoming resident or of signing the lease (CIMT article 17(10)–(12)). Short-term letting does not count. We have found no amendment to the rule or court challenge to it so far.

Worked examples: IMT by buyer

Our calculation. At €400,000, a permanent home pays 8% of €400,000 (€32,000) less €13,763.35; a second home pays €32,000 less €12,699.89. At €519,200 the same two bands give €41,536 less each deduction. At €800,000 both resident cases fall in the 6% single-rate band, so they pay the same €48,000. A first-time buyer aged 35 or under buying a permanent home may qualify for IMT Jovem, which removes IMT up to €330,539; on the €400,000 flat that would leave €5,556.88.

Stamp duty

Stamp duty (Imposto do Selo) is 0.8% of the price: €3,200 on €400,000, €4,153.60 on €519,200 and €6,400 on €800,000. A mortgage of five years or more adds 0.6% of the loan amount; with a loan of 60% of the price, the lower end of what banks usually lend to non-residents (60–70%), that is €1,440, €1,869.12 and €2,880 respectively. Interest on a loan for your own home, permanent or second, is exempt from stamp duty; 4% applies to bank fees such as valuation and arrangement.

Deed, registration and Casa Pronta

The deed (escritura) and the land registry entry are usually done together. At a Casa Pronta desk the fixed fee is €375 for a purchase alone and €700 for a purchase with a mortgage. Buyers aged 35 or under buying a first permanent home priced up to €330,539 pay €150 or €250 instead, or half the reduction if not every buyer qualifies. Through a private notary, deed and registry together typically cost €500–1,200.

Lawyer and other one-off costs

A Portuguese lawyer checks the title, the land registry and tax records, the licences and the condominium, and drafts or reviews the promissory contract (CPCV). Fees are freely negotiated and are usually quoted at around 1–2% of the price: €4,000–8,000 on €400,000, €5,192–10,384 on €519,200 and €8,000–16,000 on €800,000. A tax number (NIF) is needed before anything is signed; it is free at a tax office, or usually €79–250 through a lawyer or service. In Portugal the seller usually pays any intermediary's commission.

The full bill on three prices

Our calculation, 2026 tables. The mortgage row is stamp duty of 0.6% on a loan of 60% of the price plus the €325 difference between the Casa Pronta fees with and without a loan. With a lawyer at 1.5%, a resident buying a €400,000 permanent home pays about 7.0% on top of the price and a non-resident about 9.9%, in line with the 7–11% range.

Yearly costs: IMI

IMI, the municipal property tax, is charged on the property's tax value (valor patrimonial tributário, VPT), not on the price you paid. The VPT is set by the tax authority from a formula based on area, location, age and quality, and is shown on the property's tax record (caderneta predial); in Lisbon it is usually well below the market price, so ask for the caderneta before you buy. For tax year 2025, paid in 2026, Lisbon applied 0.3%, the legal minimum. The rate for tax year 2026 has not yet been approved; if the city does not notify the tax authority by 31 December, the minimum of 0.3% applies.

IMI Familiar reduces the bill on a permanent home for households with dependants: €30 for one, €70 for two and €140 for three or more. Buildings in ruins carry a 30% surcharge and classified heritage property a 30% reduction. Vacant buildings face a higher IMI: normally three times the rate, and in Lisbon's urban-pressure zone up to ten to twenty times; whether that zone was extended for 2026 is not confirmed.

Yearly costs: AIMI, condominium and representation

AIMI, the additional IMI, applies where the total VPT of the residential property and building land you own exceeds €600,000 per person. The rate is 0.7%, rising to 1% above €1 million and 1.5% above €2 million; companies pay 0.4%. For married couples or civil partners who opt for joint taxation, the deduction doubles to €1,200,000. A single owner with homes of €800,000 total VPT would pay 0.7% of €200,000, or €1,400 a year. Neither the 2026 budget nor the draft 2027 budget changes AIMI.

Condominium fees are set by each building's approved budget and vary with lifts, staff, garages and planned works, so there is no Lisbon average worth quoting. Ask for the last approved accounts, the current quota and the minutes of recent assemblies, which show any extraordinary works already voted. Owners resident outside the EU and EEA must appoint a fiscal representative or sign up for electronic notifications from the tax portal; a representative usually costs €100–150 a year.

For the prices behind these examples, parish by parish, see the Lisbon property price index and our guide to where to buy in Lisbon.

Calculations on the 2026 IMT tables for mainland Portugal and the rules known on 19 October 2026. General information, not tax advice; ask a Portuguese lawyer or accountant to confirm the figures for your purchase.