Transaction costs can add a little or a lot, and foreign buyers sometimes pay more than locals. New-builds are often taxed differently from resales, so a rule you know from one purchase may not apply to the next. Always add these costs to the price before comparing markets.
Pick the market you know and the one you're looking at to see them side by side. These are the closest equivalents, not exact matches, because the law behind each term differs by country.
United Kingdom
- Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT)
SDLT is charged in bands in England and Northern Ireland: 0% to £125,000, rising to 12% above £1.5m. Non-UK residents pay 2% more, and additional properties 5% more.
Watch for: The surcharges can stack, and Scotland and Wales have their own taxes.
Source: GOV.UK, SDLT residential rates
Dubai
- DLD fee
The Dubai Land Department fee is 4% of the price, a one-off cost, and the buyer usually pays it.
Watch for: Confirm who pays it in your contract, and add title deed, trustee and agency fees.
Source: Property Finder, DLD fees · fäm Properties, transfer fees
Malaysia
- Stamp duty
Foreign buyers have paid a flat 8% stamp duty on residential property since 1 January 2026. Citizens and permanent residents pay tiered rates of 1% to 4%.
Watch for: Loan agreements carry their own stamp duty, and legal fees are extra.
Source: Skrine, proposed Stamp Act amendments · PropertyGuru, foreign property rules
Georgia
- NAPR registration fee
Georgia has no percentage transfer tax. You pay a small fixed NAPR registration fee, quoted at about GEL 50 to 150 depending on source and speed of service.
Watch for: Check the current NAPR fee schedule, and budget for legal fees.
Serbia
- VAT
- Transfer tax
New-builds from a developer usually carry 10% VAT instead of transfer tax. Resales carry a 2.5% transfer tax.
Watch for: Notary and clausula intabulandi costs are extra. The first-home VAT refund is reported as limited to Serbian citizens resident in Serbia, so foreign buyers should not count on it. The transfer tax is legally the seller's, but contracts often pass it to the buyer.
Source: Stojković Attorneys, buying in Serbia · Kaza, buying a new-build in Serbia
Egypt
- Registration tax
- Notarial fees
Recent guides report a small fixed registration fee rather than a percentage, but we found no official tariff and older guides quote 1% to 3%. Legal fees are often quoted at 1% to 2%, plus any developer admin fee.
Watch for: Pay from abroad in foreign currency through a bank and keep the transfer records, as you will need them to move sale proceeds out.
Source: Global Investments, how to buy in Egypt · Rio Times, buying in Egypt in 2026
Greece
- Transfer tax
- VAT
- Notary fees
Resales carry a 3.09% transfer tax, charged on the higher of the price or the official objective value. New-builds can carry 24% VAT, but eligible developers can suspend it, and the sale then pays the transfer tax instead.
Watch for: The suspension runs to 31 December 2026, and a bill to extend it to the end of 2027 was before parliament on 4 November 2026, so confirm it per project. One guide suggests budgeting about 10% in total on a resale.
Source: Your Overseas Home, Greece buying costs · To Vima, bill tabled 4 November 2026
Cyprus
- VAT
- Transfer fees
New-builds carry 19% VAT. A main home can get 5% on the first 130 m², but only up to 190 m² and €475,000 (the 5% applies to value up to €350,000), and you must live there for 10 years. Above those limits, 19% applies to the whole price. Homes that paid VAT have no transfer fees. Resales pay 3% to 8% in bands, currently halved.
Watch for: Check whether a transitional rule applies, and use the official Land Registry calculator.
Source: Kyprianou, Cyprus legal process, costs and VAT · Zeno Legal, Cyprus conveyancing 2026
Ethiopia
- Stamp duty
- Transfer tax
Best supported: 2% stamp duty, set in federal law, plus about 4% transfer charge in Addis Ababa, so about 6% combined. Addis Ababa has calculated these on a city-set value per square metre, which has been revised several times and may differ from your contract price. Agent and legal fees are extra.
Watch for: This excludes any VAT, reported by some sources at 15% on developer sales, which would add far more than the 6%. We could not confirm VAT or the position outside Addis Ababa, so get both in writing from a local lawyer before you commit.
Source: Stamp Duty Proclamation No. 110/1998 · Dablo Law Firm, Addis Ababa fixed prices · The Africanvestor, Ethiopia property taxes
Last checked 4 November 2026. Many sources are law firms and property guides rather than official texts, and rules change. This is general information, not legal or tax advice, so confirm the details for your purchase with a qualified local adviser.
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