Buying costs · Planning guideHow much cash do you need to buy a home in Ireland?
The price on a listing is not the only figure to plan for. Before you make an offer, it helps to separate the cash you need upfront from the mortgage balance you may need to borrow.
Published 9 October 2026 · Planning information only
Start with the deposit
Your deposit is the cash contribution towards the purchase price. In a simple scenario, it is the property price multiplied by the deposit percentage you are planning for. It reduces the mortgage balance in an illustration, but it is not the same thing as every other cost of buying.
For a €350,000 home, a 10% deposit is €35,000. That leaves €315,000 as the illustrative mortgage balance before any lender-specific assessment.
Then add stamp duty
Stamp duty is a separate tax linked to a property transfer. Revenue's standard residential rates are progressive: 1% up to €1 million, 2% on the portion over €1 million up to €1.5 million, and 6% above that. For a €350,000 standard residential scenario, 1% produces an estimate of €3,500.
Those bands do not cover every transaction. Mixed-use and non-residential property, some multi-property purchases, reliefs and transaction details can change the position. Check the current Revenue guidance and obtain appropriate professional advice for a real purchase.
Budget for the costs around the purchase
Next, gather actual quotes and estimates. Legal work, VAT and registration, valuation, survey, moving and a contingency are commonly worth keeping in their own part of the budget. A calculator can organise your inputs; it cannot know the quotations you will receive.
Worked planning example
Property price: €350,000
Deposit at 10%: €35,000
Standard residential stamp-duty estimate: €3,500
Example other costs entered: €4,250
Illustrative cash to prepare: €42,750.
That other-cost figure is only a placeholder example. Replace it with your own quotes and allow for changes before completion.
Do you need the whole price in cash?
Not in the usual mortgage scenario. The deposit and other upfront costs are cash you need to prepare. The remaining purchase price may be financed by a mortgage, subject to a lender's assessment, terms and conditions. Keep the mortgage balance separate from your cash budget so you do not count it twice.
A useful plan has two numbers: the cash you need before completion, and the monthly repayment you can manage afterwards.
Use the result to ask better questions
Once you have a first budget, take it to the relevant professionals. Ask which costs are estimates, which are fixed, what could change and when each amount is due. Revisit the figures when you receive a new quote or when a property detail changes.