Thailand charges a foreign buyer less to buy a new apartment than Dubai, England, Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Andalucía or Portugal. On the same purchase, a non-resident foreigner buying a new apartment from a developer for the local equivalent of USD 500,000 as a second home, the government's share of the price runs from 1% in Thailand to more than 62% in Singapore.
The figures
Purchase taxes, duties and registration fees paid by the buyer, at exchange rates of 12 November 2026. Legal, agency and mortgage costs are not included anywhere.
| Market | Buyer pays | On USD 500,000 |
|---|---|---|
| Thailand | 1% to 2% | USD 5,000 to 10,000 |
| Dubai | 2% to 4% | USD 10,000 to 20,000 |
| Kuala Lumpur | 8% | USD 40,000 |
| Portugal | 8.3% | USD 41,500 |
| England | 9.44% | USD 47,200 |
| Andalucía, Spain | 11.2% | USD 56,000 |
| Bali | 16% | USD 80,000 |
| Singapore | 62.16% | USD 310,800 |
The workings for every market are in the full table, free to download and cite.
Why Thailand comes out lowest
On a sale by a developer, Thailand puts most of the tax on the seller. Specific business tax at 3.3% and withholding tax at 1% are the developer's. The buyer's only government charge is the 2% transfer fee, which developers often split equally, so the buyer pays 1%, or 2% where the contract passes all of it on. The fee is charged on the Land Department's appraised value, which is usually below the price, so both figures are upper bounds.
Read the sale contract before you compare two developments on price. A project that asks you to pay the whole transfer fee costs 1% more than one that shares it. The cost of buying in Thailand sets out every charge and who usually pays it, and the purchase cost calculator works it out on your price, with the sinking fund and legal fees added.
What the low figure does not tell you
Entry cost is one line of the decision. A foreigner can own a Thai condominium freehold, but only within the 49% of a building's floor area open to foreign owners, and only with money brought in from abroad: see the foreign quota. Land cannot be owned at all, so a villa is held on a registered lease of up to 30 years, explained in freehold vs leasehold. England, Spain and Portugal sell homes to foreigners outright, and Dubai does in its designated freehold areas.
Running costs and rental rules differ too. A Thai condominium charges a monthly common-area fee and a one-off sinking fund, and letting for under 30 days needs a hotel licence. Weigh the whole cost of owning and letting, not only the day of transfer.
Where the rules changed in 2026
Two markets became dearer for foreign buyers this year. Malaysia doubled its flat stamp duty on transfers to non-citizens from 4% to 8% for instruments executed from 1 January 2026. Portugal moved buyers who are not tax resident to a flat 7.5% property transfer tax from 25 May 2026, in place of the progressive table residents use.
