How much house deposit do you need in Spain?

To buy an 80 m² flat in Spain in 2026, your house deposit needs to cover 20% of the price plus the purchase tax. At the national average appraised value, €2,355 per square metre in the second quarter of 2026 Spanish Ministry of Housing, average appraised value of open-market housing, national total, Q2 2026 (in Spanish), that flat is worth about €188,400. The 20% deposit is €37,680. On a resale home, the standard rate of property transfer tax (ITP) runs from 6% in Madrid to 10% in Catalonia Spanish Ministry of Finance, Regional Taxation. Measures 2026, chapter I (in Spanish): from €11,304 to €18,840. In total, between €48,984 and €56,520, and that's before notary, land registry and valuation fees. Over five years, the calculator puts it at €942 a month using the higher figure. To work it out with your own numbers, see the page on how to save for a house deposit, which has the full plan and its breakdown.

The figure in 10 Spanish cities

The table uses each city's average appraised value and a typical 80 m² flat (gross floor area), an assumption we've made so the cities can be compared. The appraised value is not the asking price, but it's the closest official reference the Ministry publishes city by city. The tax is ITP on a resale home at the standard rate of each region. Figures are rounded to the nearest €100, and each total is rounded on its own.

Where each ITP rate comes from:

• Madrid 6%, the Canary Islands 6.5%, Andalusia 7%, Murcia 7.75% and the Valencia region 9% (the last one since 1 June 2026) Spanish Ministry of Finance, Regional Taxation. Measures 2026, chapter I, section 4.1 (in Spanish).
• Catalonia charges 10% up to €600,000, and Aragon and the Balearic Islands 8% up to €400,000 Spanish Ministry of Finance, Regional Taxation. Measures 2026, chapter IV, tables 66, 71 and 73 (in Spanish). The flats in the table for those cities are below those limits.
• In Bizkaia, a resale home is taxed at 4%, or 2.5% if it's no larger than 120 m², will be your main home and you don't own more than 25% of another home in the same municipality Provincial Council of Bizkaia, Provincial Law (Norma Foral) 1/2011 on ITP and AJD, text as amended up to 20/04/2026 (in Spanish). The table uses 2.5% because an 80 m² flat you'll live in usually qualifies; at 4%, the tax rises to about €11,300.

Many regions have reduced rates for young buyers, large families or lower-value homes. We haven't applied them because each one has its own conditions: check your region's rules before you settle on your figure.

What you pay when you buy

• Deposit. The part of the price the mortgage doesn't cover. It's the biggest figure and the one that takes longest to put together.
• Purchase tax. ITP on a resale home. On a new build, 10% VAT on the price BOE, Spanish VAT Act 37/1992, article 91.One.1.7 (in Spanish) plus stamp duty on documented legal acts (AJD), which in the regions under the common tax system runs from 0.75% in Madrid and the Canary Islands to 1.5% in most of them Spanish Ministry of Finance, Regional Taxation. Measures 2026, chapter I, section 4.2 (in Spanish). In the Canary Islands, new homes pay IGIC, the islands' own indirect tax, instead of VAT.
• Notary. Spanish notaries charge according to an official scale of fees. By law, unless agreed otherwise, the buyer pays for the copies of the deed and the seller for the original Spanish Association of Land Registrars, “What costs does buying a home involve?” (in Spanish).
• Land registry. Registering the home in your name is your cost, also on an official scale.
• Valuation. If you take out a mortgage, the customer pays for the valuation; the bank pays the notary, registry and agency costs of the mortgage itself Banco de España, Bank Customer Portal, “What costs do you pay when you take out a mortgage?” (in Spanish).
• Agency (gestoría). Only if you hire one yourself for the purchase.

We don't add a figure for notary, registry and valuation because there's no official average we can cite: they depend on the price, the length of the deed and each professional. Ask the notary and the valuer for a quote and add it to your goal.

What a house deposit is, and why 20%

The deposit is the money you put in on the day you sign. The bank lends the rest as a mortgage, but not the whole price. According to the ICO, the state body that runs Spain's home-buying guarantee, usual banking practice puts the mortgage at 80% of the purchase price, so the buyer needs 20% in savings ICO, guarantee scheme for buying a first home (in Spanish). Banco de España makes the same point: lenders don't usually go above 80% of the appraised value Banco de España, Bank Customer Portal, “Young people and families with children: help to buy a first home” (in Spanish).

The bank looks at the valuation as well as the price. In the ICO scheme, for example, the loan is worked out on the lower of the two. If you pay more than the valuation, the difference usually comes out of your own pocket. That's why it pays to build in a buffer rather than aim for the exact figure.

The Spanish Youth Council works on the basis of savings of 30% of the home's value: in 2025 that came to €66,900, the same as 4.7 years of a young employee's full salary Spanish Youth Council, Emancipation Observatory, 2025 overview (in Spanish). The point is the same: the deposit on its own isn't enough.

Buying in Spain from another country

This guide uses Spanish figures, in euros, because the purchase happens in Spain: the price, the tax and the fees are set where the home is, not where you live now. Huchy works in euros for everyone, so it doesn't give figures for other countries or other currencies. If you're comparing with the deposit rules where you live, keep that comparison separate and use the calculator for the Spanish side.

A few things to keep in mind if you live outside Spain:

1. The tax depends on the region. ITP or VAT and AJD are set by where the property is, as the table shows. Moving your search from Barcelona to Valencia changes the rate.
2. The ICO guarantee asks for residence. Every buyer must have been legally resident in Spain, continuously, for the two years before applying ICO, guarantee scheme for buying a first home (in Spanish). If that's not your case yet, plan for the full deposit.
3. Your income may not be in euros. If you earn in another currency, the euro figure stays the same but what it costs you each month can move. Huchy keeps the goal in euros and shows how much is left to go.

Purchase costs change from region to region

Tax is what varies most from one city to another. On the same €188,400 flat, the gap between 6% and 10% is €7,536. The table shows it clearly: Bilbao, with a higher appraised value than Valencia, comes out with less to save thanks to its reduced regional rate.

Three things to check before you settle on your figure:

1. Whether the home is new or resale. New: VAT plus AJD. Resale: ITP. You don't pay both.
2. Whether your region has a reduced rate for you. By age, large family or value of the home. Every region under the common tax system has at least one Spanish Ministry of Finance, Regional Taxation. Measures 2026, chapter I, section 4.1 (in Spanish).
3. Whether the price crosses a band. In Catalonia, Aragon and the Balearic Islands the rate goes up above a certain property value.

How much to save each month, by timeframe

With the higher figure from the first paragraph, €56,520, and starting from zero, the calculator gives these monthly targets:

• Over 3 years (36 months): €1,570 a month.
• Over 4 years (48 months): €1,178 a month.
• Over 5 years (60 months): €942 a month.
• Over 7 years (84 months): €673 a month.
• Over 10 years (120 months): €471 a month.

If you've already set something aside, take it off the goal and the monthly target drops. If the target doesn't fit your income, there are three levers: a longer timeframe, a city or neighbourhood with a lower value, or a smaller home. Each one changes the figure in the table.

The calculator assumes 0% interest: it doesn't count on your money growing. If you earn interest while you save, you'll get there sooner, but the plan doesn't count on it.

Where to keep what you save

Huchy doesn't hold your money or invest it: it keeps track of your goal. Where you keep the money is up to you. For money you'll need on a set date, these are the types of product people usually compare, without naming any brands:

• Instant-access savings account. You can take the money out whenever you like. The rate can change, and there's sometimes a balance cap or a promotional period.
• Fixed-term deposit. You lock the money away for a set time at an agreed rate. Taking it out early may mean a penalty.
• Short-term government debt. Spanish Treasury bills and similar products. They have a fixed maturity and are bought at auction or through a bank.

In Spain, cash deposits at credit institutions are covered by the Deposit Guarantee Fund up to €100,000 per depositor and per institution Spanish Deposit Guarantee Fund (FGD) (in Spanish). If you're saving more than that, bear the limit in mind.

Before you move money, compare access, term, fees and what happens if you need it early. Shares are a different matter for money you need by a set date: markets go up and down, and if they're down when you sign, part of your deposit could be gone.

The ICO guarantee for young buyers: what it covers and what it doesn't

Spain has a state guarantee scheme, run by the ICO, so that banks can lend more than 80%. This is what the ICO says about the current scheme ICO, guarantee scheme for buying a first home (in Spanish):

• Who it's for. Young people aged 35 or under (no buyer can have turned 36 when the loan is signed) and families with children in their care, with no age limit, buying their first home and main residence in Spain.
• What it covers. Up to 20% of the loan, or 25% if the home has an energy rating of D or better. The guarantee lasts for the first 10 years of the mortgage.
• Wealth. No buyer can have net wealth above €150,000. Two buyers at most.
• Income. As a general rule, up to 4.5 times IPREM (the public income index Spain uses for benefits), €37,800 gross a year per buyer, with higher limits in some provinces ICO, press release of 24 June 2026 (in Spanish).
• Deadline. Guaranteed loans can be signed until 31 December 2027.

What it doesn't cover matters just as much. The guaranteed loan is worked out on the price or the valuation, tax and fees not included. ITP or VAT, the notary, the registry and the valuation are still yours to pay. On the average €188,400 flat, that's between €11,304 and €18,840 in tax alone. The guarantee lowers your goal, but it doesn't bring it down to zero.

On top of that, the loan is arranged with a bank that has joined the scheme, and the bank decides whether to lend using its own criteria. Meeting the requirements doesn't guarantee the mortgage.

Saving as a couple

If you're buying together, agree on one figure first: the deposit, the tax and whatever the notary and the valuer quote you. Then decide how to split the monthly target. There are two common ways:

• Equal shares. Each of you puts in half every month. Simple when your salaries are similar.
• In proportion to income. If one of you earns 60% of what comes into the household, that person puts in 60% of the target. The effort is the same for both.

Keep a written record of how much each of you contributed. If the purchase ever falls through, that record saves arguments. In Huchy today, each of you can create a goal with your share of the total and see each month how much is left to go.

If you're applying for the ICO guarantee, both of you must meet the requirements, and your combined income can't exceed the sum of each person's limit ICO, guarantee scheme for buying a first home (in Spanish).

Common mistakes

1. Saving only the 20%. Without the tax, the figure falls short by thousands of euros. In Barcelona, the ITP in the table is €36,800.
2. Working from the asking price. The bank also looks at the valuation. If it comes in below the price, the part the bank won't lend grows and so does your deposit.
3. Forgetting the move and the furniture. They aren't part of the mortgage. If you'll need them, add them to the goal as a separate line.
4. Not checking reduced rates. By age, family or floor area, as in Bizkaia, the tax can drop a lot.
5. Spreading the money around without knowing the total. Three accounts and a piggy bank at home: in the end you can't tell whether you're on track. Putting it all in one goal, with its monthly target, tells you each month whether you'll get there.
6. Assuming the guarantee pays for everything. It covers part of the loan, not the tax or the fees.

Your figure, as a goal

A house deposit in Spain in 2026 is 20% of the price plus your region's tax and the notary, registry and valuation fees. For an 80 m² flat at Spain's average appraised value, that's between €48,984 and €56,520 before those fees; in Madrid or Barcelona, more than €110,000. Do the sum with the price you're looking at, your region's tax and the quotes you get, then turn it into a monthly target with the savings calculator. The page on how to save for a house deposit has the full breakdown and the calculator with the goal already filled in. And if you also want a cushion for the unexpected while you save, the guide on how much your emergency fund should be covers that.