Cost of buying property in Cascais: IMT, stamp duty and fees (2026)

Plan on 7–11% on top of the price when you buy a home in Cascais. IMT, the property transfer tax, makes up most of that, followed by 0.8% stamp duty, legal fees of roughly 1–2% and about €500–1,200 for notary and land registry. Where you land in that range depends on the price and on your tax residence: since 25 May 2026 a buyer who is not, and has never been, tax-resident in Portugal pays a flat 7.5% IMT on a home.

This page applies the rules to Cascais price levels. The national mechanics, step by step, are covered in the sister site's in-depth guide to property buying costs in Portugal; here we concentrate on what they mean for a budget in Cascais.

What do you pay on top of the price?

Four costs fall on the buyer: IMT, stamp duty, your lawyer and the notary and registry fees. Commission for the seller's agent is not on the list, because in Portugal it is normally paid by the seller.

The deed and registry line has a fixed floor and a range. At a Casa Pronta desk of the registry office (IRN), deed and registration cost a flat €375, or €700 when a mortgage is registered in the same process; buyers aged 35 or under buying a first permanent home for up to €330,539 pay €150 or €250 (Decreto-Lei 48-D/2024). With a private notary or a deed authenticated by a lawyer, plus certificates and separate registrations, allow about €500–1,200. Our purchase costs calculator uses the Casa Pronta fee; the worked examples below use the €500–1,200 range to stay on the safe side.

IMT and stamp duty are charged on the higher of the price stated in the deed and the property's tax value (VPT, shown on the caderneta predial). In Cascais the price is usually the higher figure, but your lawyer should check. Buying a home is exempt from IVA (VAT), new builds included; the 6% IVA introduced by Decreto-Lei 97/2026 applies to construction contracts, not to the purchase of a finished home.

We work on the buyer's side. We do not sell property, and agency commission is a matter between the seller and the seller's agent, so it does not appear in any of the budgets below.

How is IMT calculated in 2026?

Up to €1,150,853, IMT on a home follows a progressive table; above that figure a flat 7.5% applies to the whole price. The table has two versions: one for an own permanent home (habitação própria e permanente) and one for a secondary or holiday home. The own-home version starts at 0% and keeps its 8% band up to €660,982, instead of €633,931.

In practice the tax authority calculates IMT in one step: price × the rate of the band the price falls into, minus a fixed deduction called the parcela a abater. The deduction removes the extra tax that the higher rate would otherwise charge on the lower bands, so the result equals a band-by-band (marginal) calculation. From €633,931 (secondary home) or €660,982 (own home) up to €1,150,853, a single rate of 6% applies to the whole price, with no deduction.

The deductions above match the tax authority's practical IMT tables for 2026 (Ofício-Circulado 40129/2026). Two thresholds matter in Cascais. For an own home, crossing €660,982 adds €543.77 of IMT, because the 6% flat rate then applies to the whole price. And crossing €1,150,853 is expensive for everyone: at exactly €1,150,853 the IMT is €69,051.18 (6%), one euro more and it is €86,314.05 (7.5%), a jump of €17,262.87.

Who pays the flat 7.5% IMT?

A buyer who is not tax-resident in Portugal on the day of purchase and has never been tax-resident here pays 7.5% of the full price of a home, with no exemption or reduction. This rule was added by Decreto-Lei 97/2026 and has applied since 25 May 2026.

There is no nationality test. A Portuguese citizen who has always lived abroad pays 7.5%; a German or British buyer who already lives in Portugal, or who once did, pays the normal table. The rule covers urban property used for housing, so land and commercial property keep their own rates.

The rental route is realistic for a typical Cascais flat. INE's median rent for new leases in Cascais was €16.43/m² a month in Q1 2026, so a 90 m² flat at that level would let for about €1,479 a month, well below the €2,300 cap. At the same median, the cap is reached at roughly 140 m² (our arithmetic; INE changed its rent series in 2026, so compare with older figures carefully).

Worked examples at Cascais prices

We chose three price points that match the local market and ran each for three buyers: (a) a resident buying their own permanent home, (b) a resident buying a second home, and (c) a non-resident who was never tax-resident in Portugal. IMT and stamp duty are exact; the all-in range adds 1–2% for the lawyer and €500–1,200 for notary and registry, rounded to €100.

Example 1: a 90 m² flat at the Cascais median (€421,830)

INE puts the median sale price in Cascais municipality at €4,687/m² for the 12 months to March 2026, so 90 m² at the median comes to 90 × €4,687 = €421,830. That price sits in the 8% band of both tables.

• Own home: €421,830 × 8% = €33,746.40, minus €13,763.35 = €19,983.05. Band by band: 0% on the first €106,346, then €782.48 + €2,643.85 + €9,253.44 + €7,303.28.
• Second home: €33,746.40 minus €12,699.89 = €21,046.51, which is the own-home figure plus €1,063.46 of 1% tax on the first band.
• Non-resident, never resident: €421,830 × 7.5% = €31,637.25. That is €10,590.74 more than the second-home table, the amount at stake in the refund routes described above.

Prices differ by parish. INE's parish-level medians for the same period range from €3,934/m² in São Domingos de Rana to €5,459/m² in Cascais e Estoril, so the same 90 m² can fall on either side of this example. The Cascais property price index tracks those figures.

Example 2: a €750,000 apartment

€750,000 is close to the median asking price for apartments in the municipality, €770,000 (asking price, portal aggregate rankingimobiliario.com, 28 September 2026). Above €660,982 both tables switch to a single 6% rate, so an owner-occupier and a second-home buyer pay the same: €750,000 × 6% = €45,000. The own-home advantage disappears at this price.

The non-resident who was never resident pays €750,000 × 7.5% = €56,250, or €11,250 more. For many apartment buyers from abroad, this difference is the main reason to plan the move to Portugal, or the first lease, around the two-year and six-month deadlines.

Example 3: a €1.5 million villa

For houses the median asking price across the municipality is €1.69 million (asking price, portal aggregate rankingimobiliario.com, 28 September 2026), so €1.5 million is a realistic villa budget, for instance in Birre and around Quinta da Marinha. Above €1,150,853 every buyer pays a flat 7.5%: €1,500,000 × 7.5% = €112,500, plus €12,000 stamp duty.

Two consequences follow. First, the non-resident rule changes nothing at this level, because the normal table already charges 7.5%. Second, the threshold matters when a villa is priced near it: at €1,150,853 the IMT is €69,051.18, one euro higher and it rises by €17,262.87. When a price is agreed just above the threshold, it is worth checking the IMT at both figures before signing.

What about commercial property and land?

Shops, offices and other non-residential urban property, including urban building plots, pay IMT at 6.5% of the price. Rustic land pays 5%. Stamp duty is 0.8% in both cases, and the non-resident 7.5% rule does not apply because it covers homes only.

As an illustration, a shop at the municipal median asking price of €245,000 (asking price, portal aggregate rankingimobiliario.com, 28 September 2026) would pay €15,925 IMT and €1,960 stamp duty. See commercial property in Cascais and land and plots for the local rules that come with each.

What does a mortgage add?

Borrowing adds stamp duty of 0.6% on the loan amount for loans of five years or more (Tabela Geral do Imposto do Selo, item 17.1.3); interest on a loan for your own home is exempt from stamp duty. On a €300,000 mortgage the 0.6% is €1,800, on top of the 0.8% on the purchase.

Banks also charge valuation and processing fees, and registering the mortgage adds registry costs (at Casa Pronta, €700 for purchase and mortgage together instead of €375); these vary by bank, so compare the standardised information sheet (FINE) each lender must give you. How non-residents qualify for a loan is set out in the sister site's guide to mortgages in Portugal for non-residents.

How to estimate your own figure

Enter your price, residence status and intended use in the purchase costs calculator; it applies the same 2026 bands and the 7.5% rule. Then add a margin for the lawyer's quote and, if you borrow, the loan costs.

1. Confirm your tax residence history: were you ever tax-resident in Portugal?
2. Decide whether the home will be your own permanent residence, a second home or a letting property.
3. Ask for the caderneta predial early, so your lawyer can compare the VPT with the price.
4. Check whether the price sits near €660,982 or €1,150,853.
5. Keep the IMT and stamp duty in cash: both are paid before the deed is signed.

If you tell us your brief, we will send a shortlist of verified homes with the purchase costs worked out for your situation.

This guide is general information based on the rules in force on 28 September 2026. It is not legal or tax advice. Your own IMT depends on your residence history, the use of the property and its tax value; ask a Portuguese lawyer or tax adviser to confirm your figures before you sign.