Purchase costs calculator for Cascais, 2026

What does buying a home in Cascais cost on top of the price?

Plan for roughly 7–11% of the price in taxes and fees. A buyer who is not tax-resident in Portugal, and never has been, usually ends up close to 10%, because the transfer tax for that group is a flat 7.5%.

The bill has four parts, and the calculator above adds them up for your price:

• IMT, the property transfer tax: the largest item by far, charged by band from 0% to 8%, or as a single 6% or 7.5% on expensive homes.
• Stamp duty (imposto do selo) of 0.8% of the price.
• Deed and land registry: the Casa Pronta flat fee is €375 for a purchase and €700 with a mortgage. With a private notary, certificates and extra registrations, allow about €500–1,200.
• Your own lawyer: usually about 1–2% of the price. The calculator uses 1% plus 23% VAT, with a minimum of €1,500 plus VAT.

In Portugal the seller normally pays the estate-agent commission. Buying a home, new or resale, is exempt from IVA (VAT); IVA is charged on construction contracts, not on the purchase.

How is IMT worked out in 2026?

For homes, IMT climbs through progressive bands up to a threshold, after which one flat rate applies to the whole price. The thresholds depend on whether the home will be your own permanent residence (habitação própria e permanente) or a second home or investment.

The base is whichever is higher: the agreed price or the tax value (VPT) on the property's caderneta predial. These are the 2026 bands for mainland Portugal:

Urban building plots and non-residential property such as shops and offices pay a flat 6.5%, rustic (agricultural) land a flat 5%. For these, it does not matter where the buyer lives.

How much IMT would you pay at Cascais prices?

A 90 m² home at the municipal median costs €421,830, and its IMT ranges from €19,983 for an own permanent home to €31,637 for a buyer who has never been tax-resident in Portugal. The median is €4,687/m², the INE figure for sales in Cascais in the 12 months to March 2026 (released 17 July 2026).

IMT only, rounded to the euro. Two patterns stand out. From about €650,000 to €1.15 million, own-home and second-home buyers pay almost the same, because the 6% flat rate takes over. Above €1,150,853 everybody pays 7.5%, so whether you live in Portugal no longer changes the tax.

Adding the rest to the €421,830 example: as a second home, IMT of €21,047, stamp duty of €3,375, the €375 Casa Pronta fee and about €5,189 for a lawyer (1% plus VAT) come to €29,985, or 7.1%. A buyer caught by the non-resident rate pays €40,575, or 9.6%.

Why do so many Cascais homes fall into a flat band?

Because Cascais prices often sit above the point where the progressive scale stops. For a second home or investment the bands end at €633,931; for an own permanent home they continue to €660,982. Beyond those limits a single 6% is charged on the whole price, and from €1,150,853 the single rate is 7.5%.

Much of what is on the market is above the first limit. The median asking price is €770,000 for apartments and €1.69 million for houses (asking prices, portal aggregate rankingimobiliario.com, 28 September 2026). Asking prices are not sale prices, but they suggest that a typical listed flat sits in the 6% band and a typical listed house in the 7.5% band.

The step at €1,150,853 is large. At exactly that price the IMT is €69,051 at 6%; one euro more and the whole price is taxed at 7.5%, which is €86,314, about €17,260 extra. The step at €660,982 for own homes is small by comparison, about €544.

What do buyers pay in the different parts of Cascais?

The median price per square metre ranges from €3,934 in São Domingos de Rana to €5,459 in Cascais e Estoril (INE, parish level, 12 months to March 2026). This is the IMT on a 90 m² home bought at each parish median:

Parish medians mix every dwelling sold, from inland flats in Tires or Alcabideche to houses a few streets from the sea in Estoril, so individual homes can be far above or below them. The Cascais property price index follows the INE series quarter by quarter; the next INE release is due on 23 October 2026. Typical prices by type are on the apartments in Cascais and houses in Cascais pages.

Who pays the 7.5% non-resident rate?

Since 25 May 2026 (Decreto-Lei 97/2026), a buyer of a home who is not tax-resident in Portugal and has never been pays IMT at a flat 7.5% of the full price, with no bands, exemptions or reductions. Nationality plays no part: a Portuguese citizen who has always lived abroad is caught, a foreigner already resident here is not.

• Couples. Spouses married in community of property pay 7.5% only if both are non-resident and neither has ever been resident (Ofício Circulado 40131/2026).
• Moving within two years. Becoming tax-resident within two years of the purchase entitles you to a refund of the amount above the normal IMT.
• Letting as a home. The same refund applies if the property is let as housing within six months of the purchase, at no more than €2,300 a month (2026 limit), for at least 36 months, continuous or not, during the first five years.

The refund has to be requested from the tax authority within six months of becoming resident or of the lease being signed. Land and commercial property are outside the rule.

Relief for buyers aged 35 or under

A buyer aged 35 or under who buys a first permanent home, has not owned a home in the previous three years and files taxes independently pays no IMT and no stamp duty up to €330,539 (Decreto-Lei 48-A/2024). Between €330,539 and €660,982 only the slice above €330,539 is taxed, at 8% IMT and 0.8% stamp duty; above €660,982 the relief falls away.

In Cascais the €330,539 cap is reached quickly: 90 m² at the São Domingos de Rana median already costs €354,060, which leaves about €1,882 of IMT on the excess. Tick the box in the calculator to apply the relief.

The same buyers also pay less for the deed and registration: at Casa Pronta €150 instead of €375, or €250 instead of €700 with a mortgage, as long as the price is no more than €330,539 (Decreto-Lei 48-D/2024). If only one of two buyers qualifies, the reduction is halved. The calculator applies this automatically when you tick the box and the price is within the limit.

Where to read more

Our guide to the cost of buying in Cascais takes you through the purchase step by step, and the guide to owning costs in Cascais covers IMI and AIMI after completion. For the rules behind IMT and stamp duty across Portugal, see this national guide to property buying costs.

Questions buyers ask about purchase costs in Cascais

How much does it cost to buy a home in Cascais on top of the price?

Typically 7–11% of the price: IMT, 0.8% stamp duty, deed and registration, and a lawyer at about 1–2%. For 90 m² at the INE median of €4,687/m² (12 months to March 2026), that is €421,830 plus about €29,985 (7.1%) as a second home, or €40,575 (9.6%) for a buyer on the non-resident rate.

Which IMT rate applies to a typical home in Cascais?

At €421,830 a home is still on the progressive scale and its top slice is taxed at 8%. From €633,931 (second home) or €660,982 (own permanent home) a single 6% applies to the whole price, and above €1,150,853 a single 7.5%.

Do non-residents pay more IMT when buying in Cascais?

Yes, if they are not tax-resident in Portugal and never have been: since 25 May 2026 they pay a flat 7.5% on the whole price of a home (Decreto-Lei 97/2026). The excess is refunded on request if they become resident within two years, or let the home within six months at no more than €2,300 a month for at least 36 months in the first five years.

Does the non-resident rate matter for a house above €1.15 million?

No. Above €1,150,853 every buyer of a home pays a flat 7.5% IMT, resident or not, so a €1,500,000 house carries €112,500 of IMT in every case.

Is IMT charged on the price or on the tax value?

On the higher of the two: the price in the deed or the tax value (VPT) on the caderneta predial. It is worth reading the VPT before you sign, because the yearly IMI is also based on it.