Costs of buying a resale condo in Tokyo (purchase costs and when cash is needed)
Besides the price, you pay purchase costs such as the brokerage fee, taxes, registration and loan fees. This site assumes 7% of the price, but the actual amount depends on the home and the loan. Enter the price and loan amount to calculate the amounts set by law or official rules, and see when each is paid.
Nothing you enter is sent or saved; it is calculated only on this page. Tax reductions assume the contract and purchase are completed by March 31, 2027 (checked against laws and official pages as of September 15, 2026).
Set by the contract amount (reduced rate until March 2027)
Stamp duty (loan contract)
At the loan contract
¥60,000
Set by the loan amount (may not apply to e-contracts)
Registration tax (building ownership)
At handover and registration
Depends on assessed value
Building assessed value × 0.3% (own home, 50 m²+, etc.)
Registration tax (land ownership)
At handover and registration
Depends on assessed value
Land assessed value × 1.5% (until March 2029)
Registration tax (mortgage)
At handover and registration
¥57,200
Loan amount × 0.1% (own home, 50 m²+, etc.)
Judicial scrivener fee
At handover and registration
Get a quote
Varies by office
Loan fee / guarantee fee
When the loan is paid out
¥1,258,400
Varies by bank (calculated at the rate you entered)
Fire and earthquake insurance
By handover
Get a quote
Depends on coverage and term
Fixed asset tax adjustment
At handover
Varies
Often split by day with the seller at handover
Management fee adjustment
At handover
Varies
Often split by day
Real estate acquisition tax
A few months after moving in
Depends on assessed value and deductions
Building: (assessed value − deduction, ¥12M for buildings from April 1997) × 3%; may be zero
Amounts calculated from what you entered: ¥3.4M (5.8% of the price). Items shown as “depends” or “get a quote” are not included. For comparison, this site’s calculators assume purchase costs of 7% of the price (¥4.1M).
Cash you need to prepare in advance
Offer to buy
You may pay an application deposit. If you withdraw before the contract, it must be returned (Real Estate Brokerage Act).
Sales contract
You pay the deposit and stamp duty on the sales contract. The mortgage is paid out only at handover, so the deposit comes from your own money. Part of the brokerage fee may also be due now, depending on your agreement with the agent.
The deposit amount is set in the contract. If the seller is a real estate company, the law caps it at 20% of the price.
Loan contract
You pay stamp duty on the loan contract (it may not apply to electronic contracts).
Final payment, handover and registration
You pay the rest of your down payment plus registration tax, the scrivener’s fee, loan fees (or guarantee fee) and insurance. Fixed asset tax and management fees are often split with the seller as of the handover date.
After moving in
A few months later, a notice of real estate acquisition tax may arrive from the metropolitan tax office. For the mortgage tax deduction, file a tax return the year after you move in.
How much can the mortgage tax deduction give back?
For a resale home you move into between 2026 and 2030, the mortgage tax deduction lets you deduct 0.7% of your year-end loan balance from income tax (and part of the next year’s resident tax). The estimate below uses the loan amount above, today’s variable rate (年1.195%) and a 35-year term.
Estimated deduction in year 1 (maximum)¥140,000Up to about ¥1.4M over 10 years (loan balance counted up to ¥20.0M). Actual refunds cannot exceed the taxes you pay.
You only get back up to the income tax you paid that year plus part of the next year’s resident tax (up to ¥97,500).
Main conditions: move in within 6 months, a loan term of 10+ years, registered floor area (50 m² or more, or 40 m² with income of ¥10M or less), built on or after January 1, 1982 (or proof of earthquake resistance), and not using tax breaks on selling a home (such as the ¥30 million special deduction) around the move-in year.
File a tax return for the first year; employees can use year-end adjustment from the second year.
Management fee and repair reserve fund：Paid monthly. The repair reserve fund is often raised later (calculate increases in Price check).
Fixed asset tax and city planning tax：Charged each year to whoever owns the home on January 1. The rates are 1.4% and 0.3% of the assessed value, after reductions such as those for residential land. Amounts differ by home, so ask the seller or agent for last year’s amount before buying.
Fire and earthquake insurance：Lenders often require fire insurance. Consider whether you also need cover for your belongings.
The price at which a sale was actually agreed. It is different from the asking price shown in listings, because it reflects price negotiations. The prices on this site are based on actual sale prices published by Japan’s Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT).
The middle value when all prices are lined up from lowest to highest. It is less affected by a few very expensive homes than the average, so we use it as a guide to a “typical” price.
The price divided by the floor area in square meters (m²). It lets you compare homes of different sizes. For example, a 70 m² home sold for ¥70 million costs ¥1 million per m². In Japan this is often written as ㎡単価.
When the prices of similar homes are lined up from lowest to highest, this is the range covered by the middle half. A price far outside this range may have a reason, such as the floor level or a renovation.
The government publishes actual sale prices about six months after the sales. Recent changes in interest rates or the market may not yet show up in the figures.
The network real estate agents in Japan use to share property information. The actual sale prices published by the government are based on sales registered in REINS.
The policy rate is the short-term interest rate set by the Bank of Japan (BOJ), which influences other interest rates. Raising it is called a rate hike. After a hike, variable mortgage rates tend to rise.
An interest rate that is reviewed after you borrow, following market rates. It is currently lower than fixed rates, but your payments can increase when rates rise.
Money you pay on top of the property price, such as the agent’s brokerage fee, registration costs, loan fees and taxes. This site assumes they are 7% of the price.
The share of your annual income that goes to mortgage payments. For example, 25% of a ¥7 million income is ¥1.75 million a year, or about ¥146,000 a month. In a government survey, households that bought a resale condo spent 17.0% on average.
An estimate of how much you could borrow without straining your budget, based on the share of income you put toward repayments (25% by default on this site), the interest rate and the loan term. A bank may approve a larger loan, but the more you borrow, the heavier the monthly payments. The actual amount is decided by the lender’s review.
To check that you could keep paying if rates rise, banks may calculate your payments at a “screening rate” higher than the actual rate. Buyers usually get a pre-approval around the time they apply to buy, and a full review after signing the sales contract.
Short-term prime rate and base rate (短期プライムレート・基準金利)
The short-term prime rate is what banks charge creditworthy companies for loans under one year. The base rate behind most variable-rate mortgages moves with it. The rate you actually pay is the base rate minus the bank’s discount.
Insurance that pays off the remaining mortgage if the borrower dies or reaches a specified severe disability. Private banks usually require it, and some people cannot join because of their health.
Ways for a couple to borrow together. With a pair loan, each person takes out their own loan. With combined income, one loan uses both incomes, as either joint debtors or with one person as guarantor. Who can join the group credit life insurance and who can claim the mortgage tax deduction depends on the method.
Common features of variable-rate mortgages in Japan. Even if rates rise, your monthly payment stays the same for five years (5-year rule), and when it is reset every five years, it can rise to at most 1.25 times the previous payment (125% rule). This prevents sudden jumps, but you pay interest for longer.
Money owners save every month for major future repairs, such as repainting the exterior, waterproofing the roof and replacing pipes. It is often raised as the building ages.
Floor area can be measured from the center of the walls (wall-center area) or from the inside of the walls (inner area). The area on the property register for a condo is the inner area, which is smaller. Sales floor plans sometimes show the wall-center area. The floor-area requirements for the mortgage tax deduction (50 m² or more, or 40 m² or more if total income is ¥10 million or less) and for the lower registration tax (50 m² or more) use the registered area.
Japan’s building earthquake standard changed on June 1, 1981; buildings whose building permit was issued before then follow the old standard. Where the line is drawn differs by program: tax breaks such as the mortgage tax deduction accept buildings registered as built on or after January 1, 1982 without proof of earthquake resistance. Old-standard homes may not qualify for some mortgages or tax breaks, so check before buying.
Management rules and long-term repair plan (管理規約・長期修繕計画)
The management rules set how residents use and manage the building, including rules on pets and renovations. The long-term repair plan shows when major repairs will happen and what they will cost, which helps you judge whether the repair reserve fund is enough. Ask to see both before buying.
The floor area of all floors of the building added together. It shows the size of the building and is used to choose the guideline amount for the repair reserve fund.
The number of rooms plus a living room (L), dining area (D) and kitchen (K). A 3LDK has three rooms and a living-dining-kitchen. “+S” means it also has a small storage room (service room).
Before the sales contract, a licensed real estate transaction specialist must give you a document and explain key points such as rights to the property, legal restrictions, fees and repair plans. This is required by law. Ask about anything unclear before signing.
Money the buyer pays the seller when signing the sales contract; it later becomes part of the price. The amount is set in the contract, but when the seller is a real estate company, the law caps it at 20% of the price. It is usually paid in cash.
A promise that if your mortgage is not approved, the sales contract is cancelled and your deposit is returned. Check that the contract includes it and by when the loan decision must come.
The fee paid to the real estate company that arranged the sale. The law sets a maximum: for properties over ¥4 million, it is 3% of the price plus ¥60,000, plus consumption tax.
The procedure for recording a change of ownership, or the mortgage on the property, in the Legal Affairs Bureau’s register. Registration tax is charged, with lower rates for homes you live in. A judicial scrivener usually handles it.
A one-time prefectural tax on buying land or a building. For a resale home you live in, it can be greatly reduced depending on when the building was built and its size, and sometimes nothing is due. A notice arrives from the metropolitan tax office a few months after purchase.
Fixed asset tax and city planning tax (固定資産税・都市計画税)
Annual taxes on whoever owns the land and building on January 1; in the 23 wards they are paid to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The amount differs by property, so ask the seller or agent for last year’s amount before buying. In a sale, they are often split by day at the handover date.
If you buy a home to live in with a mortgage, you can deduct 0.7% of the year-end loan balance from income tax (and part of resident tax if income tax is not enough) for a set number of years. Conditions include the registered floor area (50 m² or more, or 40 m² or more if total income is ¥10 million or less), income and earthquake resistance, and you must file a tax return for the first year.
An inspection by a trained architect who visually checks a building for damage and defects. In resale home sales, the real estate company must explain whether such an inspection can be arranged.
Not your gross salary, but the total of your “income” after deductions such as the employment income deduction. It is used for income limits such as for the mortgage tax deduction. For an employee with salary only, the “amount after employment income deduction” on the withholding slip is a good guide.
Kinkyo means the parents’ and children’s households live near each other; dōkyo means living in the same home. Ward subsidies set their own rules, such as how near counts and how long the parents must have lived in the ward.
With a loan referral, the ward introduces a lender to make it easier to borrow for housing. With an interest subsidy, the ward pays part of the interest on the loan.
Insurance that pays for repairs if hidden defects, such as structural problems or leaks, are found after buying a resale home. The building must be inspected to join. For older buildings, it can serve as proof of earthquake resistance for the mortgage tax deduction.
Long-life quality housing and energy standards (長期優良住宅・省エネ基準)
Long-life quality housing is housing certified as meeting national standards for staying in good condition for a long time. ZEH-level and energy-efficiency standards cover insulation and energy performance; the mortgage tax deduction’s borrowing limit depends on them.