What does it cost to buy a house in 2026? The full calculation

On top of the down payment (udbetaling), there is land registration (tinglysning), loan costs, insurance, help from professionals, moving and the first expenses in the house, among other things.

For a house costing 3.000.000 kr., 5 per cent of the price is 150.000 kr. Registering the deed (skøde) costs a further 19.850 kr. in a typical example. Then comes registration of the loans and the costs that depend on your financing and the specific house.^[1]

In brief

• 5 per cent of the purchase price is normally used as a first benchmark for your own down payment.
• 5 per cent is not an unconditional legal requirement that applies equally in every home purchase. The bank must assess what an appropriate down payment is.^[2]
• In 2026, registering the deed costs 1.850 kr. plus 0,6 per cent of the purchase price.^[1]
• Registering a mortgage costs 1.825 kr. plus 1,25 per cent of the secured amount per document.^[3]
• A previously registered mortgage can in some cases reduce the percentage fee on new loans.
• The bank, the mortgage lender, professionals and insurers have prices that depend on the specific purchase.
• Your total cash need is the down payment, the purchase costs paid in cash and the buffer you want to keep.

Three numbers to keep separate

When someone asks what it costs to buy a house, they can mean three different things.

The purchase price

This is the price you and the seller agree for the house. The purchase price is normally financed with a mix of your own money and loans.

The cash need

This is the money you must be able to pay yourself in connection with the purchase. It can include:

• Your share of the purchase price
• Land registration
• Costs that are not financed
• Insurance
• Help from professionals
• Moving and doing up the house
• The buffer you want after the purchase

The monthly finances

This is what the house costs to own and live in after the handover. It can include:

• Interest and repayments (afdrag)
• The administration margin (bidragssats) on the mortgage loan (realkreditlån)
• Property taxes
• Home insurance
• Heating, electricity and water
• Maintenance
• Homeowners' association

A home can fit your purchase budget and still turn out too expensive in everyday life. That is why all three numbers must fit together.

Down payment on a house

The down payment is the part of the purchase price you contribute yourself.

In home financing, 5 per cent is often used as the starting point:

It is important to call the 5 per cent a starting point. The rules require the lender, as a starting point, to ensure an appropriate down payment. At the same time, the bank must carry out a specific credit assessment (kreditvurdering).^[2]

Savings equal to 5 per cent therefore do not automatically give you access to buy the home. The bank may decide that more is needed, or that other parts of your finances set the ceiling.

Read the in-depth guide on the down payment on a home.

Registering the deed

The deed records that ownership of the home is changing hands.

For an ordinary change of ownership of real property, the land registration fee (tinglysningsafgift) in 2026 consists of:

• Fixed fee: 1.850 kr.
• Variable fee: 0,6 per cent of the purchase price

For a house costing 3.000.000 kr., the calculation is:

1.850 kr. + 0,6 per cent of 3.000.000 kr. = 19.850 kr.

If the property value is higher than the purchase price, the 0,6 per cent is calculated on the property value instead. In an ordinary sale at market price, this is rarely the case.^[1]

You can read more about the process in the guide on completion, the deed and land registration.

Registering loans and mortgages

When the bank or the mortgage credit institution (realkreditinstitut) takes security in the home, the mortgage is registered.

From 1 January 2026, the mortgage registration fee (pantafgift) on real property consists of:

• Fixed fee: 1.825 kr.
• Variable fee: 1,25 per cent of the secured amount

The variable rate was lowered from 1,45 per cent to 1,25 per cent in 2026.^[3]

If a house costing 3.000.000 kr. is financed with a mortgage loan of 2.400.000 kr. and a secured bank loan of 450.000 kr., a simplified example with no reuse of previously paid fees could look like this:

The example assumes two new secured documents and no reuse of a previously paid percentage fee. Your actual financing may be structured differently.

Can the mortgage registration fee be lower?

Yes.

If a mortgage is already registered on the house, a new mortgage can in some cases fully or partly replace the existing one. The percentage fee is then only payable on the part of the new principal (hovedstol) that exceeds the mortgage that can be used.^[4]

A simple example:

• New mortgage: 2.400.000 kr.
• Previously registered mortgage that can be used: 1.800.000 kr.
• Amount subject to the new percentage fee: 600.000 kr.

In this simplified example, the variable fee is:

1,25 per cent of 600.000 kr. = 7.500 kr.

On top of this come the fixed fee and any other documents.

Whether this is possible depends on the existing mortgages and the specific financing. That is why you cannot know the exact fee from the sale price alone.

Costs from the bank and the mortgage credit institution

The loan has more costs than interest and land registration.

Among other things, you may come across:

• Set-up fee
• Processing fee
• Case handling
• Loan application fee
• Brokerage fees (kurtage)
• Price spread (kursskæring)
• Fixed-price agreement (fastkursaftale)
• Guarantee commission
• Administration margin on the mortgage loan

Names and prices vary between banks, mortgage credit institutions and loan types.

The mortgage credit institution's fees when the loan is set up

The bank's own fees

See the administration margins and fees of the four mortgage credit institutions side by side in the guide Compare home loans.

Some costs are paid in cash. Others can be added to the loan's principal. If a cost is added to the loan, it does not disappear. You finance it and may end up paying interest on it.

So compare all of the following:

• The money you have to pay now
• The loan's principal
• The amount paid out to you
• The monthly payment (ydelse)
• The total costs over time

Read more about the difference between mortgage loans and bank loans.

Help from a lawyer and other professionals

When buying a house, you can choose or may need help with different parts of the purchase.

This can include:

• Review of the purchase agreement (købsaftale) and documents
• Wording and use of conditions
• The deed and completion (berigtigelse)
• Technical building inspection
• Inspection of the sewer or oil tank
• Review of the local plan, easements or building case files

The price depends on, among other things, the scope of the task, the home and the agreement you make with the professional.

Ask for a written price and an exact description of what is included. A low price on one line may cover less than a higher price that includes the whole purchase.

Condition report and technical building inspection

The condition report (tilstandsrapport) is normally ordered and paid for by the seller as part of the Danish home inspection scheme (Huseftersynsordningen). That does not mean the report tells you everything about the house.

It describes visible damage and signs of damage based on the inspection that was carried out. As a buyer, you can choose to pay for a supplementary inspection or specialist surveys.

This may be relevant, for example, with:

• Suspected damp
• An older roof or basement
• An oil tank
• Sewers
• Major conversions
• Issues flagged for further investigation

The expense is optional in many purchases, but it must be part of your calculation if you want the survey carried out.

Change-of-ownership insurance

Change-of-ownership insurance (ejerskifteforsikring) is a one-off expense. The price depends on, among other things, the house, the cover, the term, the excess and the insurance company.

Under the home inspection scheme, the seller must obtain a quote and offer to pay an amount equal to half the premium on the quote presented.^[5]

If you choose a different or more expensive policy, the seller's contribution is still tied to the original quote.

The insurance does not automatically cover every defect in the house. Cover depends on the reports, the policy, any exclusions and the damage itself.

Read BoligKlar's guide on change-of-ownership insurance.

Home insurance

Home insurance is a different policy from change-of-ownership insurance.

It covers damage that occurs after you have taken over the risk for the home, according to the terms of your policy. The bank or the mortgage credit institution will normally require the house to have at least fire insurance when there are loans secured on the property.^[6]

The insurance must start on the day the risk passes to you. If you have the right of disposal (dispositionsret) before the handover day (overtagelsesdag), the start date may therefore be earlier.

The price depends on the house and the cover you choose. Get the actual price before you finalise your budget.

Moving and the first expenses in the house

It is easy to spend the whole calculation on the purchase itself. But the house starts costing money before the moving boxes are empty.

Among other things, you may face expenses for:

• Removal company or van hire
• Painting and floor treatment
• Curtains and lamps
• New locks
• Connections and subscriptions
• Paying for two homes for a period
• Small repairs
• Furniture and storage
• Garden equipment and tools

None of the items is necessarily large on its own. Together, they can take a big share of the amount you thought was your buffer.

A buffer after buying the home

A buffer is not a tax or a fee. It is money you choose not to spend on the purchase price.

How much you need depends on, among other things:

• The age and condition of the house
• Upcoming renovations
• How stable your incomes are
• Insurance excesses
• Car and transport
• Children and other fixed commitments

A larger down payment can reduce the debt. But if all your savings end up in bricks and mortar, the first repair can be hard to handle.

That is why the down payment and the buffer must be seen in the same calculation.

Running costs after the purchase

The cash need gets you through the door. The running costs decide whether your finances work afterwards.

Include, among other things:

• Interest and repayments
• Mortgage administration margin
• Property value tax (ejendomsværdiskat)
• Land tax (grundskyld)
• Home insurance
• Electricity, water and heating
• Waste collection
• Homeowners' association
• Ongoing maintenance

The energy label, previous consumption and the sales listing (salgsopstilling) can give a first picture. But your own consumption and future prices may look different.

The bank brings the running items together when it assesses your disposable income (rådighedsbeløb) and your overall finances.

Example: a 3.000.000 kr. house

Here is a simplified example with a 5 per cent down payment of your own and two new secured loans. No reuse of a previously paid land registration fee is included.

The provisional total does not include:

• Other costs from the bank and the mortgage credit institution
• A lawyer or other professional help
• Change-of-ownership insurance
• Home insurance
• Moving and doing up the house
• Buffer

Some of the loan costs may be financed. Others must be paid in cash. So 209.200 kr. is not a universal minimum. It is a transparent example of why 150.000 kr. rarely tells the whole story.

Purchase budget is not the same as cash need

Your purchase budget is about the total price you can buy a home for.

A simplified starting point is:

New housing debt + your own money towards the purchase price = possible purchase price

Your cash need, on the other hand, is about how much of your own money must go on:

Your share of the purchase price + costs paid in cash + the buffer you want

If you have 500.000 kr. in savings, you cannot automatically put all 500.000 kr. on top of the loan and call the result your purchase budget. First you need to work out how much has to go on costs, moving and a buffer.

Disposable income can also set a lower ceiling, even if your debt-to-income ratio (gældsfaktor) and savings point to a higher price.

A house and a flat do not have the same costs

The basic items are the same, but some expenses look different.

With a house, you typically pay yourself for:

• Home insurance
• Exterior maintenance
• Land and garden
• Any homeowners' association
• Your own installations and roof

With an owner-occupied flat (ejerlejlighed), you typically pay shared costs to the owners' association (ejerforening). Part of the building's insurance and maintenance may sit there.

The home inspection scheme and change-of-ownership insurance are normally used for houses, but rarely for owner-occupied flats. On the other hand, the owners' association's finances, maintenance plan and upcoming projects become central with a flat.

This guide is based on buying a house.

Checklist for the full calculation

Before you look at specific houses

• Find the price range your finances can carry
• Calculate a first debt ceiling and purchase budget
• Find the amount you want to put towards the purchase price
• Decide how big a buffer you want to keep

When you have found a house

• Calculate 5 per cent as a first benchmark for the down payment
• Calculate the cost of registering the deed
• Get the mortgage registration calculated, including any reuse
• Get the fees from the bank and the mortgage credit institution in writing
• Get prices for the help you want
• Get prices for change-of-ownership insurance and home insurance
• Set money aside for moving and the first projects

Before you say yes to the financing

• See which costs are paid in cash
• See which costs are added to the loans
• Check the loans' principal and the amounts paid out
• Compare your monthly finances after the purchase
• Check how much of your savings is left

In summary

A house costing 3.000.000 kr. does not only cost 3.000.000 kr.

You need to know three numbers:

1. The price of the house
2. The money you need to have ready yourself
3. Your monthly finances after the handover

5 per cent is a first benchmark for the down payment. Then come land registration and the costs that depend on the house, the financing and the help you choose.

Once the three numbers are on the table, you can see the difference between being able to afford to buy the house and being able to afford to live in it.

Start with your own cash need in the Down Payment Calculator, and add up the costs of moving and your first projects in the Moving-in Calculator.

BoligKlar gives you a second pair of eyes and an overview. The bank makes the final credit assessment and sets the financing.

Frequently asked questions