The single most common question we get before anyone even books a viewing is some version of "what does it cost on top of the price?" It is a fair question and it deserves a plain answer. A lot of people arrive on this page after searching for a Thailand property tax calculator, expecting a box that spits out one number. We would rather explain how the arithmetic actually works at the Land Office, because the number depends on figures that are not published online.
We have been selling and letting property in Pattaya since 1978. What follows is how these costs are ordinarily handled in practice on the Eastern Seaboard. It is general information, not tax or legal advice, and the rates are set by government and can be changed or temporarily reduced. Before you commit to anything we will confirm what is current on the day of transfer for your specific unit.
What are the transfer costs when buying a condo or house in Pattaya?
There are usually four items in play at the Land Office on the day of transfer:
- Transfer fee — 2% of the Land Department's appraised value of the property. This is the item buyers are most often asked to contribute to.
- Specific Business Tax — 3.3%, which applies where the seller has held the property for less than five years (with an exemption route where the seller's name has been in the house registration book for at least one year). It is normally treated as a seller's cost.
- Stamp duty — 0.5%, payable where Specific Business Tax is not due. You pay one or the other, not both.
- Withholding tax — calculated differently depending on whether the seller is an individual or a company. For an individual it is worked out on a progressive scale using the appraised value and the number of years of ownership; for a company it is 1% of the higher of the appraised value or the declared sale price. Again, ordinarily a seller's cost.
Who pays what?
There is no law dictating the split. Custom in Pattaya is that the 2% transfer fee is split 50/50 between buyer and seller, and that the seller carries the taxes on the gain (Specific Business Tax or stamp duty, plus withholding tax). But it is negotiable and it varies deal by deal — some sellers price on the basis that the buyer pays everything, some absorb the lot. We put the split in writing in the offer so nobody is surprised at the Land Office.
Why can't an online calculator give me an exact figure?
Because the taxes are calculated on the Land Department's appraised value, not the price you agreed. The appraised value is a government valuation, it is generally lower than market price, and it is not something you can look up from your laptop. We obtain it for the specific unit before you exchange money.
To show you the shape of the numbers, here is the arithmetic on three properties currently on our books. Treat this strictly as illustration — the appraised value will differ from the asking price, so these are not quotes:
- A 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom house in East Pattaya at 4,990,000 THB: 2% of that figure is 99,800 THB, so a 50/50 transfer fee split would put roughly 49,900 THB on each side.
- A 4 bedroom pool villa in East Pattaya at 6,250,000 THB: 2% is 125,000 THB.
- A 2 bedroom direct ocean view condo in Jomtien at 14,900,000 THB: 2% is 298,000 THB.
Ask us for the appraised value on any unit you are serious about and we will do the real calculation with the current rates.
What else should a buyer budget for beyond the Land Office?
- Condo sinking fund and common area fees. These are set by each individual development and charged per square metre, so we do not quote a standard figure. We get the current rates and the outstanding balance in writing from the juristic person before completion.
- Legal and due diligence work. Title search, encumbrance check, confirming the seller's authority to sell, and checking the condo's foreign quota position. Fees vary by firm.
- Utility and meter transfers, and clearing any arrears on the unit.
Is there an annual property tax in Thailand?
Yes. The Land and Building Tax Act introduced an annual tax that has been in force since 2020. The rate band depends on how the property is used — residential, agricultural, commercial or vacant — with allowances available for a primary residence where the owner's name is on the title and in the house registration book. Residential rates are modest compared with what buyers from the UK, Europe or North America are used to. The assessment is handled locally, so we check the position with the relevant municipality for the property in question rather than quoting a figure here.
Does foreign ownership change any of this?
The transfer costs are the same, but the ownership route matters. A foreign buyer can hold a condominium unit in their own name where the building has room within its foreign quota — under the Condominium Act, up to 49% of the aggregate saleable floor area of a building may be foreign-owned. Where funds are remitted into Thailand from abroad in foreign currency, the bank issues a Foreign Exchange Transaction Form, and the Land Office will want to see it for a foreign-quota purchase.
Land is different. A foreigner cannot own land in Thailand freehold. Houses and villas are therefore held through other structures — commonly a registered long lease of the land with the building owned separately, or ownership through a Thai company, or in a Thai spouse's name. Each route has different consequences and none of them should be entered into on the strength of a web page. If you are looking at something like the East Pattaya house or pool villa above, this is a conversation to have with a Thai lawyer before you sign anything, and we will tell you plainly what structure the current owner holds it under.
What about renting instead?
Renters have none of the above. There is no transfer fee and no Land Office involvement on a standard residential lease. You are looking at rent plus a deposit and the utility arrangements, and deposit terms are set by the individual landlord. As examples of what is live at the moment, we have a 1 bedroom condo in Na Jomtien at 13,000 THB per month and a 1 bedroom at Arcadia Millennium Tower in South Pattaya at 15,000 THB per month. If you are undecided between buying and renting, renting first for a season is not a bad way to find out which part of Pattaya you actually want to live in.
Get the numbers for your specific property
We are working on a calculator for this page. Until it is live, the honest answer is that we can produce a more accurate figure by hand in a few minutes than any calculator can, because we can get the appraised value and the development's current fees. Send us the unit you are interested in and we will set out the expected costs on both sides, along with what the seller is prepared to split.
Speak to an agent about your budget, request more details on any property mentioned here, or arrange a viewing when you are next in Pattaya.