Calculators
Property Purchase Costs Calculator
Estimate stamp duty, legal, valuation and registration costs on a property purchase — each with its own confidence level noted.
Estimated costs on a property purchase
Enter the property value to see an estimate of stamp duty, legal, valuation and registration costs — each figure below carries a different confidence level, noted alongside it.
- Stamp duty
- KES 320,000
- Legal fees
- KES 145,000
- Valuation fees
- KES 57,500
- Registration fees
- KES 13,500
- Total estimated cost
- KES 536,000
Source: Stamp Duty Act (Cap 480); EY Global Tax Alert, 10 Apr 2024, as of 21 July 2026.
Source: Advocates (Remuneration) Order, Schedule 1 (rev. 31 Dec 2022), as of 21 July 2026.
Stamp duty and legal fees are set by statute (Stamp Duty Act; the Advocates (Remuneration) Order) and shown here at the ceiling rate — many transactions negotiate legal fees below this scale. Valuation fees follow the Institution of Surveyors of Kenya's published scale, but that source page could not be machine-verified directly, so treat it as medium-confidence pending manual confirmation. Registration fees are a secondary-sourced estimate, not independently verified — treat this figure as indicative only and confirm the current amount with the Ministry of Lands before relying on it.
Illustration only. Actual costs vary by transaction and are frequently negotiated below the statutory scale — this is not legal or tax advice.
The four costs behind a property purchase
Buying property in Kenya carries costs beyond the purchase price itself, and they are not all equally certain. Two are set in law and can be quoted with confidence; two are estimates that should be treated as indicative. This calculator shows all four, deliberately flagged at different confidence levels rather than presented as equally solid.
The four components, and how sure we are of each
| Cost | Basis | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Stamp duty | 4% urban / 2% rural, on the higher of market value or price | High — statutory |
| Legal fees | Advocates (Remuneration) Order scale, shown at the ceiling | High — statutory |
| Valuation fees | Institution of Surveyors of Kenya published fee scale | Medium — source page not machine-verified |
| Registration fees | Flat KES 13,500 estimate | Low — secondary-sourced, unverified |
Sources: Stamp Duty Act (Cap 480); EY Global Tax Alert, 10 Apr 2024 (stamp duty). Advocates (Remuneration) Order, Schedule 1, revised 31 Dec 2022 (legal fees). Institution of Surveyors of Kenya — scale of fees for valuers (valuation fees). Legal Notice 77 of 2024, secondary-sourced (registration fees). As of 21 July 2026.
Worked example: KES 8,000,000, urban, mortgage valuation
Using the calculator's own defaults — a KES 8,000,000 urban property, valued for a mortgage — stamp duty at 4% comes to KES 320,000. Legal fees under the statutory scale are 2% on the first KES 5,000,000 (KES 100,000) plus 1.5% on the remaining KES 3,000,000 (KES 45,000), for KES 145,000. The mortgage valuation fee is 1% on the first KES 5,000,000 (KES 50,000) plus 0.25% on the remaining KES 3,000,000 (KES 7,500), for KES 57,500. Registration fees add the flat KES 13,500. Altogether, that's a total of KES 536,000 in costs on top of the purchase price.
Treat the stamp duty and legal fee figures as reliable starting points — though legal fees are frequently negotiated below the statutory ceiling shown here. Treat the valuation and registration figures as rougher estimates, and confirm the current valuation fee and registration amount with a licensed valuer and the Ministry of Lands respectively before relying on the total.
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