Comprehensive, interactive guide to transfer duty (stamp duty) and land tax rates across all 8 states and territories. Enter any property price to instantly compare your tax liability.
Enter a property price to instantly compare transfer duty across all states and territories.
* Transfer duty uses general residential rates for 2025–26 (ACT uses owner-occupier rates). Land tax figures assume the estimated land value is for an investment property — principal place of residence exemptions apply in most states. The ACT applies land tax to all residential land. NT has no land tax.
Tax liability on the median house price in each capital city (February 2026 data).
| Capital City | Median House Price | Transfer Duty | Eff. Duty Rate | Annual Land Tax |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Sydney New South Wales | $1,598,819 | $69,947.05 | 4.37% | Below threshold |
Melbourne Victoria | $989,356 | $54,414.58 | 5.50% | $1,488.82 |
Brisbane Queensland | $1,149,589 | $46,626.37 | 4.06% | Below threshold |
Adelaide South Australia | $972,435 | $47,313.93 | 4.87% | Below threshold |
Perth Western Australia | $1,003,804 | $42,811.41 | 4.26% | $300.00 |
Hobart Tasmania | $766,602 | $29,682.09 | 3.87% | $694.90 |
Canberra Australian Capital Territory | $1,033,761 | $36,118.70 | 3.49% | $3,657.15 |
Darwin Northern Territory | $715,084 | $35,396.66 | 4.95% | No land tax |
Land tax figures assume 40% land-to-value ratio and are applicable to investment properties. Principal place of residence is exempt from land tax in NSW, VIC, QLD, SA, WA and TAS. Source: Your Mortgage / Cotality, February 2026.
General residential rates for 2025–26. Click a state to expand its full bracket table.
General individual rates for 2025–26. Principal place of residence is exempt in most states.
Notable observations from the comparative analysis.
Sydney (NSW) attracts the highest transfer duty in absolute dollar terms — approximately $69,947 on the median house price of $1.60M — reflecting both the highest median price and a steep top marginal rate of 5.5%.
Melbourne's duty ($54,415) exceeds Brisbane's ($46,626) despite a lower median price, because Victoria applies a flat 6% rate on values between $130,000 and $960,000 — one of the steepest mid-range rates nationally.
The ACT deliberately reduces stamp duty while broadening land tax to all residential land. Buyers pay lower upfront duty but face an ongoing annual land tax (~$3,761 on a median property) that owner-occupiers in other states do not.
The Northern Territory is the only jurisdiction that levies no land tax whatsoever. Combined with its formula-based transfer duty, Darwin offers the lightest overall property tax burden of any capital city.
NSW ($1,075,000) and SA ($833,000) have the highest land tax-free thresholds. At the median house price, the estimated land value in both states falls below the threshold, resulting in zero land tax for investment properties.
Because all states use progressive marginal rate structures, the effective (average) duty rate is always lower than the top marginal rate. At Sydney's median price, the effective rate is approximately 4.4%, despite the top marginal rate of 5.5%.