How to calculate Makkah and Madinah buying costs
Estimated buyer total = purchase price + buyer’s tax and fee contributions + buyer brokerage including applicable VAT + quoted additional costs.
Remaining cash = buyer total − amounts already paid − confirmed financing toward the price. A deposit forms part of the purchase price; it is not an additional charge.
A SAR 1 million worked example
Assume a SAR 1,000,000 price and tax value, a buyer-paid 2.5% VAT-exclusive broker commission, seller-paid RETT, no REGA fee contribution and no other quotes. Brokerage is SAR 25,000 and its 15% VAT is SAR 3,750. The buyer’s estimated total is SAR 1,028,750. The transaction’s SAR 50,000 RETT is shown separately as seller-paid. If the buyer agrees to fund that RETT, the buyer budget becomes SAR 1,078,750. Unquoted legal and registration expenses are still excluded.
Questions about buying property in Makkah and Madinah
How much does buying property in Makkah or Madinah cost?
Your budget is the property price plus the charges you agree to pay: tax contributions, applicable REGA disposal-fee contributions, brokerage and service VAT, and quoted legal, registration, inspection and financing fees. Unquoted costs remain excluded, so the calculator gives a planning estimate.
Is 15% VAT added to the property purchase price?
Property sales are exempt from VAT and generally subject to 5% Real Estate Transaction Tax (RETT). Separately supplied taxable services can attract 15% VAT. Use the provider’s invoice and avoid adding VAT again to an inclusive quote.
Who pays Saudi property transaction tax?
The seller is legally responsible for paying RETT. The calculator includes it in your buyer budget only to the extent you agree to bear its economic cost. Such an agreement does not change the seller’s statutory tax obligation.
Is the non-Saudi property fee always an extra 5%?
No. Article 9 of REGA’s implementing regulations specifies 2% on qualifying non-Saudi disposals in Riyadh, Makkah, Madinah and Jeddah. Article 10 lists zero-rate cases. It is a disposal fee, not an automatic surcharge based only on the buyer’s nationality.
Can any foreign Muslim buy an apartment in Makkah or Madinah?
Being Muslim alone does not establish eligibility. Under Article 2, non-Saudi individual ownership in these cities is restricted to Muslim individuals within permitted geographical areas and applicable controls. Check the exact property, permitted right and registration route with REGA before paying a deposit.
Are there fixed legal and transfer charges?
Do not assume a universal percentage. The Ministry of Justice lists no service fee for its conveyance listing service; that does not make every registration, private notary or legal service free. Enter the actual quotes for the services and registry route your purchase requires.
Official sources and review
Prepared by SMCE Saudi editorial team. Sources checked on 9 October 2026. Verify the authority’s assessment and current rules for your transaction.
- ZATCA — RETT rate and exemptions
- ZATCA — tax basis, seller obligation and first-home support
- ZATCA — property-sale VAT exemption
- ZATCA — VAT on taxable service invoices
- REGA — Brokerage Law, Article 14
- REGA — implementing regulations, Articles 9–10 (2% disposal fee and zero-rate cases)
- REGA — Non-Saudi Ownership Law, Article 2
- Ministry of Justice — conveyance listing service
Related ownership guides
- Buying property in Makkah: non-Saudi ownership rules
- Buying property in Madinah: ownership and registration
- Can Muslims worldwide buy property in Makkah and Madinah?
This is a budgeting tool. SMCE provides information and introductions. Authority assessments, contracts and professional quotations determine the amounts actually payable.