What it costs to buy property in Egypt
A foreign buyer should budget roughly 2.0%–5.0% of the purchase price on top of the price itself. No licence or permit is required.
What you pay
- Property registration fee1.0%–3.0% of the price$5,000–$15,000
- Legal fees1.0%–2.0% of the price$5,000–$10,000
| On a purchase of | $250,000 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property registration fee | $2,500 – $7,500 | $5,000 – $15,000 | $10,000 – $30,000 |
| Legal fees | $2,500 – $5,000 | $5,000 – $10,000 | $10,000 – $20,000 |
| Total on top of the price | 2.0%–5.0% | 2.0%–5.0% | 2.0%–5.0% |
Who carries the taxes and fees
What the seller pays — not you
- Real estate disposal tax — 2.5%2.5%, and it is the seller's — shown so a buyer recognises it if it is presented as theirs.
Guides that add every tax together and present the total as a buyer's bill overstate the cost. These are the seller's.
Can you buy as a foreigner?
No licence required
Permitted, but capped by Law 230 of 1996: no more than two properties for residential use, each no more than 4,000 m², and no disposal within five years of acquiring unless the Prime Minister grants an exception. Some areas are outside the regime entirely — Sinai is held under separate rules that do not offer freehold to foreigners. Registration is the practical problem: a large share of Egyptian units change hands on unregistered contracts, which is not a position a foreign buyer should accept.
No approval to wait for
With no permission to obtain, the timeline is set by conveyancing rather than by a government queue.
Take it with you
These figures as a PDF, worked out at the price you enter, with every source and the date it was checked.
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Nearby markets compared
What a foreign buyer pays on top of a $500,000 price, here and in the markets around it nearest in cost.
An estimate for budgeting, not legal or tax advice. These rates are traced to published sources but have not been reviewed by a practitioner in this jurisdiction. Confirm the current position with an attorney before you commit.
The Law 230 limits are traced to Egyptian law-firm analyses and are the solid part of this entry. The fees are not: published figures for registration vary between 0.5% and 3% and references to a cap are inconsistent, so the range is wide on purpose and should not be relied on without a local check. Agency commission runs 2–5% and is too variable to model. Egypt's citizenship-by-investment route via property has a separate threshold and its own qualifying list.