This Korea property acquisition tax calculator for foreigners estimates every tax you pay when buying a home or apartment in Korea: the tiered acquisition tax (1%–4%), the local education tax (10% of the acquisition tax), the special rural development tax (0.2% on larger homes), and a realistic allowance for registration and brokerage. Enter your purchase price, property type, and floor area, and the tool returns each tax line plus your all-in closing cost as a percentage of price. Whether you are weighing a 400-million-won studio or a 1.2-billion-won apartment, this korea acquisition tax calculator gives the buyer-cost answer that the big real-estate guides leave as static prose.
Use the korea real estate purchase tax calculator below, then read the rate tiers, a worked example, and what each tax means for a foreign buyer.
The calculator stacks the taxes a Korean home purchase triggers, in order:
It then reports total taxes and all-in closing cost as a percentage of price, so you can budget the cash you need on top of the headline purchase price. The tier boundaries (600 million and 900 million won) and the 85㎡ size threshold are the levers that move your bill the most.
For residential purchases the basic acquisition tax is tiered by price:
| Home purchase price (KRW) | Acquisition tax rate |
|---|---|
| Up to 600,000,000 | 1% |
| 600,000,000 – 900,000,000 | Sliding 1% → 3% |
| Over 900,000,000 | 3% |
| Non-residential / land / other | 4% |
On top of the acquisition tax, a 10% local education tax applies (so the effective add-on is 0.1%–0.3% of price), and a 0.2% special rural development tax applies to homes larger than 85㎡. Small homes (85㎡ or less) are exempt from the special tax — a meaningful saving that the size toggle in the calculator captures.
Take an 800,000,000 KRW apartment of 100㎡ (above the 85㎡ threshold). Because the price is in the 600–900 million band, the sliding rate works out to about 2.33%:
Add registration/scrivener and a 0.5% brokerage commission and the all-in closing cost climbs to roughly 3.3%–3.5% of price. A 500,000,000 KRW home of 60㎡, by contrast, sits at the flat 1% tier and is exempt from the special tax, so its total taxes are only about 1.1% — illustrating how price and size swing the bill.
Yes. Under the Act on Report on Real Estate Transactions and the foreigner land-acquisition rules, non-residents can generally buy Korean apartments and pay the same acquisition tax as residents. You must report the acquisition (and, for some asset types, file within a set period), and a handful of restricted areas — military zones, certain cultural-heritage or ecological districts — require prior permission. For an ordinary city apartment, foreign buyers face the same tiered acquisition tax modeled here, plus the standard reporting paperwork.
The core local tax on acquiring real estate, tiered 1%–3% for homes and 4% for other property. It is by far the largest line in your closing costs and is reported to the local government, not the national tax office.
A surtax equal to 10% of the acquisition tax, earmarked for education. It scales automatically with the acquisition tax, so a higher purchase price raises both together.
A 0.2%-of-price levy supporting rural development, charged only on homes over 85㎡. The 85㎡ exemption is why compact "national housing size" apartments are cheaper to buy in tax terms.
Two more costs round out a Korean purchase. Registration of the title transfer (handled with a judicial scrivener, beopmusa) carries government fees plus the scrivener's service charge — modest relative to the taxes. Brokerage commission is set by statutory bands, typically in the 0.4%–0.9% range depending on price and property type, and is negotiable within the cap. The calculator lets you set the brokerage rate so your all-in figure matches your actual agreement.
The tiers above are the standard first-home rates. Korea applies heavier acquisition-tax rates to additional homes and to purchases in designated adjustment-target areas — multi-home surcharges can push the rate well above 3%, sometimes into double digits for the third-plus home in a regulated zone. If this is not your only Korean home, treat the calculator's output as a floor and confirm the surcharge with the local tax office before committing.
Acquisition tax must generally be reported and paid within 60 days of the acquisition date — in practice, the balance-payment and registration date. It is paid to the city/county/district (si/gun/gu) where the property sits, and your judicial scrivener usually handles the filing alongside the title registration. Late payment triggers penalties, so include the tax in your closing funds, not as a bill to settle later.
Acquisition tax is one-off, but ownership brings annual costs: property tax (재산세) every year, and for higher-value holdings the comprehensive real estate (holding) tax (종합부동산세) on the portion above the statutory threshold. If you later sell, capital gains tax applies to the profit, with rates that depend on holding period and how many homes you own. Factor these into a buy-versus-rent decision; the acquisition tax modeled here is only the entry cost.
Buying as a foreigner adds a reporting layer on top of the tax. Real-estate acquisitions must be reported under the real-estate transaction rules, and acquiring land can require a separate filing within a set period. Just as important is where the money comes from: bringing purchase funds into Korea from abroad should be done through proper banking channels with documentation, because you may later want to repatriate the sale proceeds, and a clean inbound record makes the outbound remittance smoother under the foreign-exchange rules. Plan the funding trail before you buy, not after — it affects both the purchase and your eventual exit.
Korea has, over recent years, tightened the tax treatment of residential property, especially for multiple-home owners and purchases in regulated "adjustment target" areas. Acquisition-tax surcharges on second and third homes, heavier holding taxes, and tighter lending rules have all featured in policy aimed at cooling housing prices. For a foreign buyer this means two things: first, confirm whether the property sits in a regulated zone, which can change rates and loan limits; second, treat any "standard" rate you read in an older guide with caution, since the regulated-area and multi-home rules can override it. The calculator models the standard first-home tiers; regulated-zone and multi-home cases need a local check.
Putting it together, the cash you need at completion is more than the deposit and balance. Budget for: acquisition tax (the big one), local education tax, the special rural development tax if over 85㎡, registration and judicial-scrivener fees, brokerage commission within the statutory band, mandatory bond purchases (national housing bonds tied to registration, often resold at a small loss), and any mortgage arrangement costs. On a typical mid-priced apartment, the all-in transaction cost commonly lands in the low-single-digit percent of price for a first home — but climbs quickly for high-value or regulated-zone purchases. The calculator's all-in figure captures the main components so you are not blindsided at closing.
The Korea property acquisition tax calculator for foreigners applies the tiered acquisition-tax rate to your purchase price (1% up to 600 million won, sliding 1-3% from 600 to 900 million, 3% above 900 million for homes, 4% for non-residential), then adds the 10% local education tax on the acquisition tax and a 0.2% special rural development tax if the home is over 85 square meters. It sums these into your total acquisition taxes and all-in closing cost.
For a residential home purchase the basic acquisition tax is tiered: 1% up to 600 million won, a sliding 1% to 3% between 600 and 900 million, and 3% above 900 million. Non-residential property and land are generally taxed at 4%. Multiple-home owners can face heavier rates.
Yes. Foreigners can generally buy Korean real estate and pay the same acquisition tax as residents, subject to reporting requirements under the Foreigner's Land Acquisition Act. Certain restricted or military zones require prior permission, but standard apartments are open to foreign buyers.
The special rural development tax is 0.2% of the purchase price and applies to homes with an exclusive area over 85 square meters. Smaller homes (85 square meters or less) are generally exempt from this tax, which is why it appears only above the size threshold in the calculator.
Beyond acquisition tax, education tax and the special rural development tax, you typically pay registration and judicial scrivener fees and a brokerage commission (around 0.4% to 0.9% of price, by statutory bands). All-in closing costs for a mid-priced apartment commonly land in the low single-digit percent of the purchase price.
It can be. Korea applies heavier acquisition-tax rates to additional homes and to purchases in designated adjustment target areas, which can push the rate well above the standard 1-3% band. This calculator estimates the standard first-home tiers; confirm multi-home surcharges with the local tax office.
Acquisition tax must generally be reported and paid to the local government within 60 days of the acquisition date (the balance-payment/registration date). Late payment triggers penalties, so budget the tax as part of your closing funds, not an afterthought.