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Nova Scotia closing cost calculator
The cash you need on closing day: your down payment, the deed transfer tax for your municipality, and the legal and registration costs, with the exact figures and the typical ones kept apart.
How much are closing costs in Nova Scotia?
On a $592,675 purchase in Halifax, closing costs run about $10,215 before title insurance, of which $8,890 is the 1.5% municipal deed transfer tax; other municipalities charge as little as 1%. With the minimum down payment of $34,268, that is about $44,483 in cash on closing day. The mortgage insurance premium is financed, not paid in cash.
Work out your cash to close
Enter the price and pick the municipality, and this cash to close calculator adds the down payment to the closing costs. The deed transfer tax is exact. The legal and registration lines start at typical Nova Scotia figures, and you can replace any of them with your own quote.
Cash to close on the average price, region by region
Each row is a resale purchase by a resident buyer at the region’s August 2026 average price, in one of its municipalities, with the minimum down payment. Inspection, appraisal, adjustments and moving are not included.
| Region and municipality | Average price | Deed transfer tax | Closing costs | Minimum down | Cash to close |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halifax-Dartmouth Halifax Regional Municipality, 1.5% | $592,675 | $8,890.13 | $10,215.13 | $34,267.50 | $44,482.63 |
| Northern Nova Scotia Town of Truro, 1.5% | $332,251 | $4,983.77 | $6,483.77 | $16,612.55 | $23,096.32 |
| Highland Region Town of New Glasgow, 1% | $367,859 | $3,678.59 | $5,178.59 | $18,392.95 | $23,571.54 |
| Cape Breton Cape Breton Regional Municipality, 1.5% | $289,859 | $4,347.89 | $5,847.89 | $14,492.95 | $20,340.84 |
| Annapolis Valley Town of Kentville, 1.5% | $394,019 | $5,910.29 | $7,410.29 | $19,700.95 | $27,111.24 |
| South Shore District of Lunenburg, 1.25% | $455,127 | $5,689.09 | $7,189.09 | $22,756.35 | $29,945.44 |
| Yarmouth Town of Yarmouth, 1% | $313,944 | $3,139.44 | $4,639.44 | $15,697.20 | $20,336.64 |
Closing costs in each row are the deed transfer tax plus legal fees of $1,000, recording of $200, the $125 tax certificate in Halifax only, and $300 for title insurance under $500,000 only. Where there is no figure, the line is left out rather than guessed. Every municipality’s rate →
Closing on $592,675 in Halifax-Dartmouth
Closing costs on the August 2026 Halifax-Dartmouth average, before the down payment and title insurance
- $8,890Municipal deed transfer taxHalifax Regional Municipality, 1.5% of the price
- $1,000Legal feesTop of the typical $850–$1,000 range, plus disbursements and HST
- $44,483Cash on closing dayWith the $34,268 minimum down payment
- Non-resident and not moving here? Add 10% of the price in provincial deed transfer tax
Nova Scotia Association of REALTORS® / CREA monthly statistics, August 2026; Municipal Deed Transfer Tax Rates (Province of Nova Scotia), July 2026. Legal, recording and title insurance figures are typical ranges observed in Nova Scotia in 2026; confirm with your lawyer. Excludes the down payment, appraisal and inspection.
Go deeper
The detail, if you want it
What each line is, and which are exact
- Deed transfer tax (exact): 1% to 1.5% of the price by municipal by-law, remitted by your lawyer to the Land Registry with a Municipal Deed Transfer Affidavit of Value. It cannot be financed.
- Non-resident provincial deed transfer tax (exact): 10% on residential property with three dwelling units or fewer, including residential vacant land, on top of the municipal tax. The exemptions and the 2026 changes →
- Legal fees (typical): $850 to $1,000 plus disbursements and HST. A lawyer is required to close.
- Recording fees (typical): $100 a document, for the deed and the mortgage.
- Tax certificate (typical): $125 in Halifax Regional Municipality. Other municipalities set their own, so the calculator leaves it for you to enter.
- Title insurance (typical): usually under $300 on a home under $500,000; required by most lenders. At that price or more, ask your lawyer for the quote.
- Property tax and fuel adjustments (yours): prepaid taxes or oil in the tank, apportioned by your lawyer.
Appraisal and home inspection have no authoritative published Nova Scotia figure, so none is stated here; both are usually paid during the financing condition. Legal, recording and title insurance figures are typical ranges observed in Nova Scotia in 2026; confirm with your lawyer.
New construction and HST
A resale home carries no HST on its price. A newly built home does: Nova Scotia’s HST is 14%, made of 5% federal and 9% provincial, since April 1, 2025. Builders usually quote a price with the HST inside it and the rebates assigned to them, which is why the calculator adds none to the cash figure. Ask which price you have. If it is before HST, the tax is on top.
- First-Time Home Buyers’ GST/HST Rebate (federal): the 5% federal part, to a maximum of $50,000, in full on a home up to $1,000,000 and phased out by $1,500,000.
- Nova Scotia First-time Home Buyers’ Rebate: 18.75% of the provincial part, to a maximum of $3,000.
- GST/HST New Housing Rebate: 36% of the federal part, to a maximum of $6,300, in full up to $350,000 and gone at $450,000.
Choose “New construction” above and the calculator shows the HST and the rebate that applies, for reference and as estimates. How the regular rebate and the first-time buyer rebate combine is for your builder or the Canada Revenue Agency to confirm, so it shows one or the other, never both.
First-time buyers: where the cash can come from
Three programs can supply part of the cash on closing day. None of them lowers the closing costs.
- Nova Scotia Down Payment Assistance Program: an interest-free loan of up to 5% of the price toward the down payment, repaid over 10 years, on a home up to $570,000 in Halifax Regional Municipality and East Hants and less elsewhere. Check your area’s cap →
- First Home Savings Account: $8,000 of contribution room a year, to $40,000 in a lifetime.
- Home Buyers’ Plan: an RRSP withdrawal of up to $60,000; repayment starts in the fifth year after the withdrawal year for withdrawals made 2026–2028, over 15 years.
The planner sets each one against the cash figure from this page. First-time buyer cash-to-close planner → · Which programs you fit →
Why a broker
Licensed, independent, paid by the lender
- Licensed in Nova Scotia Associate broker 3001134, verifiable on the provincial register
- $0 broker fee On a standard residential mortgage the lender pays, not you
- Banks, credit unions, monolines One application, one credit check, placed with the lender that reads your file best
- Every part of the province Bedford office, remote process: Yarmouth to Sydney, the same four steps
Questions people ask
What are the closing costs on a house in Nova Scotia?
Deed transfer tax is the largest: 1% to 1.5% of the price, set by the municipality. Legal fees typically run $850 to $1,000 plus disbursements and HST, recording is $100 a document, Halifax charges $125 for a tax certificate, and title insurance is usually under $300 on a home under $500,000. Home inspection and appraisal have no published Nova Scotia figure and are usually paid earlier, during the financing condition.
How much cash do I need to close on a $400,000 house in Halifax?
About $27,625 with the minimum down payment. That is $20,000 down (5%) plus $7,625 in closing costs: $6,000 of deed transfer tax at 1.5%, $1,000 legal, $200 recording, the $125 tax certificate and $300 title insurance. Inspection, appraisal, adjustments and moving are on top.
How much less are closing costs outside Halifax?
On the same $400,000 purchase a 1% municipality charges $4,000 in deed transfer tax instead of $6,000, a difference of $2,000 that scales with the price. The 1% rate applies in 15 municipalities: the County of Antigonish, the Town of Stewiacke, the District of Clare, the District of Digby, the District of Guysborough, all of Pictou County, the Town of Clark's Harbour, and all of Yarmouth County. The District of St. Mary's, the Town of Berwick, and the District of Lunenburg charge 1.25%. The other 31 charge 1.5%.
Is there a land transfer tax in Nova Scotia?
Yes, under another name: deed transfer tax. Each of the 49 municipalities sets its own rate, from 1% to 1.5% of the purchase price, and your lawyer remits it when the deed is registered. This page works as a land transfer tax calculator for Nova Scotia: choose the municipality and it applies that rate. Since April 1, 2025 a non-resident buyer who is not moving here also pays the province 10%.
Can closing costs be added to the mortgage?
No. Deed transfer tax and legal fees are cash, and most lenders want to see them in your account at approval, on top of the down payment. On the $592,675 Halifax-Dartmouth average that is about $10,215 before title insurance, beyond a $34,268 minimum down payment, which is why the number matters before you write an offer.
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(902) 298-0218 · Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 10:00 pm Atlantic