Home buying costs in Nova Scotia
Land transfer tax, registration fees and closing costs in Nova Scotia, calculated from the province's own published schedule.
Land transfer tax
Nova Scotia levies no provincial deed transfer tax on a resident buyer. Each municipality sets its own, between 1.0% and 1.5%, so choose your municipality below to see the rate that applies.
Municipalities that charge their own
Halifax Regional Municipality
1.5% of the sale price, flat. In Nova Scotia the deed transfer tax is municipal rather than provincial, so this is the whole of it rather than an addition to a provincial tax.
On a $650,000 purchase that comes to $9,750.
Sales tax on the mortgage insurance premium
Nova Scotia charges no sales tax on the mortgage default insurance premium. Only Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan do.
First-time buyers
- Non-resident buyers pay a further 10%. A provincial non-resident deed transfer tax of 10% applies, on top of the municipal tax, to residential property of three or fewer dwelling units bought by a non-resident of Nova Scotia under an agreement signed on or after 1 April 2025. It is exempt where the buyer moves to Nova Scotia and provides proof of residency within the prescribed window. It is not included in the estimate here because it depends on you rather than on the property. Read the rules
Sales tax on a vehicle
A single 14% harmonized sales tax. A trade-in comes off the price before tax is charged. See the car payment calculator.
Work it out for your own purchase
Income tax differs by province too, and it changes what you actually have to spend far more than transfer tax does.
See what a salary comes to in Nova Scotia with Salary After Tax
Sources
- Municipal Deed Transfer Tax Rates, July 2026 · Service Nova Scotia · checked
- Nova Scotia Non-Resident Provincial Deed Transfer Tax Guidelines · Nova Scotia Department of Finance and Treasury Board · checked