Buying in the UK is structured differently from North America: there's no PMI or CMHC-style mortgage insurance, property tax is a separate council-tax bill rather than part of the payment, and the purchase tax comes in three forms depending on the nation. These tools handle each nation's rules.

First-time-buyer stamp duty (£300k): £0–£4,500
Home insurance range: £180–£460/yr
Mortgage insurance: none (no PMI / CMHC)

What buying costs in the UK

The purchase tax is stamp duty, and it differs by nation: SDLT in England and Northern Ireland, LBTT in Scotland, LTT in Wales. First-time buyers pay nothing in England and NI on a £300,000 home but up to £4,500 in Wales, which has no first-time-buyer relief.

There's no mortgage insurance for high-LTV borrowers — lenders simply price the rate by LTV band. Ongoing property tax is council tax (or, in Northern Ireland, Domestic Rates), billed separately from the mortgage. Combined buildings-and-contents insurance is cheap by international standards, around £180–£460 a year.

How affordability works here

UK lenders don't use debt-to-income. They start from an income multiple — typically about 4.5× your income — and then apply the FCA affordability and stress tests against your real outgoings, so a joint application or a higher deposit changes what you can borrow.

Why these tools help

The mortgage calculator shows the pure repayment (council tax kept separate); the stamp duty calculator applies each nation's bands and first-time-buyer relief; the affordability calculator works from income multiples; the remortgage calculator weighs a new rate against any early repayment charge; and each nation page details its own tax.

Frequently asked questions

How much is stamp duty in the UK?

It depends on the nation and your buyer type. A first-time buyer pays nothing on a £300,000 home in England or Northern Ireland, but up to £4,500 in Wales, which has no first-time-buyer relief.

Is there PMI or mortgage insurance in the UK?

No. Unlike US PMI or Canadian CMHC, there's no mandatory mortgage insurance for high-LTV borrowers — lenders charge a higher rate at higher loan-to-value instead.

What's the difference between council tax and Domestic Rates?

They're the ongoing local property tax. England, Scotland, and Wales use Council Tax based on valuation bands; Northern Ireland uses Domestic Rates based on capital value.

Browse by nation

Each region page has a live calculator plus local tax, affordability and legal context.