The price on a listing isn't what it costs you to own a flat. You need cash for the deposit a bank wants, a few one-off fees to make the purchase legal, and money every month for the building and the tax office. None of it is hidden, but it's rarely added up in one place. Here it is.
What flats cost right now
Before the costs on top, the price itself. Here is Brno's market at a glance, from every listing Bytky tracks today:
Prices differ a lot between towns and districts, and the price per m² is the fairest way to compare two flats of different sizes. The chart follows the median asking price per m² of two-room flats in Brno, with the middle half of asking prices as a band:
These are the newest two-room flats for sale in Brno, each with its fair price:
One-off costs of the purchase
| Cost | How much | What it's for |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer tax | None | Abolished in 2020 |
| Cadastre fee | 2,000 Kč1 | Entering you in the land register (katastr nemovitostí) as the owner |
| Lawyer and escrow | Often around 15,000 Kč | The purchase contract and holding the price in escrow (advokátní úschova) |
| Bank valuation | As your bank charges | Only with a mortgage |
| Agency fee | As agreed | Ask the agent who pays it before you sign anything |
The escrow protects both sides. You pay the price to a lawyer, a notary or a bank, who releases it to the seller only once the cadastre has entered you as the owner. Lawyers' quotes vary, so ask two or three, and check what the fee covers.
The deposit a bank wants
Most flats are bought with a mortgage, and ČNB, the Czech central bank, limits how much of the value a bank may lend: 80 %, or 90 % for buyers under 36 buying their own home.2 The rest, at least 20 % (or 10 %), comes from your own money, together with the one-off costs. For a flat bought to let, ČNB recommends a loan of at most 70 %, so a deposit of at least 30 %.
The rate decides the monthly payment. The average rate on new housing loans was 4.94 % in August 2026, by ČNB's figures. Most borrowers fix it for five years and borrow for up to 30. When the fixation ends, the rate is agreed again, so plan for a higher one.
What owning costs every month
As an owner you pay the advances for the building's services, like a tenant, and these on top:
| Cost | Typically | Who sets it |
|---|---|---|
| Repair fund (fond oprav) | 10–50 Kč per m² a month, 15–20 Kč in the middle | The building's owners, by a vote3 |
| Building administration (správa domu) | 150–300 Kč a flat a month | The building's administrator |
| Insurance of the flat | About 2,000 Kč a year | Your insurer |
| Property tax | By floor area and town, below | The law and the town |
Property tax on a flat is its floor area × 1.22 × 3.50 Kč × a coefficient by the town's size, from 1.0 in a village to 3.5 in a city of over 50,000 and 4.5 in Prague, × any local coefficient the town sets.4 For a 60 m² flat in Prague that's about 1,153 Kč a year before a local coefficient. You file a return by the end of January of the year after you buy.
Before you buy, ask the building's administrator how big the repair fund is, what works are planned and whether the owners are repaying a loan for past ones. In a building with a large repair coming, the fund may rise soon.
Work out the whole bill
The calculator adds up the price, the purchase costs, the mortgage and the costs of owning and, if you let the flat, the rent and the tax. Start from the example and change it to the flat you're looking at.
Cash flow after tax−3,656 Kč a month
Gross yield4.3%
What it returns
Costs you 3,656 Kč a month at 16,000 Kč rent; break-even rent 19,961 Kč.
- Cash flow after tax
- −3,656 Kča month
- Before tax: −3,656 Kč a month
- Gross yield
- 4.3%
- Net yield
- 3.5%
- Cash-on-cash return
- −3.2%
- Break-even rent
- 19,961 Kč
- Debt service coverage
- 0.78×
- Mortgage payment
- 16,795 Kč
- Cash needed up front
- 1,367,000 Kč
Income tax: 0 Kč a year. Over 10 years, the “Actual expenses” method costs 186,000 Kč less tax than the other one.
Is there a property transfer tax in Czechia?
No. The tax on acquiring property was abolished in 2020, so a buyer pays only the cadastre fee and their own costs, such as the lawyer.
How much deposit do I need for a mortgage?
At least 20 % of the flat's value, or 10 % if you're under 36 and buying your own home, plus the one-off costs. For a flat bought to let, ČNB recommends a deposit of at least 30 %.
Who pays the repair fund, the owner or the tenant?
The owner. The repair fund and the building's administration are the owner's costs. A tenant pays the charges for the building's services.
How much is property tax on a flat?
Floor area × 1.22 × 3.50 Kč × the town's coefficient (1.0 to 3.5, and 4.5 in Prague) × any local coefficient. For a 60 m² flat in Prague that's about 1,153 Kč a year before a local coefficient.
Sources
-
Administrative Fees Act (Act 634/2004 Coll.), item 120. ↩
-
Czech National Bank, borrower limits left unchanged on 4 June 2026, and its recommended limits for investment mortgages from 1 April 2026. ↩
-
Civil Code (Act 89/2012 Coll.), §1180. ↩
-
Property Tax Act (Act 338/1992 Coll.), §10 and §11, as amended from 2024. ↩
