How much buying property in Phuket costs 2026: taxes, fees, installments

The unit price isn’t the whole deal sum. For a realistic Phuket property budget, factor in installments, one-off fees and recurring upkeep costs. Let’s break it all down on real 2026 figures — using Layan Verde’s cheapest unit (studio B4-319, 36.18 m², leasehold) — and assemble a full deal estimate.

Contents

1. Cost structure above the price
2. Payment schedules: reservation and installments
3. One-off deal fees
4. Freehold or leasehold: the same studio, two estimates
5. Who pays what
6. Resale: how a secondary-market estimate differs
7. Owner’s annual costs
8. Costs when renting out
9. Semi-hidden costs that aren’t in the price list
10. The estimate over a 5-year horizon
11. How to build the estimate yourself: 6 steps
12. Budget pitfalls
13. Full estimate on a real unit

1. Cost structure above the price

Full ownership cost = unit price (± furniture package) + one-off deal fees + recurring costs. Using studio B4-319:

• Unit: 7,478,406 THB / $224,776 (price list at the time of calculation; catalogue as of September 2026 — $235,995).
• Furniture package: 361,800 THB / $10,875 (optional, but effectively essential for renting).
• Total with furniture: 7,840,206 THB / $235,650.

Then one-off fees and annual upkeep add to this sum — let’s cover them. What’s inside a furniture package and why it rarely makes sense to furnish yourself — in our guide to furniture packages in Phuket →.

2. Payment schedules: reservation and installments

The first step is a reservation payment of 200,000 THB ($6,011), which fixes the price and unit for you (3 working days to sign). Then three scenarios:

The 35% plan is the lowest entry threshold: you start with about $86,000 (reservation + first payment) and spread the balance over 2.5 years by construction stage. This raises the yield on capital actually invested.

Keep in mind that installments are a tool of projects under construction only. At the completed Layan Green Park, phase 1 is sold out; units are available as resales from owners and are paid in full — there are no installments. What happens to the reservation if you walk away, and how not to lose the deposit — in our guide to reservations and deposits →.

3. One-off deal fees

An important detail: with leasehold the duty is 1.1% at registration, repeated once every 30 years on renewal, not a one-off 2% transfer fee as with freehold. Over a long horizon this is another argument for flexible entry via leasehold.

What a sinking fund is and how it differs from the CAM fee, who sets the rates and how they compare across the island’s projects — in our separate breakdown of the two fees →.

🔗 Why leasehold is often better: Freehold vs leasehold in Thailand →

4. Freehold or leasehold: the same studio, two estimates

The ownership form changes not just the legal status but the deal estimate. Let’s compare the one-off fees for the same studio B4-319 under both options:

Two caveats. First: the transfer fee is calculated on the Land Department’s appraised value, which may differ from the contract price — so the freehold figures above are a guide. Second: for 2026 the government kept the reduced 0.01% transfer-fee rate, but it is aimed at Thai citizens buying a home to live in — a foreign buyer pays the standard rate. More in our review of the 2026 tax changes →.

The bottom line for the estimate: freehold costs more at entry by the difference between 2% (or your share of it) and 1.1%, and requires a correctly routed currency transfer. Leasehold is cheaper at the start but brings the renewal fee back every 30 years. Which is better depends on your holding horizon and resale plans — freehold is traditionally easier to sell to a foreign buyer, while leasehold is more flexible on payment.

5. Who pays what

• Buyer: sinking fund, registration duty (leasehold 1.1% / share of transfer fee for freehold), meters, lawyer (if any).
• Seller (resale): SBT 3.3% or stamp duty 0.5%, withholding tax.
• Developer (primary): often covers part of the fees under a sales-launch promotion.

The final split is fixed in the contract — the first thing to put in writing. The full map of taxes and fees on both sides of the deal — in our guide to property taxes in Thailand →.

6. Resale: how a secondary-market estimate differs from a new build

The estimate above is for a primary deal with the developer. On the secondary market the structure is different. For comparison, take a phase 1 resale studio at Layan Green Park from $142,602 (roughly 4,800,000 THB):

The main difference is no installments: an individual seller receives the full sum at transfer. In return there’s no waiting for construction: rent starts from the first month, and some one-off costs (the sinking fund, furniture) have already been paid by the previous owner. What to check in a contract with a private seller, how the taxes are split and why a phase 1 resale costs more than the launch price — in the Layan Green Park case study → and our comparison of resale vs new build →.

7. Owner’s annual costs

• Common area fee — 85 THB/m² per month, paid once a year. For a 36.18 m² studio that’s 36,904 THB (~$1,109) a year (pools, security, cleaning, reception).
• Land and Building Tax — an annual tax on land and buildings; rates for housing are low, with reliefs for primary residences. The residential band is 0.02–0.3% of appraised value: calculated notionally on our studio’s price, that’s about 1,500 to 22,400 THB a year (~$45–675), and in practice housing usually lands in the lower part of the scale.
• Utilities — water and electricity by meter (tariffs for tourist housing are higher than domestic). In a rental-management programme, utilities during guest stays usually run through the pool’s operating costs rather than as a separate bill to the owner — worth confirming in the management agreement.

CAM fee and sinking fund compared across Layan Verde and Layan Green Park units in real amounts — in our fees breakdown →.

8. Costs when renting out

If the unit works in a rental-management programme:

• Management company fee — a share of income (part of the programme terms).
• Income tax on rental income.
• Servicing and depreciation of furniture/appliances between guests.

These items turn “gross” yield into net — the figure compared between projects. An owner bonus is the VillaCarte Group loyalty programme: 15–25% discounts on complex services (spa, restaurants, fitness, transfer).

How the tax is calculated: an illustration on the studio

In Layan Verde’s rental pool, the income of similar units is combined and the owner receives 60% of the pool’s net profit — the developer guides to ~8–10% a year net (the programme’s statement, not a guarantee). Let’s take the lower bound and see what happens to that money next:

1. Owner’s share. 8% of $235,650 is about $18,850 a year, or roughly 628,000 THB.
2. 5% withholding. The management company, as a legal entity, withholds 5% on payout — about 31,400 THB. This isn’t an extra tax but an advance: the sum is credited when you file your return.
3. Deductions. The standard 30% deduction on gross rent (no receipts needed) and the 60,000 THB personal allowance: the base is about 380,000 THB.
4. The scale. The first 150,000 THB at 0%, the next 150,000 at 5%, the balance up to 500,000 at 10%. In total — roughly 15,500 THB (~$465) of tax for the year, meaning the 5% withheld covers the liability and the difference is refunded on filing.

The calculation illustrates the mechanics under the standard deduction; for an owner with several units, with actual-expense deductions or in a different tax configuration, the result differs. In full, with the rate table and filing procedure — in our guide to rental income tax →. How to get from the gross figure to net yield and compare projects honestly — in our ROI calculation →.

9. Semi-hidden costs that aren’t in the price list

They’re neither in the developer’s quote nor in the fee table, but they’re real:

• Legal support and due diligence. Checking the developer, the chanote and the contract is a separate service at a fixed price or a percentage of the deal. For a new build from a major developer it’s often skipped; for a resale or a villa it isn’t. What exactly gets checked — in our due diligence guide →.
• Powers of attorney and document certification when buying remotely: notary, apostille or consular legalisation, translations. How a deal works without flying in — in our guide to buying remotely →.
• Bank charges and exchange-rate differences. Each installment tranche is a separate SWIFT transfer with its own fee and its own rate. Over five payments in 2.5 years the rate will move both ways; for freehold add the currency requirement on the transfer — see FET →.
• Unit insurance — not legally required for a condo, but sensible when renting out.
• Inspection and handover. A flight for signing or handover, or paying a representative to accept the unit against a checklist.
• Taxes on a future sale. SBT 3.3% if held under 5 years, stamp duty 0.5%, withholding tax — paid by the seller, i.e. you, when you decide to exit. How it’s calculated — in our guide to tax on selling →.

None of these items compares to the unit price, but together they easily exceed “give or take a thousand dollars” — keep a reserve.

10. The estimate over a 5-year horizon

One-off fees are paid once, but upkeep comes every year. Here’s what studio B4-319 looks like over a five-year holding period (excluding utilities and rental income — costs only):

For a $235,650 unit that’s about 4–5.5% of the price over five years — a figure to keep next to the yield forecast, not apart from it. If you’re looking at a unit with an exit in a few years, add the seller’s taxes from section 9 and see how the market splits them: how to resell property in Phuket →.

11. How to build the estimate yourself: 6 steps

1. Take the specific unit’s price from the quote, not the “from” price on the website — and straight away with the furniture package if you plan to rent.
2. Decide on the ownership form. It determines the third line of the estimate: 1.1% leasehold registration or ~2% transfer fee (your share) for freehold.
3. Calculate the per-m² fees. Sinking fund × m² and CAM fee × m² × 12 — take the rates from the quote or from the project’s catalog page.
4. Add the fixed amounts: meters, lawyer, powers of attorney, insurance.
5. Lay the payment out along the installment schedule and budget a bank fee and exchange rate for each tranche.
6. Reduce it to two lines: “entry” (everything paid before and at handover) and “per year” (upkeep and taxes). These are the two figures compared between projects.

If you’d rather have this done for you — the form at the end of the article.

12. Budget pitfalls

• Counting only the list price. Without sinking fund, registration and upkeep the estimate is understated.
• Forgetting the furniture package. For renting it’s effectively essential (+$10,875 in the example).
• Ignoring the common area fee. A large landscaped territory = a noticeable per-m² fee.
• Confusing gross and net yield. The marketing 8% is before commission and taxes.
• Calculating the transfer fee on the contract price. It’s based on the appraised value, and your share is a matter of contract, not a constant.
• Expecting installments on a resale. On the secondary market the seller gets the whole sum at once — plan for full payment.
• Counting in one currency. The price is in baht, the income is in baht, your budget is in dollars or euros: build the estimate in the price currency and keep a separate exchange-rate buffer.
• Forgetting the exit. The seller’s taxes on resale are also part of the deal economics, just deferred.

13. Full estimate on a real unit (B4-319)

Layan Verde studio 36.18 m², leasehold, furnished:

So above the furnished unit price ($235,650), one-off fees add about $3,970, and annual upkeep about $1,109. Under the 35% plan the starting payment is around $86,000.

I’ll calculate the full estimate for your unit

I’ll send not just the price but a full estimate: installments, one-off fees, upkeep and the net yield for the specific unit.

Figures are per the price list at the time of calculation (studio B4-319; per the September 2026 catalogue Layan Verde studios start from $235,995) and are informational; tax and fee rates may change, final values are confirmed at the time of the deal. Not tax advice.