Answer: Enter your values and the Closing Cost Calculator returns the exact result instantly — formula, worked example, and a plain-English explanation are included below the tool.
Estimate buyer closing costs by state, with an itemized breakdown
| Cost Item | Typical Amount |
|---|---|
| Loan origination fee (0.5% – 1% of loan) | — |
| Appraisal | $300 – $600 |
| Title insurance (~0.5% of price) | — |
| Escrow / settlement fee | $500 – $1,000 |
| Recording fees | $125 average |
| Transfer tax | State-dependent (included in the state average above) |
| Prepaids (insurance + property tax escrow) | $2,000 – $4,000 |
Note: prepaids aren't technically fees since the money funds your escrow account, but they're due at closing, so budget for them either way.
| State | Average % of Price | On a $400,000 Home |
|---|---|---|
| Delaware | 5.4% | $21,600 |
| Pennsylvania | 4.3% | $17,200 |
| District of Columbia | 3.9% | $15,600 |
| Maryland | 3.7% | $14,800 |
| Washington | 3.4% | $13,600 |
| New York | 3.1% | $12,400 |
| Connecticut | 2.8% | $11,200 |
| New Jersey | 2.7% | $10,800 |
| Vermont | 2.6% | $10,400 |
| Florida | 2.3% | $9,200 |
| New Hampshire | 2.0% | $8,000 |
| Hawaii | 1.9% | $7,600 |
| Massachusetts | 1.9% | $7,600 |
| Illinois | 1.8% | $7,200 |
| Michigan | 1.8% | $7,200 |
| National average | 1.8% | $7,200 |
Based on published ClosingCorp/ATTOM state averages. Treat these as estimates; your Loan Estimate from the lender is the number that counts.
Closing costs are the fees due when a home purchase actually completes: lender charges, title work, government recording, transfer taxes, and the escrow deposits your lender collects up front. They're the part of buying a house people forget to budget for, and they vary wildly by state. This calculator gives you a realistic estimate in seconds using published state averages.
Estimated closing costs = home price × your state's average closing-cost percentage (which includes transfer taxes). Because averages hide plenty of variation, the calculator also shows a ±20% range and an itemized breakdown scaled to your price and loan amount, so you can see roughly where the money goes. The percentages come from published ClosingCorp and ATTOM survey data, so treat them as planning numbers rather than quotes; the same state can vary by county, and lender fees differ from bank to bank.
Enter your target home price, pick your state, and set your down payment percentage. The down payment matters because origination fees are charged on the loan amount, not the price. Everything recalculates as you type. Once you have a real Loan Estimate from a lender, compare it line by line against the breakdown here; big gaps are worth questioning.
Say you're buying a $400,000 home in Florida with 20% down. Florida's average is 2.3% of the purchase price including transfer taxes, so the estimate is $9,200, with a realistic range of $7,360 to $11,040. Your loan is $320,000, which puts the origination fee around $1,600 to $3,200, title insurance near $2,000, plus the appraisal, escrow fee, recording, and $2,000 to $4,000 in prepaids. Move that same purchase to Missouri or Indiana (around 0.8%) and the estimate drops to roughly $3,200. Same house price, very different closing table.
Roughly half the typical closing bill is shoppable, and most buyers never shop it. Your Loan Estimate groups the fees for exactly this reason: Section A is lender charges, Section B covers services you cannot shop for, and Section C lists services you can. Getting two or three Loan Estimates and comparing Section A line by line routinely saves $1,000 or more, and title insurance — the third-biggest fee for most buyers — is sold at wildly different prices for the same policy.
| Fee | Shoppable? | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Origination / points (Section A) | Yes — between lenders | The trade most buyers miss: take a slightly higher rate and the lender credits part of this back |
| Title insurance (lender + owner) | Yes | Same underwriter, same coverage, prices vary hundreds of dollars; ask for the reissue rate if the seller's policy is recent |
| Appraisal, credit report, flood cert (Section B) | No | Passthrough costs — compare them only as a lender-honesty signal |
| Escrow / settlement fee | Sometimes | Set by contract custom in many states; negotiable in others |
| Recording fees, transfer taxes | No | Government-set; nothing to shop |
| Prepaids (insurance, tax escrow) | Partly | Homeowners insurance is shoppable; the escrow deposits themselves are math, not fees |
One more honest lever: lender credits. Accepting an APR about 0.25% higher can zero out several thousand dollars of Section A fees — the right call if you expect to sell or refinance within a few years, a slow bleed if you hold the loan for a decade. The refinance break-even calculator runs the same trade in reverse.
Buyers obsess over their 2-6%; sellers quietly pay more. Since the August 2024 industry settlement, agent commissions are negotiated rather than published — but combined commissions of 5% to 6% remain common, and the seller usually pays both agents' fees per local custom. Stack on transfer taxes (seller-paid in several states, split in others), prorated property taxes, and in some states the owner's title policy, and seller-side costs typically land at 6% to 10% of the price.
That is also why seller concessions exist. A seller sitting on slow-moving inventory will often trade several thousand dollars toward your closing costs to hold their headline price — effectively financing your fees at the cost of a slightly higher mortgage balance. Loan programs cap how much they'll accept:
| Loan type | Max seller contribution toward buyer costs |
|---|---|
| Conventional, under 10% down | 3% of price |
| Conventional, 10–24.99% down | 6% of price |
| Conventional, 25%+ down | 9% of price |
| FHA | 6% of price |
| VA | 4% in concessions, plus certain closing costs |
| USDA | 6% of price |
Concessions can't push the deal past the appraised value, and lenders verify the money actually lands on closing costs rather than in the seller's pocket. In hot markets, expect sellers to decline; in slow ones, ask. For a fuller walkthrough of every fee on both sides, see closing costs explained.
Nationally, expect around 1.8% of the price with transfer taxes, which is about $7,200 on a $400,000 home. Location swings it hard: the same house runs roughly $9,200 in Florida (2.3%) and over $21,000 in Delaware (5.4%). Add prepaids like insurance and property tax escrow on top.
Both, but different items. Buyers typically cover lender fees, appraisal, title insurance, and prepaids. Sellers usually pay the real estate commissions and, in many states, some or all of the transfer tax. Almost everything is negotiable, and seller credits toward buyer costs are common in slower markets.
Delaware tops published averages at roughly 5.4% of the purchase price once transfer taxes are included, followed by Pennsylvania at about 4.3% and Washington DC near 3.9%. States like Missouri, Indiana, and North Dakota sit at the other end, around 0.8%, mostly because they charge little or no transfer tax.
On a refinance, usually yes, since lenders can add them to the new balance. On a purchase, generally no, though you can use lender credits (a higher rate in exchange for reduced fees), negotiate seller concessions, or apply state and local assistance programs to cover part of the bill.
Transfer taxes are the big driver. Some states charge 1% to 2% of the sale price just to record the deed, while others charge almost nothing. Title insurance rates, attorney requirements, and local recording fees also differ, which is why two identical houses can close thousands of dollars apart.
Yes. Seller concessions are limited by loan type: conventional loans allow 3% of the price toward buyer costs with less than 10% down, 6% with 10-24.99% down, and 9% with 25% or more down; FHA allows up to 6%; VA allows up to 4% in concessions plus certain closing costs; USDA allows up to 6%. Sellers agree to these more readily in slower markets, and lenders treat the appraisal as a ceiling on the combined deal.
Sellers typically net 6% to 10% less than the sale price. Real estate commissions are the biggest piece — negotiable since the August 2024 industry settlement ended set-rate advertising, but commonly 5% to 6% combined while the buyer's agent fee is negotiated in writing. Add transfer taxes (seller-paid in several states), prorated property taxes, and sometimes the owner's title policy, and a $400,000 sale often carries $25,000 to $35,000 in seller-side costs.