Stamp Duty Compared: QLD vs NSW vs VIC
Stamp duty on a $950,000 home in Queensland, NSW and Victoria — why QLD charges $28,600, NSW $37,162 and Victoria $52,070 for the same house.
The same $950,000 established home attracts $28,600 of stamp duty in Queensland, $37,162 in New South Wales and $52,070 in Victoria.
That's a $23,470 gap between cheapest and dearest for an identical house — Melbourne's bill is nearly double Brisbane's.
Stamp duty is a state tax on buying property, and each state writes its own rulebook. Here's why the three land so far apart, using FY2025-26 owner-occupier rates.
Three states, three ladders
Every state charges duty on a sliding scale that climbs in steps, like income tax brackets: a low rate on the first slice of the price, higher rates on each slice above it.
The states just build different ladders. Victoria's steps get tall quickly, so by $950,000 you're paying serious percentages on big slices of the price. NSW sits in the middle. Queensland's ladder starts gentler — and adds an extra owner-occupier discount on top. Which is why another state's duty bill tells you nothing about your own.
Queensland's secret weapon: the home rate
Queensland runs two price lists. Investors and companies pay the general rate; buy a home you'll actually live in and you qualify for the home concession rate — a discounted scale on the early slices of the price.
That's the main reason the $950,000 Brisbane house costs just $28,600 in duty. Buy the same house as a rental and the discount disappears.
Neither NSW nor Victoria does this. Their owner-occupiers pay the same general scale as investors — concessions only kick in for first home buyers.
Live there or pay more
Queensland's home rate requires you to move in and live there. Buy the same $950,000 house as an investor and you're back on the full general scale — the discount is for residents, not landlords.
Victoria: the steep end of the pool
At $52,070, Victoria's bill on the $950,000 home is roughly 5.5% of the purchase price — the heaviest hit of the three by a wide margin.
Victoria leans on stamp duty harder than most states, with upper brackets that bite through the price range where much of Melbourne now sits, and no owner-occupier discount at this price to soften it.
The practical upshot: a Melbourne buyer needs to save an extra $23,000-odd compared to a Brisbane buyer at the same price point, before deposits, legals or a single inspection.
First home buyers: three different finish lines
If it's your first home, each state draws its free zone somewhere different for established homes in FY2025-26:
- NSW: no duty up to $800,000, partial relief phasing out at $1,000,000
- VIC: no duty up to $600,000, a sliding discount ending at $750,000
- QLD: no duty below $710,000, phasing out by $800,000 — and brand-new homes attract no duty at all, with no price cap
Quick win
At $950,000, only NSW still offers a first home buyer anything — partial relief, since its phase-out runs to $1,000,000. In Victoria and Queensland, a $950,000 established home is past the cap and it's full price. NSW re-indexes its thresholds every 1 July, so check the current numbers.
So, should you move states?
Probably not for the stamp duty alone — house prices, jobs and weather matter more. But if you're already choosing between cities, the gap is real money: on this one house, Queensland versus Victoria is a $23,470 head start.
Duty is a location-specific cost, not a fixed percentage. Run your actual price through your actual state's rates before you make an offer — it takes a minute, and it removes the biggest surprise in Australian property buying.
FAQ
Why is Victoria's stamp duty so much higher than Queensland's?
Two reasons stack. Victoria's duty scale climbs steeply through the price range where a $950,000 home sits, and Queensland gives owner-occupiers a discounted 'home rate' on top of an already gentler scale. Together that's a $23,470 difference on the same house in FY2025-26.
Do investors get Queensland's cheap home rate?
No. The home concession rate is strictly for buyers who move in and live there. Investors pay Queensland's full general rate — which closes much of the gap with the other states.
Would a first home buyer pay any duty on a $950,000 home in these states?
In Victoria and Queensland, yes — full duty, since $950,000 is past both states' caps for established homes. In NSW, a first home buyer gets partial relief because the concession phases out gradually between $800,000 and $1,000,000.
Run your own numbers