Property Transfer Tax in Augsburg: 3.5% Explained
Grunderwerbsteuer in Bavaria: rate, timing, exemptions and planning. Market data for Augsburg. LDP Group currently buys in Berlin, Munich, Nuremberg, Erlangen, Fürth, Düsseldorf, Cologne, Stuttgart, Karlsruhe, Frankfurt and Hamburg.
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Property Transfer Tax in Augsburg: what to know
Bavaria levies 3.5% Grunderwerbsteuer: the lowest rate in Germany, a structural advantage for buyers here (national span: 3.5% Bavaria to 6.5% NRW/Brandenburg/Saarland/Schleswig-Holstein). It falls due weeks after notarisation, and the land registry will not transfer ownership until the tax office issues its clearance certificate (Unbedenklichkeitsbescheinigung).
Planning notes: movable inventory (fitted kitchen, sauna) can be priced separately and escapes the tax if realistic; for rented property the tax joins your AfA depreciation basis. Entity structures: a law in force since 3 July 2026 made the reliefs for property partnerships (§§ 5, 6 GrEStG) permanent, and for share deals the signing of the contract is now the taxable event. Take tax advice before structuring.
The Augsburg market in numbers
Augsburg (Bavaria) has 303,677 residents. Existing apartments average around €4,440/m² (citywide range roughly €3,880–€5,090/m²), with new-builds at about €6,570/m². Average asking cold rent is about €15.12/m², putting the gross rental yield near 3.9%.
Price momentum: +5% year-on-year. After roughly doubling between 2016 and the 2022 peak, apartment prices corrected sharply in 2023 and are still below peak: official Gutachterausschuss transaction data show the median condo resale price at 240,000 EUR in 2025 (+6.2% YoY but about 16% below the 2022 high of 285,000 EUR), with asking prices recovering since 2024.
Where to buy in Augsburg
Innenstadt trades clearly above the city average; that is where investment demand concentrates. Value- and yield-oriented buyers look at Oberhausen, which trades clearly below the city average, where gross yields are usually higher and management takes more work.
Innenstadt: Historic city core around the Rathaus, Fuggerei and canal quarter with period Altbau stock, retail and gastronomy: Augsburg's most expensive and most liquid apartment market. Apartments trade around €4,990–€5,070/m².
Göggingen: Leafy, affluent district in the southwest with villa quarters, the historic Kurhaus and good schools: a classic upmarket family location. Apartments trade around €4,540–€4,630/m².
Pfersee: Popular residential district west of the Wertach river, close to the main station, mixing renovated Altbau with newer projects and attracting young professionals and families. Apartments trade around €4,220–€4,480/m².
Haunstetten: Large suburban district in the south near the university quarter and Augsburg Innovationspark, with postwar and newer family housing and long-term development potential. Apartments trade around €4,270–€4,390/m².
Hochzoll: Established residential district on the eastern bank of the Lech with its own commuter-rail stop towards Munich, favoured by families and commuters. Apartments trade around €4,180–€4,580/m².
Oberhausen: Dense, traditionally working-class district north of the centre with a high renter share and ongoing regeneration: the most affordable entry point in the city. Apartments trade around €3,990–€4,240/m².
Taxes & buying costs in Augsburg
Property transfer tax (Grunderwerbsteuer) in Bavaria is 3.5%. Add approximately 2% for notary and land registry (statutory GNotKG fees), so purchase costs come to about 5.5% of the price; buying through an agent adds the buyer's commission (typically 2.98–3.57%). For a standard profile German banks do not finance these costs.
Held privately, the property can be sold tax-free after the 10-year Spekulationsfrist; before that, gains are taxed at your personal rate. Depreciation (AfA) shelters rental income: 2% p.a. for buildings completed 1925–2022 (2.5% before 1925), 3% for buildings completed from 2023, and qualifying new projects started between October 2023 and September 2029 can choose 5% degressive depreciation instead of the linear rate.
General information, not tax advice; LDP Group gives no tax advice.
Augsburg is a designated tight housing market: the Mietpreisbremse caps new-lease rents at roughly 10% above the local comparative rent (Mietspiegel), and the reduced Kappungsgrenze limits in-tenancy increases to 15% within three years. Factor the achievable regulated rent, not the asking-rent headline, into your underwriting.
Data & sources
Figures from the sources named below, mostly portal asking prices, checked in July 2026. Asking prices typically run 5–15% above notarised transaction values: where both exist, the source basis is stated.
Population: Stadt Augsburg, Amt für Statistik und Stadtforschung (Bevölkerungsbestand 31.12.2025), 2026.
Purchase prices: immowelt Price Map (avg asking price, 7/2026).
Rents: wohnungsboerse.net Mietspiegel Augsburg (average asking cold rent, 4/2026), 2026.
Yield: Computed from price+rent above (wohnungsboerse.net avg buy price 4,651 EUR/m2 and avg cold rent 15.12 EUR/m2, both 4/2026: 15.12*12/4651*100 = 3.9%), 2026.
Price trend: immowelt Price Map Augsburg (12-month apartment price change +5%, 7/2026).
Vacancy: unverified.
Frequently asked questions
Can I avoid Grunderwerbsteuer legally?
For a normal single purchase, no: but you can carve out genuinely movable inventory, and direct transfers between spouses and direct relatives are exempt. Share-deal rules for companies were tightened in 2021, and since 3 July 2026 the signing is the taxable event; specialist advice is essential there.
Can foreigners buy investment property in Augsburg?
Yes. Non-residents can buy property in Augsburg without German citizenship or residency. Financing is available to expats and Blue Card holders; non-residents typically need 40–50% equity, while German tax residents usually bring 10–20% of the price (80–90% loan-to-value as standard, up to 100% with a strong income profile), plus the purchase costs in both cases.
What are the total buying costs in Augsburg?
On top of the purchase price, budget 3.5% property transfer tax (Bavaria) and about 2% notary and land registry, so about 5.5% in total. Where an agent is involved, the buyer's commission (typically 2.98–3.57%) comes on top.
What rental yield can I expect in Augsburg?
Gross yields in Augsburg average around 3.9%, higher in value districts such as Oberhausen and lower in prime locations like Innenstadt.
How much is property per square metre in Augsburg?
Existing apartments average about €4,440/m² to buy and roughly €15.12/m² cold rent per month, varying significantly by neighbourhood and condition.