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Buying a Home in New Brunswick: First-Time Buyer Costs, Transfer Tax and Steps

Updated

New Brunswick charges a flat real property transfer tax, with no first-time buyer exemption. Where the province does favour buyers who live in their home is property tax: an owner-occupied home is spared the provincial share of the tax bill, which landlords and owners of second homes pay. For the federal programs (the FHSA, the Home Buyers’ Plan and the home buyers’ amount) and the national minimum down payment rules, see the first-time home buyer guide.

The real property transfer tax

New Brunswick charges a real property transfer tax on the greater of the price and the assessed value, with no first-time buyer exemption. The rate is 1%, in force since April 1, 2016, and it is paid before the deed can be registered. The New Brunswick land transfer tax calculator works it out.

Prices and costs in New Brunswick’s cities

Area (average sale price)PriceTransfer taxProvincial property tax an owner-occupier doesn’t pay, per yearMinimum down paymentHousehold income needed
Greater Moncton$374,090$3,741$2,101$18,705$87,300
Saint John$383,449$3,834$2,154$19,172$89,400
Fredericton area$368,845$3,688$2,072$18,442$86,100
Northern and Valley region$237,826$2,378$1,336$11,891$57,200

Average prices: New Brunswick REALTORS area table, August 2026. Transfer tax and provincial property tax worked out as if the assessed value equalled the price. Income needed with the minimum down payment and an insured mortgage over 25 years (method).

The averages in Greater Moncton, Saint John and the Fredericton area were within $14,604 of each other, so the transfer tax on a typical sale differs by about $146 between the three; the Northern and Valley region averaged $136,264 less than Greater Moncton. The New Brunswick housing market report and the Moncton housing market page follow them each month.

Property tax for a home you live in

New Brunswick’s property tax has two parts: a local rate, set by the local government (or, for some rural districts, by the province’s minister responsible for local government), and a provincial rate. Service New Brunswick assesses every property at its value as of January 1. The rule that matters to a buyer who will live in the home:

New Brunswick charges a provincial property tax of $0.5617 per $100 of assessed value on residential property, on top of the local rate. A home you live in as your primary residence qualifies for the Residential Property Tax Credit, which reduces that provincial rate to $0 on the home and the first 0.5 hectares of land around it; local property tax is still charged.

In the City of Moncton, whose residential rate for 2026 is $1.3614 per $100, a home assessed at the Greater Moncton average would owe about $5,093 a year in city tax as an owner-occupied home; rented out, it would also owe the $2,101 provincial share in the table. Assessment notices arrive in January and tax bills in early March.

Checks for rural and older homes

Many New Brunswick homes are outside municipal water and sewer systems. Before your conditions expire, arrange a water potability test for a well, an inspection of the septic system, and confirm who maintains the road if it is private. Older homes often heat with oil or electric baseboards, so ask for a year of heating bills. The home inspection guide covers what a standard inspection includes.

Other closing costs

Legal fees, title insurance and property tax adjustments make up most of the rest of the closing bill; the New Brunswick closing cost calculator totals them.

Where to look in New Brunswick

Sources

The figures and rules on this page come from these sources, last checked against them between September 25, 2026 and October 7, 2026. How we check facts.