Everyone says closing costs are "2–5% of the purchase price." That's a directionally correct answer that hides an enormous state-to-state range. In Missouri, a buyer of a median-priced home pays about 1.1% of price at closing. In Delaware, the same buyer pays 4.6%. On a $500,000 house, that's the difference between $5,500 and $23,000 — a five-figure swing driven by nothing but what state you're in.
Here's the full 50-state + DC table for 2026, at the state median home price, with each state's closing cost as both a percentage of price and a dollar amount. Data compiled from CoreLogic ClosingCorp's 2025 Purchase Mortgage Closing Cost report (published April 2025 with 2024 data, adjusted for 2025 title and transfer-tax updates through year-end), cross-checked against ATTOM Data Solutions' state-level property record filings.
The definition, precisely
For this table, "closing costs" means the buyer-paid share of settlement-day charges that vary by state — the ones a national calculator can't guess. Specifically:
- Title insurance and settlement fees (lender's + owner's policies, escrow / settlement agent, deed prep)
- State and county transfer taxes / recording fees / mortgage recording taxes
- Attorney fees where required by state law (12 "attorney states")
Not included in this table because they don't vary meaningfully by state:
- Lender origination and underwriting fees (roughly $1,500–$3,500 nationally)
- Appraisal ($550–$800)
- Credit report ($50–$100)
- Prepaid interest and property tax escrow (varies by loan and month of closing)
- Home inspection ($400–$700)
Add roughly $3,500–$5,500 to the state-driven number below for the fixed-cost stack. So a "state cost" of 1.5% on a $400k house ($6,000) plus the fixed stack lands your all-in closing cost around $10,000–$11,500. A "state cost" of 4% on the same house ($16,000) plus the fixed stack lands you at $20,000–$21,000. Same house, same buyer.
The 50-state + DC table
State median home prices are from Zillow ZHVI (single-family typical) June 2026. Closing costs as a share of price are the state-variable stack described above (2025 ClosingCorp base, adjusted for 2025 recording/transfer tax rates through Q4).
| State | State median price | State closing cost % | State closing cost $ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $228,000 | 1.5% | $3,420 |
| Alaska | $370,000 | 1.6% | $5,920 |
| Arizona | $438,000 | 1.4% | $6,132 |
| Arkansas | $205,000 | 1.6% | $3,280 |
| California | $815,000 | 1.5% | $12,225 |
| Colorado | $580,000 | 1.4% | $8,120 |
| Connecticut | $438,000 | 3.0% | $13,140 |
| Delaware | $381,000 | 4.6% | $17,526 |
| DC | $665,000 | 3.4% | $22,610 |
| Florida | $410,000 | 2.7% | $11,070 |
| Georgia | $335,000 | 1.7% | $5,695 |
| Hawaii | $860,000 | 1.9% | $16,340 |
| Idaho | $460,000 | 1.3% | $5,980 |
| Illinois | $290,000 | 2.6% | $7,540 |
| Indiana | $250,000 | 1.5% | $3,750 |
| Iowa | $228,000 | 1.6% | $3,648 |
| Kansas | $235,000 | 1.4% | $3,290 |
| Kentucky | $232,000 | 1.7% | $3,944 |
| Louisiana | $215,000 | 2.1% | $4,515 |
| Maine | $402,000 | 2.3% | $9,246 |
| Maryland | $445,000 | 3.4% | $15,130 |
| Massachusetts | $645,000 | 2.4% | $15,480 |
| Michigan | $255,000 | 2.0% | $5,100 |
| Minnesota | $355,000 | 1.7% | $6,035 |
| Mississippi | $195,000 | 1.7% | $3,315 |
| Missouri | $258,000 | 1.1% | $2,838 |
| Montana | $472,000 | 1.6% | $7,552 |
| Nebraska | $255,000 | 1.5% | $3,825 |
| Nevada | $460,000 | 1.9% | $8,740 |
| New Hampshire | $492,000 | 2.9% | $14,268 |
| New Jersey | $535,000 | 2.8% | $14,980 |
| New Mexico | $305,000 | 1.7% | $5,185 |
| New York | $520,000 | 3.3% | $17,160 |
| North Carolina | $340,000 | 1.5% | $5,100 |
| North Dakota | $255,000 | 1.4% | $3,570 |
| Ohio | $235,000 | 1.9% | $4,465 |
| Oklahoma | $215,000 | 1.6% | $3,440 |
| Oregon | $510,000 | 1.5% | $7,650 |
| Pennsylvania | $272,000 | 3.5% | $9,520 |
| Rhode Island | $488,000 | 2.4% | $11,712 |
| South Carolina | $302,000 | 1.7% | $5,134 |
| South Dakota | $305,000 | 1.4% | $4,270 |
| Tennessee | $348,000 | 1.7% | $5,916 |
| Texas | $305,000 | 2.2% | $6,710 |
| Utah | $525,000 | 1.4% | $7,350 |
| Vermont | $415,000 | 3.4% | $14,110 |
| Virginia | $410,000 | 1.9% | $7,790 |
| Washington | $625,000 | 1.5% | $9,375 |
| West Virginia | $170,000 | 2.9% | $4,930 |
| Wisconsin | $315,000 | 1.5% | $4,725 |
| Wyoming | $380,000 | 1.4% | $5,320 |
| US average | $432,500 | 2.1% | $9,083 |
Bold = a state where closing costs are materially above the national average, usually driven by either mortgage recording tax (NY, FL, PA, DE), high state/local transfer tax (MD, NJ, CT, DE, VT, NH), or attorney-state requirements (DE, NY, CT, VT, NH — DE and NY are both attorney states and have transfer taxes).
Why the range is this wide
Three structural drivers explain nearly all of the variance.
1. Transfer tax rates
Most of the range across states comes from state transfer taxes and mortgage-recording taxes. Some states charge zero (Texas has no state transfer tax, though some jurisdictions have local ones; California is a flat 0.11% state rate plus city add-ons in a few big cities). Other states charge a full percent or more:
- Delaware: 4% state + local combined transfer tax (highest in the US). The buyer typically pays half (2%), sometimes more.
- New York: 0.4% state transfer tax + up to 1.925% mortgage recording tax in NYC + city transfer taxes. A $500k NYC condo can easily see $12k in transfer taxes alone.
- Pennsylvania: 2% state + local transfer tax, typically split.
- Connecticut: 0.75%–2.25% state conveyance tax (progressive), plus municipal.
- Vermont: 0.5%–1.25% state property transfer tax.
Compare against no state transfer tax at all in Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Indiana, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Utah, and Wyoming. Same closing paperwork, thousands of dollars less because the state simply doesn't tax the transaction.
2. Title insurance regulation
Title insurance premiums are set by state regulators, and the state-to-state variance is large. Texas and New Mexico are "promulgated rate" states where all title insurers charge the same regulator-set premium. Florida and Iowa have unique title-insurance regimes (Iowa uses a state-run title-guaranty program that's much cheaper). Delaware and a handful of other states allow "reissue rate" discounts for refinances that most buyers never claim.
Rough range: title insurance costs 0.4%–0.9% of purchase price depending on state and whether the buyer takes an owner's policy (recommended, and required by many lenders).
3. Attorney-state requirements
Twelve states legally require an attorney to conduct or supervise the real-estate closing. In practice this adds $600–$1,500 to buyer-side costs vs. states where an escrow or title company handles closing.
The attorney states are: Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Louisiana, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Vermont, West Virginia. (Not all require attorney presence at closing — some just require attorney supervision of certain steps.) The attorney premium is on top of, not in place of, title and escrow fees, so attorney states almost always land in the top half of the table.
Six moves that can push closing costs down
Closing costs are less negotiable than most buyers think, but not zero-negotiable. Concrete levers:
- Ask for seller concessions. In a buyer's market or on a house that's been sitting, many purchase agreements can be structured with the seller paying 1–3% of buyer closing costs. This is money the seller was probably going to lose in a price cut anyway; you're just moving where it shows up. Conventional loans generally cap seller concessions at 3% for < 10% down, 6% for 10-25% down. FHA allows up to 6%.
- Shop title insurance separately. In non-promulgated-rate states (most of them), title insurance premiums vary 20-40% between insurers for the exact same coverage. Your realtor will have a preferred title company. Get a second quote from a different one.
- Skip the owner's policy at your peril, not by default. The lender's title policy protects the lender, not you. The owner's policy protects your equity if a title defect surfaces later. Owner's policies cost roughly 0.4% of purchase price — real money, but the coverage is genuinely valuable, and one-time-paid. Don't waive it to save $2,000.
- Ask about "no-cost" refinance-style closings on new construction. Some builders and lenders offer packaged closings where they front closing costs in exchange for a slightly higher rate. Whether the trade is worth it depends on how long you'll keep the loan (same "years-to-break-even" question as discount points).
- Time your closing. Prepaid interest is calculated from closing day to end of month. Close on the 28th and you owe 2–3 days of prepaid interest. Close on the 3rd and you owe 27–28 days. It's not a huge lever — a few hundred to a couple thousand dollars — but it's free.
- Skip the discount points unless you'll keep the loan long enough for them to pay back. Points are prepaid interest disguised as a closing cost. At current rates a point typically pays back in year 5–6. If you'll refinance or sell before then, they were a loss.
Two things closing-cost tables usually get wrong
They usually leave out the mortgage-recording tax. In states that have one — New York, Florida, Alabama, Kansas, Minnesota, Oklahoma, Tennessee — the recording tax is levied on the loan amount, not the purchase price, and it's a real chunk. On a $400k mortgage in NYC, mortgage-recording tax alone is roughly 1.8% × $400k = $7,200. Some published closing-cost tables leave this out and quote NYC closing costs at 1.8% instead of 3.3%. We include it.
They usually average FHA, VA, USDA, and conventional together. VA and USDA loans have specific closing-cost caps that pull the average down for veterans and rural buyers. The table above is for conventional purchase mortgages, which is the largest category. If you're buying with a VA loan, your closing costs will be lower — the VA funding fee (0.5%–3.3% of loan) is a separate line that offsets the closing-cost benefit somewhat, but the buyer-side settlement stack is smaller.
How to model closing costs in the rent-vs-buy calculation
Closing costs are the single biggest transaction-cost line on the buying side. They compound the "buying loses at short stays" effect because they're paid upfront and never recovered. A calculator that assumes a flat "3% closing" nationally is understating the cost by 50%+ in Delaware, New York, and Pennsylvania, and overstating it by 50%+ in Missouri, Alaska, and Colorado.
The right way to model:
- Use your state's actual closing-cost percent from the table above.
- Add the fixed-cost stack (~$4,500 nationally) as a dollar amount.
- Add discount points if you're buying rate down.
- Add prepaid interest and tax escrow only if your calculator treats them as sunk costs (many don't — because you eventually recover the tax escrow at sale).
Our calculator defaults closing costs to your state's median from the ClosingCorp/ATTOM 2025 data set, editable as either a percent or a dollar amount. Every dollar of closing cost pushes the break-even year later by roughly 0.4 months at the median case. In a Delaware or NYC closing, that adds up to 3–5 months of break-even delay compared to a Missouri closing on the same-price house.
The one-line summary
Closing costs range from about 1% of price (Missouri, Colorado, Arizona) to 4–5% (Delaware, NYC, Pennsylvania), and the state you're buying in is doing most of the work. Model them at your state's actual number, and the break-even year in the rent-vs-buy comparison shifts by months. Model them at a flat national default and you'll under- or over-count by thousands.
Ready to see what your state's closing costs do to your break-even year? Try the rent-vs-buy calculator → — closing cost defaults to your state's median from the 2025 ClosingCorp/ATTOM data set, editable line-by-line.