Buying a home
in South Africa.
Work out your monthly bond, find the maximum loan you qualify for, and plan the cost of your first SA home purchase — all grounded in the current SA prime rate.
10.25%
SA prime rate
SARB · May 2026
−0.25% since Jan 2026
11.25%
Typical bank bond rate
Prime + 1% · Ooba May 2026
20 yr
Standard bond term
NCA maximum
Property calculators
Bond Calculator
Set the home price, deposit, rate, and term — get your monthly repayment, total interest, and full year-by-year amortisation.
Bond Affordability
Find the maximum bond you qualify for from your gross income, existing debt, and deposit — using SA's 30% / 36% NCA rules.
Transfer Cost
All-in upfront cost of buying a home — SARS transfer duty, conveyancer fees, Deeds Office, bond registration and disbursements.
Transfer Duty
Just the SARS transfer duty figure on any property price, with the full 2026/27 bracket breakdown.
First Home Finance
Estimate your once-off NHFC subsidy (formerly FLISP) — R27,960 to R169,264 for first-time SA buyers.
Bond calculators by bank
Same calculator, pre-filled with each provider's typical mid-market rate. Useful when shopping a specific bank or comparing what you've been quoted to the market average.
How buying a home works in SA
1. Affordability first
Banks size your bond against gross income — 30% max for the bond instalment, 36% max for total monthly debt. Knowing your ceiling stops you wasting time on homes you can't get approved for.
2. Pre-approval, then offer
An SA bond originator (Ooba, BetterBond) gets you pre-approved in 24–48 hours. Walk into showings with a pre-approval letter and your offers carry far more weight with sellers.
3. Registration takes ~3 months
After offer acceptance, the conveyancing process — bond registration, transfer, deeds office — typically takes 8–14 weeks. Budget for ~10% of the home price in once-off costs.
Coming next
Bond switching calculator
Work out whether moving your existing bond to a new lender is worth the switching costs.
Coming soonCapital gains tax on sale
Estimate the SARS CGT on selling your primary residence above the R2m exclusion.
Coming soonRates & levies estimator
Predict the monthly municipal rates + sectional title levies for any SA suburb.
Coming soonFrequently asked questions
What is the prime lending rate in South Africa right now?
As of May 2026, the SA prime lending rate is 10.25%. It is calculated as the SARB repo rate (currently 6.75%) plus a fixed 3.50% bank margin. SARB's Monetary Policy Committee meets six times a year to set repo, and prime moves with it. The MPC held repo at 6.75% on 26 March 2026 — the second consecutive pause. Most home loans in SA are priced at prime ± a spread (e.g. prime + 1% = 11.25%, which is what the bond calculator uses as its default).
How much can I borrow for a home loan in South Africa?
SA banks size your bond using two affordability rules from the National Credit Act. Your monthly bond instalment cannot exceed 30% of your gross monthly income, AND your total monthly debt repayments (bond + car + cards + loans) cannot exceed 36% of gross income. Whichever cap is more restrictive wins. So someone earning R30,000/month with no other debt qualifies for ~R9,000/month bond — which at 11.25% over 20 years buys an R858,000 home. Use the affordability calculator above for your exact number.
How much deposit do I need to buy a home in SA?
SA banks routinely offer 100% bonds (zero deposit) to qualifying buyers, but a 10% deposit gets a noticeably better interest rate — usually around 0.5% lower. A 20% deposit is the sweet spot: best rates, no mortgage insurance loading, meaningful equity from day one. Don't forget the once-off costs on top: bond registration (~R6,000), bond initiation fee, transfer attorney fees, and SARS transfer duty on properties above R1.21m. Total once-off costs are typically 8–12% of the home price.
Is now a good time to buy property in South Africa?
It depends on your specific situation more than the broader market. SA prime has been falling slowly through 2025–2026 (from a 11.75% peak in 2024 to 10.25% now), making bonds modestly cheaper. SARB's quarterly projection model points to ~9.81% prime by end-2026 if the cuts continue. House prices have been roughly flat in real terms for two years, which means buyers have negotiating room. The honest answer: if you have a stable income, a deposit, and intend to stay in the home 5+ years, the timing is fine. If any of those is shaky, rent.
About our data
SA prime rate sourced from SARB and Ooba (verified May 2026). Affordability ratios from the National Credit Act Regulation 23A and SA bond originator practice (Ooba, BetterBond). Calculators are planning estimates — your bank's actual offer depends on credit score, employment, and current market conditions. Not financial advice.