By city
Stamp duty in Oxford
One of the dearest cities outside London, and one where the April 2025 change cost first-time buyers the most.
Checked by Radif Partners · Editorial policy · How we calculate
Oxford first-time buyers paid £404,264 on average in July 2026, on the UK House Price Index, which is £104,264 above the nil band of first-time buyer relief. Their Stamp Duty Land Tax is therefore £5,213, at 5% of the excess. Until 31 March 2025, when the relief ran to £425,000 tax-free, the same purchase cost £0. Home movers in the city paid £577,006 on average, above the £500,000 line, and pay £18,850. The overall average of £471,667 costs £13,583 for a buyer with one home and £37,166 with the additional-property surcharge. A first-time buyer whose purchase goes over £500,000 loses the relief outright, which in Oxford is a realistic risk for anyone buying a family house as a first home.
More options: commercial property, company relief
Stamp Duty Land Tax · England and Northern Ireland
£8,583
1.8% of £471,667 · rule applied: First-time buyer relief (nil band to £300,000)
| Portion | Rate | Tax |
|---|---|---|
| £0 to £300,000 | 0% | £0 |
| £300,000 to £500,000 | 5% | £8,583 |
- First-time buyer relief saves
- £5,000
Return and payment due within 14 days of completion.
Same purchase elsewhere in the UK
What April 2025 changed for Oxford first homes
| Home | Price | First-time buyer now | Before April 2025 | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat | £286,895 | £0 | £0 | £0 |
| Terrace | £462,227 | £8,111 | £1,861 | £6,250 |
| First-time buyer average | £404,264 | £5,213 | £0 | £5,213 |
| Semi-detached | £583,213 | £19,160 | £7,910 | £11,250 |
The increase grows with the price because two things happened at once. The tax-free part of the relief fell from £425,000 to £300,000, and the price above which the relief disappears fell from £625,000 to £500,000. An Oxford semi bought as a first home was inside the old relief and is outside the new one.
Every home type
| Home | Average price | First-time buyer | One home | Additional property |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flat or maisonette | £286,895 | £0 | £4,344 | £18,689 |
| Terraced house | £462,227 | £8,111 | £13,111 | £36,222 |
| Semi-detached house | £583,213 | £19,160 | £19,160 | £48,321 |
| Detached house | £959,933 | £39,743 | £39,743 | £87,739 |
| All sales | £471,667 | £8,583 | £13,583 | £37,166 |
Detached houses average £959,933 in the city, reaching the 10% band above £925,000 only at the very top of the market. Prices moved -2.3% over the year to July 2026.
Arriving from abroad
Buyers who move to Oxford for work or study and buy within their first year are often non-resident for SDLT. The test counts days in the UK in the twelve months before completion; reaching 183 days in any continuous year that ends up to a year after completion lets them amend the return within 2 years and reclaim the 2%. A spouse or civil partner living with a UK resident is treated as resident from the start (non-resident surcharge).