Buying in Fortaleza, in detail
Fortaleza charges the highest ITBI of the cities Payotte could read: 4% of the value, with no city above it and 40 below. The transfer tax is the first thing to settle here. A R$ 500 thousand purchase pays R$ 20,000, and one at R$ 1 million pays R$ 40,000. Two reductions exist: 0.5% on the financed amount under the SFH, up to the 2026 cap, and 2% when payment is made before the deed.
The R$ 20,000 is a minimum. The page shows no escritura or registro amount for these prices, so those two costs come on top. Ask the cartório for the rest, and ask the Secretaria de Finanças whether a reduction applies to your purchase.
In size, the city is 4th of 55 on Payotte and also 4th in Brazil among the hundred most populous. It had 2,428,708 residents in 2022, estimated at 2,582,360 for 2026. Growth of 6.3% ranks only 29th of 55, though it stays above the Brazilian 5.5%. Homes hold 2.82 people, 17th. Tenants live in 30.3% of homes, 16th, against 22.2% nationally, and owners in 65.4%. Salvador, similar in headcount, has a lower rented share, while Brasília has a higher one.
The state of Ceará sits lower in prices. Its median financed home is R$ 221,000, 20th of 27, below the Brazilian R$ 290,545. This is the Central Bank appraisal of financed homes, not every sale. Under Tabela Price, that median means R$ 1,648 monthly. On building cost, SINAPI gives Ceará R$ 1,886 a square metre, 19th and under the national R$ 2,000. Fortaleza accounts for 27.6% of the people of Ceará, and Jijoca de Jericoacoara is the only other Ceará city on Payotte, with no ITBI rate read.
The yearly municipal property tax, IPTU, averaged R$ 921 per home in 2024. That ranks Fortaleza 55th of the 100 biggest cities.
In short
On a R$ 500 thousand home in Fortaleza (Ceará), the ITBI transfer tax, the notary deed and the registration come to at least R$ 20,000. The city's ITBI rate is 4%. 30.3% of occupied homes were rented in the 2022 Census.
Calculate for Fortaleza
The questions, answered
How much are the purchase costs on a R$ 500 thousand home in Fortaleza?
On a R$ 500 thousand home in Fortaleza (Ceará), ITBI transfer tax (4%) R$ 20,000: at least R$ 20,000 in all, from the rates and fee tables read on 15 October 2026 (the state's table prints no amount for this price).
How much are the purchase costs on a R$ 1 million home in Fortaleza?
On a R$ 1 million home in Fortaleza (Ceará): ITBI transfer tax (4%) R$ 40,000, at least R$ 40,000 in all.
What is the ITBI rate in Fortaleza?
Fortaleza charges ITBI at 4% of the value of the transfer (not read (the Sefin page does not cite a law number; Código Tributário, LC nº 159/2013, not read)); the same law sets a reduced rate of 0.5% or 2% for some purchases it defines (see the purchase costs calculator).
What monthly payment on a R$ 500 thousand home in Fortaleza?
R$ 400,000 borrowed on a R$ 500 thousand home (CMN cap 80%) costs R$ 3,738 a month with Price over 30 years at 11.31% (September 2026), or R$ 4,699 the first month with SAC.
Do more people rent in Fortaleza than in Brazil as a whole?
In the 2022 Census, 30.3% of the 859,995 occupied homes in Fortaleza were rented and 65.4% owned by a resident, against 22.2% rented across Brazil (IBGE).
How many people live in Fortaleza?
Fortaleza had 2,428,708 residents in the 2022 Census, and 2,582,360 in the IBGE estimate for 2026.
How Fortaleza compares
Fortaleza is the 4th most populous of the 55 cities on Payotte, with 2,428,708 residents in the 2022 Census, 27.6% of Ceará's 8,794,957. The IBGE estimate for 2026, 2,582,360, is 6.3% above the census: faster than Ceará as a whole (5.8%), 29th of 55 cities, against 5.5% for Brazil. The census counts 2.82 residents per occupied home, fewer than the 2.91 of Ceará.
30.3% of the 859,995 occupied homes of Fortaleza were rented in 2022, well above the 22.2% national share, and 8.4 points above Ceará (21.9%); 65.4% were owned by a resident. That is the 16th highest rental share of 55 cities.
Fortaleza charges ITBI at 4%, the highest of the 41 city rates Payotte has read. That is R$ 20,000 on R$ 500 thousand and R$ 40,000 on R$ 1 million; the law also lists 0.5% and 2% for some purchases it defines, which the calculator does not apply.
By population the closest cities on Payotte are Salvador (2,417,678 residents, 21.4% of homes rented, ITBI 3%) and Brasília (2,817,381 residents, 33.2% of homes rented, ITBI 2%). In the Nordeste region, which has 14 of the 55 cities, Fortaleza has the 5th highest share of rented homes. Its 2.82 residents per occupied home rank 17th of 55, in the middle of the field.
| Measure | Value | Reference | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fortaleza: residents, 2022 Census | 2,428,708 | median city 616,317 | 4th of 55 |
| Fortaleza: share of Ceará's residents | 27.6% | 8,794,957 in the state | 1st of 2 in the state |
| Fortaleza: estimate for 2026 against the census | +6.3% | Ceará +5.8% | 29th of 55 |
| Fortaleza: occupied homes, 2022 | 859,995 | Ceará 3,020,258 | 6th of 55 |
| Fortaleza: residents per occupied home | 2.82 | Ceará 2.91 | 17th of 55 |
| Fortaleza: homes rented | 30.3% | Brazil 22.2%, Ceará 21.9% | 16th of 55 |
| Fortaleza: homes owned by a resident | 65.4% | Ceará 71.6% | 35th of 55 |
| Fortaleza: ITBI rate | 4% | median of 41 cities 2% | 1st of 41 |
| Fortaleza: ITBI on R$ 500 thousand | R$ 20,000 | at the median rate R$ 10,000 | +R$ 10,000 |
| Fortaleza: ITBI on R$ 1 million | R$ 40,000 | at the median rate R$ 20,000 | +R$ 20,000 |
| Fortaleza: all computed lines on R$ 500 thousand | at least R$ 20,000 | 4% of the price | R$ 40,000 on R$ 1 million |
Notary and registry fees, the median financed home and the construction cost of Ceará are on its state page.
The figures
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ITBI transfer tax (4%), Fortaleza, on R$ 500 thousand | R$ 20,000 | not read (the Sefin page does not cite a law number; Código Tributário, LC nº 159/2013, not read) |
| Population, 2022 Census | 2,428,708 | IBGE |
| Population estimate, 2026 | 2,582,360 | IBGE |
| Occupied homes rented, 2022 Census | 30.3% | IBGE |
| Average rate, new housing loans to individuals (2026-09) | 11.31% | Banco Central do Brasil, SGS 20774 |
| Selic target, since 2026-09-17 | 13.75% | Banco Central do Brasil, Copom |
No open official series gives home prices by city in Brazil; the Banco Central median is by state.
Elsewhere in Ceará
Sources
- ITBI, Fortaleza: not read (the Sefin page does not cite a law number; Código Tributário, LC nº 159/2013, not read) (consulted 2026-10-15).
- Notary and registry fees, Ceará: Portaria n. 2982/2025-GABPRESI (TJCE), DJe Adm. 19/12/2025, in force 02/01/2026; annex 'Tabelas de Emolumentos 2026' (Tabela II codes 002008-002017, Tabela VII codes 007001-007009); the calculator.
- Census and construction cost: IBGE, SIDRA (4714, 6579, 9930, 2296).
- Loans and values: Banco Central do Brasil open data (ODbL 1.0); Copom decisions.