Buying in Recife, in detail
Recife adds a 3% ITBI to Pernambuco fees, and the bill shows it. A R$ 500 thousand purchase carries R$ 15,000 of ITBI, plus R$ 4,723 of registro and R$ 7,084 of escritura. Together the costs reach R$ 26,807, a charge of 5.36% on the price. The escritura is the deed signed at the notary, and the registro enters the new owner in the property record. At R$ 1 million the total is R$ 41,807, or 4.18%. Both totals are minimums, because the Pernambuco table lists fees without the state taxes and funds, and the true bill will be higher. Ask the cartório for a quote, since the state shares are added to these fees. The loan side is the national one: 80% at most, 30 years, with the first SAC instalment at R$ 4,690 and the Price instalment at R$ 3,730 for a purchase at R$ 500 thousand.
The ITBI rate is 3%. One city charges more and 30 charge less. The SFH rate is 1% on the financed amount up to R$ 1,036,601 for 2026, and 3% on the excess. Paying early, within 180 days of the habite-se or of the signed instrument, brings the rate to 1.8%. The municipal code was updated in March 2026, so ask the prefeitura which text applies on your signing date.
Recife is 9th of 55 by population and 9th in Brazil among the hundred most populous. It counted 1,488,920 people in 2022 and is estimated at 1,588,983 for 2026. At 6.7%, growth ranks 26th of 55, a bit above Brazil's 5.5%. Homes hold 2.72 people, 33rd. The rented share is 26.6%, 34th, against 22.2% nationally, with owners at 69.3%. Goiânia, close in headcount, has 34.3% of homes rented, while Curitiba stands at 25.6%, a little under Recife.
The state median financed home is R$ 220,000, 21st of 27, below the Brazilian R$ 290,545. It comes from Central Bank appraisals of financed homes, not every sale. A Tabela Price instalment on it is R$ 1,641. The SINAPI index reads R$ 1,797 for each square metre built, 26th, well under the national R$ 2,000.
Recife has 16.4% of the people of Pernambuco; Ipojuca is the other state city on Payotte, with an ITBI of 2%. The IPTU, the yearly property tax, averaged R$ 1,300 for each home in 2024, 41st in the list of the 100 biggest cities.
In short
On a R$ 500 thousand home in Recife (Pernambuco), the ITBI transfer tax, the notary deed and the registration come to at least R$ 26,807. The city's ITBI rate is 3%. 26.6% of occupied homes were rented in the 2022 Census.
Calculate for Recife
The questions, answered
How much are the purchase costs on a R$ 500 thousand home in Recife?
On a R$ 500 thousand home in Recife (Pernambuco), ITBI transfer tax (3%) R$ 15,000, notary deed (escritura) R$ 7,084, registration at the property registry R$ 4,723: at least R$ 26,807 in all, from the rates and fee tables read on 15 October 2026 (the state's table gives the fees before state taxes and funds).
How much are the purchase costs on a R$ 1 million home in Recife?
On a R$ 1 million home in Recife (Pernambuco): ITBI transfer tax (3%) R$ 30,000, notary deed (escritura) R$ 7,084, registration at the property registry R$ 4,723, at least R$ 41,807 in all.
What is the ITBI rate in Recife?
Recife charges ITBI at 3% of the value of the transfer (Lei nº 15.563/1991 (Código Tributário Municipal) arts. 51, 52, 55; text updated to Lei nº 19.490 of 2026-03-09); the same law sets a reduced rate of 1% or 1.8% for some purchases it defines (see the purchase costs calculator).
What monthly payment on a R$ 500 thousand home in Recife?
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 Recife than in Brazil as a whole?
In the 2022 Census, 26.6% of the 547,539 occupied homes in Recife were rented and 69.3% owned by a resident, against 22.2% rented across Brazil (IBGE).
How many people live in Recife?
Recife had 1,488,920 residents in the 2022 Census, and 1,588,983 in the IBGE estimate for 2026.
How Recife compares
Recife ranks 9th by population among the 55 cities on Payotte, with 1,488,920 residents in the 2022 Census, 16.4% of Pernambuco's 9,058,931. The IBGE estimate for 2026, 1,588,983, is 6.7% above the census: faster than Pernambuco as a whole (5.8%), 26th of 55 cities, against 5.5% for Brazil. The census counts 2.72 residents per occupied home, fewer than the 2.84 of Pernambuco.
26.6% of the 547,539 occupied homes of Recife were rented in 2022, well above the 22.2% national share, and 5.3 points above Pernambuco (21.3%); 69.3% were owned by a resident. That is the 34th highest rental share of 55 cities.
Recife charges ITBI at 3%, above the 2% median of the 41 city rates read (1 city charges more). That is R$ 15,000 on R$ 500 thousand and R$ 30,000 on R$ 1 million; the law also lists 1% and 1.8% for some purchases it defines, which the calculator does not apply.
By population the closest cities on Payotte are Goiânia (1,437,366 residents, 34.3% of homes rented, ITBI 2%) and Curitiba (1,773,718 residents, 25.6% of homes rented, ITBI 2.7%). In the Nordeste region, which has 14 of the 55 cities, Recife has the 9th highest share of rented homes. Its 2.72 residents per occupied home rank 33rd of 55, in the middle of the field.
| Measure | Value | Reference | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| Recife: residents, 2022 Census | 1,488,920 | median city 616,317 | 9th of 55 |
| Recife: share of Pernambuco's residents | 16.4% | 9,058,931 in the state | 1st of 2 in the state |
| Recife: estimate for 2026 against the census | +6.7% | Pernambuco +5.8% | 26th of 55 |
| Recife: occupied homes, 2022 | 547,539 | Pernambuco 3,184,558 | 11th of 55 |
| Recife: residents per occupied home | 2.72 | Pernambuco 2.84 | 33rd of 55 |
| Recife: homes rented | 26.6% | Brazil 22.2%, Pernambuco 21.3% | 34th of 55 |
| Recife: homes owned by a resident | 69.3% | Pernambuco 73.1% | 12th of 55 |
| Recife: ITBI rate | 3% | median of 41 cities 2% | 2nd of 41 |
| Recife: ITBI on R$ 500 thousand | R$ 15,000 | at the median rate R$ 10,000 | +R$ 5,000 |
| Recife: ITBI on R$ 1 million | R$ 30,000 | at the median rate R$ 20,000 | +R$ 10,000 |
| Recife: all computed lines on R$ 500 thousand | at least R$ 26,807 | 5.36% of the price | R$ 41,807 on R$ 1 million |
Notary and registry fees, the median financed home and the construction cost of Pernambuco are on its state page.
The figures
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| ITBI transfer tax (3%), Recife, on R$ 500 thousand | R$ 15,000 | Lei nº 15.563/1991 (Código Tributário Municipal) arts. 51, 52, 55; text updated to Lei nº 19.490 of 2026-03-09 |
| Notary deed (escritura), Recife, on R$ 500 thousand | R$ 7,084 | Pernambuco 2026 fee table |
| Registration at the property registry, Recife, on R$ 500 thousand | R$ 4,723 | Pernambuco 2026 fee table |
| Population, 2022 Census | 1,488,920 | IBGE |
| Population estimate, 2026 | 1,588,983 | IBGE |
| Occupied homes rented, 2022 Census | 26.6% | 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 Pernambuco
Sources
- ITBI, Recife: Lei nº 15.563/1991 (Código Tributário Municipal) arts. 51, 52, 55; text updated to Lei nº 19.490 of 2026-03-09 (consulted 2026-10-15).
- Notary and registry fees, Pernambuco: Ato TJPE n. 1556 of 18/12/2025 (DJe n. 390/2025, 18/12/2025), IPCA correction 4.461840% of emolumentos and TSNR under art. 25 of Lei estadual 11.404/1996; in force 01/01/2026; 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.