In six of Swansea's seven postcode districts, a standard buyer paying the district's 2025 median price pays less Land Transaction Tax (LTT) in Wales than the Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) the same price would attract in England. The exception is SA3, covering Mumbles, Gower and Bishopston, where a £370,000 median costs £200 more in Welsh tax. The turning point is £350,000, the price at which both regimes charge exactly £7,500 on a standard residential purchase.
Based on 3,014 Land Registry transactions across the seven districts in 2025. Tax figures come from the Homecost SDLT and LTT calculator, fetched 4 October 2026.
Two slab systems, one crossover
Both taxes are charged in slices. Each rate applies only to the part of the price inside its band, and the bill is the sum of those parts. Wales has the higher nil-rate band, £225,000 against England's £125,000, but a steeper rate once that band ends.
| Price band | Wales LTT | England SDLT |
|---|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% | 0% |
| £125,001 to £225,000 | 0% | 2% |
| £225,001 to £250,000 | 6% | 2% |
| £250,001 to £350,000 | 6% | 5% |
| £350,001 to £400,000 | 6% | 5% |
| £400,001 to £750,000 | 7.5% | 5% |
| £750,001 to £925,000 | 10% | 5% |
| £925,001 to £1,500,000 | 10% | 10% |
| Above £1,500,000 | 12% | 12% |
The two totals meet at £350,000. The Welsh bill is 6% of the £125,000 above £225,000, which is £7,500. The English bill is 2% of the first £125,000 above the nil band, plus 5% of the next £100,000, which is £2,500 and £5,000, a total of £7,500. Above £350,000, every extra £1,000 of price adds £10 more to the Welsh bill than to the English one.
The comparison covers standard residential purchases. It leaves out England's first-time buyer relief, which Wales does not offer, and the surcharge on additional properties, which both nations apply.
What each district median pays
| District | Main areas | 2025 sales | Median price | Wales LTT | England SDLT | Lower in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SA1 | City centre, docks, Bonymaen | 518 | £145,000 | £0 | £400 | Wales, by £400 |
| SA5 | Cwmbwrla, Fforestfach | 353 | £158,500 | £0 | £670 | Wales, by £670 |
| SA6 | Morriston, Clydach | 382 | £179,000 | £0 | £1,080 | Wales, by £1,080 |
| SA7 | Llansamlet, Birchgrove | 176 | £190,000 | £0 | £1,300 | Wales, by £1,300 |
| SA4 | Gorseinon, Pontarddulais, Loughor | 662 | £230,000 | £300 | £2,100 | Wales, by £1,800 |
| SA2 | Sketty, Uplands, Killay | 498 | £270,500 | £2,730 | £3,525 | Wales, by £795 |
| SA3 | Mumbles, Gower, Bishopston | 425 | £370,000 | £8,700 | £8,500 | England, by £200 |
Medians come from HM Land Registry Price Paid Data for 2025: category A residential sales (detached, semi-detached, terraced and flats) in the City and County of Swansea. Each row is the tax on the district median, not on any individual home.
The gap is widest at SA4. At £230,000 the English 2% slice covers £105,000 and costs £2,100, while the Welsh 6% slice covers only the £5,000 above £225,000 and costs £300. The gap narrows at SA2, where the Welsh 6% slice covers £45,500 and the English 5% band starts to apply. At SA3 the order reverses.
As a share of price, the Welsh bill is 0% in SA1, SA5, SA6 and SA7, then 0.13% in SA4, 1.01% in SA2 and 2.35% in SA3. The English bill runs from 0.28% in SA1 to 2.30% in SA3.
Why SA3 sits on the other side
SA3's median of £370,000 is £20,000 above the crossover. Under Welsh rules the 6% band covers £145,000 above the nil band, a bill of £8,700. Under English rules the first £250,000 costs £2,500 and the next £120,000 at 5% costs £6,000, giving £8,500. Below £350,000 the Welsh bill is lower. Above it, the English 5% band is cheaper per pound than the Welsh 6% band. SA3 is the only district in the ladder priced high enough to sit past the line. Mumbles and Gower house prices covers that district on its own terms.
First-time buyers in England
England's first-time buyer relief changes the English side of the table. It applies no SDLT to the first £300,000 of the price of a main residence and charges 5% on the next £200,000, up to £500,000. Every district median up to SA2 falls below £300,000, so an English first-time buyer pays no SDLT at those six medians. At SA3 the English bill falls to £3,500, against £8,700 in Wales. Once the relief is included, the English bill is equal to or lower than the Welsh bill in all seven districts. Wales has no equivalent relief, so the Welsh figures in the tables apply to every buyer type. A conveyancer confirms eligibility on completion.
What the figures do not show
- Medians describe the middle sale in each district. They say nothing about the value of any home.
- Tax is one line in the buying cost. Conveyancing, surveys and Land Registry fees sit alongside it and are not included here.
- SA7 has the smallest sample in the ladder at 176 sales, so its median moves more from year to year than the others.
- The seven districts cover 3,014 of Swansea's 3,021 sales in 2025. The remaining seven sit in the SA8 and SA18 outcodes.
Check a Swansea price
Type a Swansea postcode into the Homecost True Cost tool to see the True Cost figures for homes in that postcode, including the stamp duty or LTT line. For the citywide picture, read average house price in Swansea. For the regime rules, read SDLT vs LBTT vs LTT across the UK and the exact SDLT and LTT crossover. For the Welsh higher rates, read Welsh LTT higher residential rates explained. Browse more regional price guides.
This is general information on how the Welsh and English rules work, not advice. Speak to a qualified adviser before acting.