Refinance Closing Costs Calculator
Closing costs are the up-front fees that decide whether a refinance pays off. Estimate the total from your loan amount and a fee rate.
1Estimate fees
Typical refinance fees run about 2% to 5% of the loan amount (CFPB). Use your lender’s Loan Estimate for the real number.
2Your estimate
What is included in closing costs?
Refinance closing costs usually bundle an appraisal, title insurance, origination fees, recording fees and sometimes attorney charges. Lenders list them all on the Loan Estimate they give you. The total is most often between 2% and 5% of the loan amount, though it varies by loan size and state.
Typical fee ranges
On a $300,000 loan, a 2% rate means about $6,000 in fees; a 5% rate means about $15,000. Because closing costs are subtracted from your savings, they are the single biggest driver of your break-even month. Keep them low — or negotiate the lender credits — and you break even sooner.
How to lower your closing costs
Closing costs are negotiable more often than people think. Ask each lender for a written Loan Estimate and compare the lines one by one, request a lender credit in exchange for a slightly higher rate, or shop the third-party fees — title insurance and the appraisal in particular — on your own. Even a half-percent reduction on a $300,000 loan saves about $1,500, which moves your break-even month meaningfully earlier.
Compare before you commit
Two loans with the same advertised rate can carry very different closing costs. The annual percentage rate (APR) folds the fees into the rate, so a loan with a lower headline rate but heavy fees may cost more over time than a slightly higher-rate loan with light fees. Use this estimator together with the break-even calculator to see the full picture.
Closing costs by state
Transfer taxes and title insurance push costs higher in states like New York, New Jersey and Washington, and keep them low in Missouri, Iowa and Indiana. See the full 50-state table on our break-even calculator.