Cook County (Chicago) closing costs
The county-specific transfer tax and deed recording fees for Cook County (Chicago), Illinois - the local details that change your total beyond the statewide rate.
- Effective transfer tax
- 0.15%
- ≈ $600 on a $400,000 home
- Typical lender + 3rd-party fees
- $6,856
- median of 39,025 purchase loans · HMDA 2023
Cook County (Chicago) compared with Illinois counties
In the verified Illinois county records we have, Cook County (Chicago)'s effective transfer-tax rate ranks #1 of 5 by highest rate. At $400,000, the county-specific transfer tax is $600, which is $200 above the state-level calculation before city surtaxes.
- County rank
- #1 of 5
- within verified Illinois county pages
- Tax at $400,000
- $600
- state baseline $400
- HMDA fee sample
- 39,025
- purchase loans in 2023
Cook County (Chicago) transfer-tax data: official source linked on this page, reviewed 2026-Q2.
Transfer tax in Cook County (Chicago)
Chicago's municipal transfer tax dominates the closing cost — and the buyer pays the larger share, unusual for Illinois.
Recording fees in Cook County (Chicago)
State $0.50/$500 + Cook County $0.25/$500. The City of Chicago adds its own transfer tax of $5.25 per $500 (the $3.75 city portion is buyer-paid; the $1.50 CTA portion seller-paid). Recording via the Cook County Clerk.
Official recorder: Cook County (Chicago) recorder ↗ — the authoritative source for the current recording fee schedule.
What lenders actually charge in Cook County (Chicago)
Across 39,025 home-purchase mortgages originated in Cook County (Chicago) in 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services such as appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — were $6,856, of which about $2,055 was the lender’s own origination charges. That is reported loan-level data from every lender under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act — not a national average — so it reflects what buyers in this county actually paid. Lender fees vary widely, so comparing a few rate quotes is the single biggest lever on your closing total.
Source: FFIEC HMDA Data Browser ↗ (2023 purchase originations, FIPS 17031, ODC-BY 1.0). Median total loan costs exclude prepaids and escrow.
Estimate your Cook County (Chicago) closing costs
Pre-set to Illinois. County-level taxes above may add to this estimate.
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Frequently asked questions
What is the transfer tax in Cook County (Chicago)?
Cook County (Chicago) (Illinois): the applicable real-estate transfer tax works out to about 0.15%. Chicago's municipal transfer tax dominates the closing cost — and the buyer pays the larger share, unusual for Illinois.
What are recording fees in Cook County (Chicago)?
State $0.50/$500 + Cook County $0.25/$500. The City of Chicago adds its own transfer tax of $5.25 per $500 (the $3.75 city portion is buyer-paid; the $1.50 CTA portion seller-paid). Recording via the Cook County Clerk.
How much are closing costs in Cook County (Chicago)?
Closing costs in Cook County (Chicago) follow Illinois's structure plus this county's specific transfer-tax and recording fees. Use the calculator below for an estimate; for the exact recording schedule, the county recorder is the authoritative source.
What do lenders charge in fees in Cook County (Chicago)?
In 2023, the median total loan costs — lender fees plus third-party services like appraisal and title, excluding prepaids and escrow — across 39,025 home-purchase mortgages in Cook County (Chicago) were about $6,856, of which roughly $2,055 was the lender's own origination charges. This is reported loan-level data under the Home Mortgage Disclosure Act; actual fees vary by lender, so comparing quotes matters.
Closest Illinois county comparisons
Sibling links are ordered by nearby verified effective transfer-tax rate, so each county page connects to genuinely comparable counties.