6 min read
How Much Does It Cost to Move House in the UK?
Removals is usually the smallest line on the bill — stamp duty, conveyancing, and estate agent fees do far more damage. Here’s the full breakdown, with the one cost category you can actually shop down.
General information, not advice. This guide explains how things typically work — it isn’t legal, financial or professional advice for your specific situation, and Reloca8 isn’t liable for decisions made based on it. Always confirm current rules directly with the relevant council, provider or government website before acting.
The short version
The HomeOwners Alliance puts the total average cost of moving house in the UK at £13,018 in 2026, on an average £292,000 property. Buying costs (stamp duty, survey, conveyancing, mortgage fees) make up the biggest share at roughly £7,519, selling costs around £4,910, and removals plus general moving costs around £590 — the one category most within your control.
Where the £13,018 actually goes
On an average £292,000 UK property, the HomeOwners Alliance’s cost of moving calculator breaks the total down into three groups: costs from buying, costs from selling, and general moving costs that apply either way. Buying dominates the bill, driven mostly by stamp duty.
Stamp duty, survey, conveyancing, mortgage fees
Estate agent fees, conveyancing, EPC
Removals and mail redirection
Buying: stamp duty is the biggest single cost
On that same £292,000 property, the HomeOwners Alliance estimates stamp duty at around £4,600, plus a building survey (£650), conveyancing (£1,050), mortgage arrangement fees (£1,000), mortgage valuation (£150), and homebuyers protection insurance (£78). First-time buyers pay no stamp duty up to £300,000; buyers of an additional property pay a much higher surcharged rate — around £19,200 on the same purchase price, per the same source. Conveyancing legal fees alone can range from £300 to £1,500 plus disbursements, and survey costs from £300 to £1,500+ depending on the type of survey.
Selling: estate agent fees do the most damage
Selling the same property adds an estimated £4,150 in estate agent fees — an average rate of 1.42% including VAT, per the HomeOwners Alliance — plus £700 in conveyancing and £60 for an Energy Performance Certificate. Estate agent fees are one of the more negotiable costs on this list; rates vary meaningfully between agents and between sole-agency and multi-agency instructions.
Removals: the cost you can actually shop around
Removals costs scale with property size and distance. Per HomeOwners Alliance removals data, a local move averages around £432 for a one-bedroom home up to £1,590 for a five-bedroom home; moving 100+ miles pushes those figures to roughly £800–£1,200 for a smaller property and £2,000–£2,500 for a larger one. A packing service typically adds £400–£500 for a three-bedroom house, unpacking around £200, and dismantling/reassembly around £125. Unlike stamp duty or conveyancing fees, this is a genuinely competitive market — quotes for the same job can vary significantly between companies.
Timing changes the price — and delays cost real money
Booking a quieter weekday, particularly Tuesday, is typically cheaper than Friday — the most in-demand removals day, since it lets people avoid taking time off work and settle in over the weekend. It’s also worth budgeting for the unexpected: HomeOwners Alliance research found around 115,000 home moves are delayed each year in the UK, with average delay-related costs of £509, and 14% of affected movers losing more than £1,000.
Total average cost
£13,018 for an average £292,000 property (2026).
Stamp duty
~£4,600 on £292,000 — £0 for first-time buyers up to £300,000.
Estate agent fees
Average 1.42% inc. VAT — one of the most negotiable costs.
Removals
£432–£1,590 by property size for a local move.
Removals is the cost you can actually bring down
Stamp duty and conveyancing fees are fixed. Removals quotes aren’t — a free Reloca8 account compares moving-company quotes alongside new-customer broadband, energy, and home insurance deals at your new address, all on one dashboard.
Compare removals quotesSources
Disclaimer. Figures are UK averages for 2026 based on an example £292,000 property and will vary with your own price, location, and circumstances — always get personalised quotes before budgeting your own move. Reloca8 is not a law firm, financial adviser, or government body, and accepts no liability for actions taken based on this guide — see our Terms of Service.