Cost of moving calculator

The cost of moving house isn’t cheap. In 2025, the average cost of moving is £13,018 based on buying and selling an averagely priced house in the UK of £292,000. These costs can be higher or lower depending on the value of your property and whether you are just buying, just selling or buying and selling. Use our simple cost of moving calculator to give you an idea of the costs to factor into your budget for your house purchase or sale.

How much does it cost to move house: A summary

Based on buying and selling an averagely priced property, the estimated cost to move house in 2025 can be broken down as follows:

Total average cost to move house in 2025 is £13,018

We’ve used our free tools including our stamp duty calculator to work out these costs.

Read on to get more accurate calculations and quotes for the costs of buying, selling and moving home.

How much does it cost to move house: Buying costs explained

Here are the main costs to budget for when you are buying a house:

1. Stamp duty

Stamp Duty can be one of the biggest moving costs you’ll pay as a buyer in the UK. The stamp duty rate you pay depends on the price of your property, where the property is located and whether you’re a first time buyer or buying a second home.

If you’re moving house in England and Northern Ireland, you will not have to pay Stamp Duty on the first £125,000 of a property’s purchase price. While first time buyers don’t pay any stamp duty on the first £300,000.

Stamp duty cost example

• If you buy a house in England or Northern Ireland at the average UK house price of £292,000, the cost of stamp duty would be £4,600.
• However, if you’re a first time buyer purchasing a house of this value, your stamp duty costs would be zero.
• But if you buy an additional property, such as a Buy to Let, your stamp duty costs would be £19,200.

Stamp duty costs in England and Northern Ireland are as follows:

Stamp duty must be paid within 14 days of completion and will usually be handled by your solicitor. Stamp duty costs are different in Scotland and Wales, find out more in our guide Stamp duty: Who pays it? When? And how much?

Find out how much stamp duty you’ll pay by using our stamp duty calculator.

2. House survey costs

It’s advisable to get a house survey done when you’re buying a house, this is a detailed inspection by a surveyor of the condition of a property. The cost of a house survey can range from £300 – £1500+ depending on depending on the type of survey you want, the property’s value and the property’s location.

But for a house worth £250,000 to £350,000 a RICS Home Survey Level 2 will typically cost £600 to £700.

Here’s a summary of the costs to expect for the different types of house surveys:

But why rely on estimates? You can get instant house survey quotes now on our site, connecting you with local chartered surveyors so you can compare quotes and speak to the surveyors directly about choosing the right survey for you.

New build snagging surveys

However, if you’re buying a new build home, you’ll want to get a snagging survey, which can identify problems ranging from small, cosmetic issues to significant, structural problems.

We recommend getting a Pre-Completion Inspection carried out before you complete on the new build house if your developer allows so that an initial snagging list can be compiled. But these can be limited so you may want to opt for a full snagging survey to be carried out as soon as you move in. New build snagging surveys typically cost from £300. Find out more in our guide Snagging lists for new builds explained.

3. Conveyancing solicitor fees when buying

You’ll need to factor in the cost of solicitor or conveyancing fees to ensure the legal side of a house purchase is handled properly.

Conveyancing solicitor fees in the UK can be split into two parts:

• The legal fees: This is what the conveyancer or solicitor charges for doing the work
• The disbursements: Third party charges for certain services like searches.

If you’re buying a house, conveyancing legal fees cost between £300 and £1,500 and are usually linked to the value of a property. You’ll also pay for disbursements which could cost up to £700. These include various local searches so your conveyancing solicitor can flag up any issues you need to be aware of, which typically cost from £250-£450, and registering change of ownership with the Land Registry, which costs £200-£300. Add around £300 to the costs if the property is leasehold. For a detailed breakdown of costs, use our conveyancing fees calculator.

One of the best ways to save on costs is to shop around and compare conveyancing quotes. When comparing conveyancing quotes, ask if all these disbursements are included. And if not, whether they are likely to be required.

4. Mortgage valuation survey costs

If you take out a new mortgage, the lender will commission a valuation survey to confirm the property’s value. Mortgage valuation fees vary according to the value of the property and lenders will have their own fee scale. Mortgage valuations are sometimes offered for free as part of a mortgage deal. If not, typically valuation fees are around £100-£300.

5. Mortgage arrangement fees

Most mortgages come with up-front fees to be paid, adding significantly to the cost of moving house. Mortgage arrangement fees are typically between £500 and £1,500 and you can usually choose between paying the arrangement fee upfront and adding it to the mortgage.

You may be able to avoid paying mortgage arrangement fees if you can port your mortgage. This essentially means taking your current mortgage deal with you to your new house. But not all mortgages are portable and even if yours is, it might not be the best overall deal for you. Whenever it comes to mortgages it’s always a good idea to speak to a fee-free mortgage broker. They’ll explain your options and you’ll be fully informed of any costs you you may need to pay.

You can view examples in our monthly round-up of the best mortgage rates and fees or look specifically at the best first time buyer mortgage deals on offer today.

6. Mortgage broker fees: Don’t overpay when buying a house

Some mortgage brokers charge no fee, while others charge between a few hundred pounds up to 1% of your mortgage. We recommend you avoid this unnecessary and additional cost of buying a house. Opt for a fee-free mortgage broker to help you find the best mortgage deal.

7. Mortgage protection insurance

When you move into your house you’ll want to have peace of mind that the mortgage will be paid if you need time off work due to illness and injury or if you lose your job. Mortgage payment protection insurance (MPPI) and income protection are both designed to help you pay your bills and stay in your home if you are unable to work. Different types of policies will cover you for accident, illness and unemployment or in some cases all three, but the costs and terms vary enormously.

But for example, a 30 year old man or woman working as an administrator with monthly mortgage payments of £750 may pay around £7 a month for mortgage payment protection insurance with accident and sickness cover.

8. Home Buyer Protection Insurance

With an estimated one in three property purchases falling through, homebuyer protection insurance can be a worthwhile investment because it helps cover some of your legal, survey and mortgage lending costs should your purchase fall through. You can get cover from just £69.

How much does it cost to move house: Selling costs explained

When considering how much does it cost to move house, you’ll also need to factor in the cost of selling a house. Here are some of the main costs you’ll need to pay for.

1. Estate agent fees

If you’re selling a house, estate agent fees may be your biggest cost of moving house. The average estate agent fee in 2025 in the UK is 1.42% including VAT.

• So on a £292,000 house this would mean estate agent fees of around £4,150.

However, estate agent costs vary considerably depending on which estate agent you use, how many you use and how well you negotiate.

How to save on estate agent costs when moving house

You’ll want to make sure you get the best estate agent at the best price. The quickest way to do this is to use our Find an Estate Agent tool. Enter a few details about your house and you’ll instantly see estate agents in your local area ranked by their success rate, the average days they take to sell and the sale price achieved as a percentage of asking price. 

Find and compare local estate agents with our free tool: compare success rate, speed of sale and track-record achieving asking price

Estate agent fee calculator

You may also consider using an online estate agent to cut costs. Use our calculator to work out the cost of High Street estate agent fees compared to online estate agent fees. Adjust the commission rate and use the slider to select your estimated sale price. Compare to ‘fixed fee’ agents like Purple Bricks or set the ‘fixed fee’ to zero to see the commission you would pay.

2. Conveyancing solicitor fees when selling

You’ll also need to pay for solicitor fees to handle the legal side of selling your house too.

If you’re selling a house expect to pay between £600 and £800 in legal fees. Again, expect the cost to be higher if it’s leasehold. Also if you’re selling a house and need to supply your buyer with a Leasehold Management Pack, you’ll need to pay more for this too. The cost for this can vary significantly from £300 to as much as £800.

One of the best ways to save on costs is to shop around and compare conveyancing quotes.

3. Energy Performance Certificate costs

By law you must have an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for your house before you sell it. Your EPC rates your house according to how energy efficient it is (with A being the highest and G the lowest).

Energy Performance Certificates cost between £60 and £120 depending on your local assessor’s prices.

You can arrange an EPC via your estate agent but this can be more expensive. So shop around for quotes. Compare quotes from qualified local energy assessors near you now.

4. Getting your house sale-ready

You may want to consider basic home improvements in order to increase the desirability of your property or to facilitate a speedier sale. The cost of repairs and improvements will vary according to the work needed. But you might find some low-cost improvements make a big difference. See our guide How to make your home more valuable and saleable.If your home needs decluttering,, consider using a household rubbish removal service.

General moving costs

Whether you’re buying a house or selling – or both – there are some general moving costs you’re likely to incur. The main costs are:

1. Removals costs

You can reduce moving day stress by booking a removals company early in the process. The cost of removals will vary greatly depending on the size of your house, the amount of stuff you want moved and how far it needs to be transported.

However, our partners, Reallymoving.com, estimate the average removal covering 10 miles would cost:

The only way to get a definitive answer to how much removals cost is by getting quotes. Our removal costs calculator asks you to tap in the size of your property, your current post code and your new post code. You’ll then receive five quotes from regulated removal companies.

2. Cost of redirecting mail

When you change your address it’s important to inform companies of your new address. But you’ll also want to redirect your post for a period too.

Redirecting post costs are as follows:

• £39.50 for 3 months
• £58.50 for 6 months
• £84 for 12 months

3. Other moving costs

You may also need to cover other costs when moving house such as:

• Storage: If there’s a gap between handing over your keys and moving into your new home you may need to pay to store your belongings. Storage fees vary but can reach £25-£100 a week.
• Packing materials: If you have to pay for packing boxes and bubble wrap this could add on up to £100.

Find a full list of everything you’ll need to do when you’re moving house in our Moving house checklist guide.

Deposit when moving house

When you’ve moving house, you’ll also need to factor in your deposit. If you’re a first time buyer, you’ll need to save a deposit. While you can get a mortgage with a 5% deposit or even get a mortgage with no deposit, you’ll stand a better chance of being accepted and get access to better mortgage rates the bigger deposit you have. Whereas if you are buying and selling at the same time, you’ll be able to use the equity from your first home to go towards your next home’s deposit.

• For example here’s how much a deposit would be on a £300,000 property: a 5% deposit would be £15,000, a 10% deposit would be £30,000 and a 15% deposit would be £45,000.

What are the ongoing costs of owning a home?

It isn’t just the mortgage repayments you need to factor into your monthly budget, there are a number of other costs to take into account as well:

• Utility bills and council tax: See if you can cut your council tax bill in our guide Challenge your Council Tax band in 6 easy steps.
• Buildings and contents insurance: You’ll need buildings insurance in place from exchange of contracts. Compare home insurance quotes from 50+ providers to find the best option for you.
• Leaseholder charges: If you live in a leasehold property, you may have to pay an annual ground rent and service charge to the freeholder.
• Maintenance and building work: Repairing a leaking roof or fixing subsidence all add major costs. See Find a builder
• Television, broadband and telephone: While television, broadband and phones add to the monthly costs. See our guide to broadband and moving house.

After you’ve moved in there will be other costs, from buying furniture and white goods to redecorating the property to your tastes.