Moving house costs: what to budget for in 2026
Moving house costs more than most people expect, because you're paying for three things at once: selling your old home, buying the new one and physically moving. Which? puts the average total for a home mover in England at £17,831, based on November 2025 data. More than half of that was Stamp Duty on the next home, which is why the price of your next home makes the biggest difference to your total.
This guide covers every cost, with figures from named sources, the 2026 Stamp Duty and Land Transaction Tax rates, and a checklist. It's general information for England and Wales.
Moving costs at a glance
| Stage | Cost | Typical figure |
|---|---|---|
| Selling | Estate agent | Averages of about 1.3% to 1.4% of the price (Which?) |
| Selling | Energy Performance Certificate | Around £65 (Which?) |
| Selling | Early repayment charge | Usually 1% to 5% of the balance, if you're in a deal (MoneyHelper) |
| Buying | Stamp Duty (England) or Land Transaction Tax (Wales) | Depends on the price; see below |
| Buying and selling | Conveyancing | £2,182 on average for home movers (Which?, November 2025 data) |
| Buying | Survey | £510 on average for home movers (Which?) |
| Buying | Mortgage arrangement fee | Commonly £999 to £1,999 (Which?, May 2026) |
| Buying | HM Land Registry fee to register you as owner | £100 to £295 for most homes (electronic application) |
| Moving | Removals | £709 on average (Which?); more for bigger homes |
| Moving | Storage, cleaning, redirecting post | Varies |
For the selling side in detail, see the cost of selling a house. To see what you'll have left from your sale to put towards the next home, try our house sale proceeds calculator.
Stamp Duty and Land Transaction Tax on your next home
This is usually the biggest cost of moving. Which tax you pay depends on where the home you're buying is.
England: Stamp Duty Land Tax
For a home mover buying a home that will be their only one, GOV.UK gives these rates:
| Portion of the price | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £125,000 | 0% |
| £125,001 to £250,000 | 2% |
| £250,001 to £925,000 | 5% |
| £925,001 to £1.5 million | 10% |
| Over £1.5 million | 12% |
First-time buyers pay nothing up to £300,000 and 5% on the portion from £300,001 to £500,000, but get no relief if the price is over £500,000. You must send a return and pay within 14 days of completion, which your solicitor usually does for you.
Wales: Land Transaction Tax
Wales has Land Transaction Tax (LTT) instead, run by the Welsh Revenue Authority. The main residential rates are:
| Portion of the price | Rate |
|---|---|
| Up to £225,000 | 0% |
| £225,001 to £400,000 | 6% |
| £400,001 to £750,000 | 7.5% |
| £750,001 to £1.5 million | 10% |
| Over £1.5 million | 12% |
There's no first-time buyer relief in Wales. The return and payment are due within 30 days of completion.
What it costs at different prices
| Price of your next home | Stamp Duty (England) | LTT (Wales) |
|---|---|---|
| £200,000 | £1,500 | £0 |
| £300,000 | £5,000 | £4,500 |
| £400,000 | £10,000 | £10,500 |
These are for a home mover buying their only home. We checked the rates on GOV.UK and the Welsh Government's site on 26 October 2026. The UK Budget is on 28 October 2026, so check GOV.UK before you rely on these figures.
If you buy before you sell
In England, if you still own your old home at the end of the day you buy the new one, you'll usually pay the higher rates, which add 5% to each band. GOV.UK says you can claim back the extra if you sell your previous main home within 3 years, as long as you apply within 12 months of the sale (or of the return's filing date, if later). Wales has its own higher rates, starting at 5% on the first £180,000, and its own rules on replacing a main home, so check the Welsh Revenue Authority's guidance.
The other costs of buying
- Legal fees. Which? puts legal fees for buying at £500 to £1,500, depending on the property and how complicated it is. If one firm handles your sale and purchase, Which? says you can usually negotiate the fee.
- Searches. Your solicitor orders local authority and other searches on the new home, which are added to your bill.
- Survey. Which? reports £510 on average for home movers. A basic survey starts from a few hundred pounds, and detailed or bespoke surveys can cost over £1,000.
- Mortgage fees. Which? says arrangement fees are commonly £999 to £1,999, and fee-free deals often have higher interest rates. Moving your existing deal (porting) can avoid an early repayment charge, but may still involve fees.
- HM Land Registry fee. Registering you as the new owner costs £100 for a home priced £100,001 to £200,000, £150 for £200,001 to £500,000 and £295 for £500,001 to £1 million, when your solicitor applies online.
Removals and storage
Which? reports an average removals bill of £709 for home movers. Its own quotes, gathered in May 2026 for a 12-mile move within London, show how much size matters:
| Home | Removals | With packing |
|---|---|---|
| One-bedroom flat | £540 | £899 |
| Two-bedroom house | £779 | £1,220 |
| Three-bedroom house | £1,409 | £2,075 |
| Four-bedroom house | £1,553 | £2,307 |
Prices vary by area, so treat these as a guide. Which? suggests:
- getting at least three quotes, from firms that visit to see what needs moving
- asking for an itemised quote showing insurance, packing, hourly rate, mileage and any storage
- checking the insurance, including limits per box and whether things you pack yourself are covered
- asking a firm based near where you're moving to, which can be cheaper if you're relocating
Hiring a van and moving yourself is cheaper for a small flat, but Which? doesn't recommend it for homes with more than two bedrooms.
If your sale and purchase don't complete on the same day, you may need to pay for storage and somewhere to stay. Ask removal firms to price storage separately.
The small costs that add up
These are easy to forget when you're budgeting:
- Cleaning the old home before you hand over the keys, or the new one before you move in
- Redirecting your post for the first few months
- Overlapping bills if you pay for two homes at once, including council tax, insurance and utilities
- Time off work for moving day, viewings and the survey
- Things for the new home, such as curtains, blinds, white goods and new locks
- Contents insurance for the move and the new home
Moving house checklist
- Get your home valued and estimate your sale proceeds.
- Check your mortgage deal end date and any early repayment charge.
- Work out Stamp Duty or LTT on the homes you're looking at.
- Get conveyancing quotes for the sale and purchase.
- Book a survey on the new home once your offer is accepted.
- Get three removals quotes as soon as you have a likely completion date.
- Declutter, because removal prices depend mostly on volume.
- Tell your council, utilities, bank, employer and GP that you're moving.
- Take meter readings on completion day at both homes.
Our guide to what happens on completion day explains the day itself.
If you need to move quickly
A chain, where your sale depends on your buyer's sale and your purchase on your seller's, is a common cause of delays. Selling to a cash buyer removes your side of the chain, and some cash buyers, including us, let you choose the completion date and pay the seller's legal fees. But cash buyers usually pay below market value, so you'll have less to put towards your next home. If you're not in a hurry and your home is in good condition, an estate agent sale will usually leave you with more. Our cash offer vs estate agent calculator shows the difference with your own figures.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to move house?
Which? puts the average total cost of moving home in England at £17,831, based on November 2025 data. That's made up of £9,750 Stamp Duty, £4,615 estate agent fees, £2,182 conveyancing, £510 for a survey, £709 for removals and £65 for an Energy Performance Certificate. Your own total depends mostly on the price of your next home, because Stamp Duty or Land Transaction Tax is usually the biggest single cost.
How much Stamp Duty will I pay on my next home?
In England, home movers pay nothing on the first £125,000, 2% on the portion up to £250,000 and 5% on the portion up to £925,000, with higher rates above that. So a £300,000 home costs £5,000 in Stamp Duty. In Wales, Land Transaction Tax starts at £225,000, so a £300,000 home costs £4,500. Rates were checked on 26 October 2026 and could change at the Budget on 28 October.
Do I pay higher Stamp Duty if I haven't sold my old home yet?
In England, if you still own your old home at the end of the day you buy the new one, you usually pay the higher rates, which add 5% to each band. GOV.UK says you can claim a refund of the extra if you sell your previous main home within 3 years, applying within 12 months. Wales has its own higher rates and rules, so check the Welsh Revenue Authority's guidance.
How much do removals cost?
Which? reports an average removals bill of £709 for home movers, from November 2025 quote data. Its May 2026 quotes for a 12-mile move in London ranged from £540 for a one-bedroom flat to £1,553 for a four-bedroom house, or £899 to £2,307 with packing included. Prices depend mainly on how much you own, the distance and the size of crew needed, so get at least three quotes.
Is there Stamp Duty in Wales?
No. Wales has Land Transaction Tax instead, run by the Welsh Revenue Authority. For a home mover buying their only home, nothing is due on the first £225,000, then 6% up to £400,000, 7.5% up to £750,000, 10% up to £1.5 million and 12% above. There's no first-time buyer relief in Wales. The return and payment are due within 30 days of completion.
Sources
- Stamp Duty Land Tax: residential property rates (GOV.UK)
- Stamp Duty Land Tax (GOV.UK)
- Stamp Duty Land Tax: buying an additional residential property (GOV.UK)
- Land Transaction Tax rates and bands (Welsh Government)
- Land Transaction Tax guide (Welsh Revenue Authority)
- Budget 2026 (GOV.UK)
- HM Land Registry: registration services fees (GOV.UK)
- The cost of buying a house (Which?, May 2026)
- The cost of selling a house (Which?, January 2026)
- How to choose the best removals company (Which?, June 2026)
- Estate agent fees and contracts (Which?, June 2026)
- Worried about rising mortgage costs: early repayment charges (MoneyHelper)
Related guides
The cost of selling a house in 2026
Selling a house in England or Wales usually costs several thousand pounds on top of paying off the mortgage. The biggest cost is normally the estate agent's fee, which Which? puts at around 1.3% to 1.4% of the sale price on average, followed by legal fees. Then come an Energy Performance Certificate, removals and any early repayment charge on your mortgage.
Free calculatorsHouse sale proceeds calculator
What you walk away with from a house sale is the sale price minus the mortgage you still owe, any early repayment charge, the estate agent's fee (plus VAT), your solicitor's fees and other costs such as removals. Enter your own figures below to see the total.
Costs and moneyEarly repayment charges when you sell your house
An early repayment charge (ERC) is a fee your lender can charge if you pay off your mortgage during a fixed-rate or other introductory deal, which is what happens when you sell. MoneyHelper says ERCs are usually 1% to 5% of the outstanding balance, though some deals charge a flat fee. You can often avoid one by porting the mortgage or completing after the deal ends.
General information for England and Wales, not legal, tax or financial advice. Last checked 26 October 2026.