How much does it cost to move home?
The price of your next home is only part of the budget. Selling fees, legal work, purchase tax, removals and the first few weeks of bills all affect how much cash you need and how much you can put towards the deposit.
This UK moving costs guide helps you build a budget for buying and selling. Start with four separate pots: your deposit, transaction fees, moving and setup costs, and cash you want to keep after completion. The worked example below shows how they fit together.
Jump to: Selling costs · Buying costs · Removals and setup · Worked budget · Use the calculators
Figures and tax guidance checked on 15 October 2026. The featured picture is an AI-generated editorial illustration.
1. Work out the cost of selling your current home
Begin with the likely sale price and ask your lender for a redemption figure for the expected completion date. The balance on a recent statement may differ from the amount needed to repay the mortgage.
- Estate agent fee: check whether the quote is a percentage or fixed amount, whether VAT is included and when payment becomes due.
- Sale conveyancing: ask for the total, including VAT and any separate payments to other organisations, often called disbursements. Request separate sale and purchase figures if the same firm handles both.
- Mortgage charges: check for early repayment charges, exit or administration fees and the conditions for porting a mortgage.
- Property paperwork: allow for an EPC if required, and ask about leasehold management information, certificates or other documents relevant to your sale.
For example, an agent charging 1.25% plus VAT at 20% on a £250,000 sale would cost £3,750: £3,125 plus £625 VAT. This is an illustration of a quoted fee, not a claim about the average agent charge.
Use the House Sale Proceeds Calculator to estimate the money left after your mortgage and selling fees. That net amount is the starting point for your next move. If the result is negative, you have a funding shortfall to resolve before treating any sale money as a deposit.
2. Budget for buying costs as well as the deposit
Your deposit goes towards the purchase price; fees and taxes are additional cash requirements. Obtain itemised quotes and record what each one already includes.
| Buying cost | What to check |
|---|---|
| Purchase tax | The correct UK nation, price, buyer status, reliefs and any surcharges. |
| Purchase legal work | The legal fee, VAT, searches, registration, identity checks and bank transfer charges; avoid adding items already included. |
| Survey and further inspections | The survey appropriate to the property and any follow-up checks it recommends. |
| Mortgage and broker fees | Which fees apply, when they are payable and whether any are added to the loan. |
| Insurance and initial bills | The cover required by your lender or contract, its start date and your first payment dates. |
As a starting reference, MoneyHelper’s buying and moving costs guide gives legal fees of about £2,000 including VAT, and buyer local searches of £250–£300. Your own quote may differ, especially for complex or leasehold transactions; check whether it covers buying, selling or both.
Purchase tax depends on where and how you buy
For England and Northern Ireland, the standard SDLT bands currently start at 0% on the first £125,000, 2% on the next £125,000 and 5% on the portion from £250,001 to £925,000. Higher bands apply above that. Eligible first-time buyers pay no SDLT up to £300,000 and 5% on the portion up to £500,000; relief is unavailable if the price exceeds £500,000.
Scotland uses Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT); Wales uses Land Transaction Tax (LTT). Additional-property and non-resident rules can change the bill. Confirm your circumstances and the rules at completion using HMRC’s SDLT guidance, the Revenue Scotland property tax calculator or the Welsh Revenue Authority LTT calculator.
A mortgage valuation and a survey do different jobs
A lender’s valuation checks the property for the lender; it is not a detailed condition survey for you. RICS says survey costs depend on the property and service: simpler surveys can start at a few hundred pounds, while some more extensive services cost over £1,000. Ask a surveyor which level suits the home. The Scottish Home Report process differs; see RICS guidance on surveys, costs and Home Reports.
If a mortgage fee is added to the loan, it still has a cost and can accrue interest. Make sure your mortgage illustration and planning figures reflect that; do not treat it as both a cash payment and an added loan balance.
3. Include removals, storage and the first weeks in your new home
MoneyHelper gives a broad removal-cost starting point of £400 to over £1,000. A large home, a long journey or extra services can cost more. Get written quotes based on your actual contents, access and distance rather than assuming a headline figure covers everything.
- Removal service: check packing, boxes, furniture dismantling, reassembly, insurance, waiting time and date-change or cancellation terms.
- Van hire: include fuel, mileage limits, insurance excess, parking and the time and help needed to load and unload.
- Storage or temporary accommodation: allow for extra handling and transport if the sale and purchase do not line up.
- Setup costs: remember cleaning, mail redirection, broadband installation, essential appliances and any childcare or pet care.
- Overlapping bills: check when rent, mortgage payments, utilities and Council Tax or Northern Ireland domestic rates start or end.
Keep a separate allowance for repairs and essential work identified by the survey. If a roof, boiler or electrical issue needs attention, get a relevant quote rather than absorbing it into a small general moving allowance.
Alongside the total budget, keep a simple payment calendar. Some fees fall due before completion, when sale proceeds are not yet available. Ask your conveyancer and lender about the timing of deposits and completion funds, especially if you are relying on equity from a sale.
4. A worked moving budget: selling for £250,000 and buying for £350,000
Illustration only: these are invented planning inputs, not market averages or provider quotes. Assume a straightforward main-home replacement in England or Northern Ireland, the old home sold by completion, standard SDLT, no non-resident surcharge and no early repayment charge. All fee allowances below include any applicable VAT.
| Selling calculation | Illustrative amount |
|---|---|
| Sale price | £250,000 |
| Less mortgage redemption balance | −£120,000 |
| Less agent fee: 1.25% plus 20% VAT | −£3,750 |
| Less sale legal and other selling costs | −£1,500 |
| Net sale proceeds | £124,750 |
| Buying and moving costs | Illustrative amount |
|---|---|
| SDLT on a £350,000 purchase | £7,500 |
| Purchase legal work, searches and registration | £2,000 |
| Survey | £700 |
| Mortgage or broker fee paid in cash | £1,000 |
| Removals, packing and setup | £1,500 |
| Total buying and moving costs | £12,700 |
The SDLT calculation is £0 on the first £125,000, £2,500 on the next £125,000 and £5,000 on the remaining £100,000: £7,500 in total, using the standard bands checked above.
With no other savings and £10,000 kept back as a cash reserve, the amount available for the next deposit is £102,050: £124,750 net proceeds − £12,700 buying and moving costs − £10,000 reserve. A £350,000 purchase would therefore need an illustrative mortgage of £247,950, subject to lender approval.
In this example, selling, buying and moving costs total £17,950. That excludes the mortgage repayment, the deposit and the retained reserve. The £10,000 reserve is a chosen example, not a recommended amount for every household.
Avoid double-counting: the sale costs have already been deducted from net proceeds. Do not deduct them again as buying costs. Likewise, money kept back for fees or a reserve cannot also be counted as part of your deposit.
5. Use the calculators to turn the budget into a decision
- Calculate your sale proceeds: enter your expected sale price, mortgage and selling fees in the House Sale Proceeds Calculator. Separate cash you want to keep from money intended for the next deposit.
- Check upfront and monthly affordability: use the Home Affordability Calculator with the deposit you can actually fund and your buying costs. Check both cash remaining after purchase and money remaining after all monthly costs.
- Compare homes or offers: use Compare Homes and Offer Scenarios with the same household budget. Enter the correct total buying costs for each option, including its purchase tax; update them when the price or circumstances change.
- Explore overpayments after the move: once actual bills and your cash reserve are clearer, use the Mortgage Overpayment Calculator to model extra payments. Check lender limits and charges before committing cash.
Keep one master list of costs. To reproduce the example through Sale Proceeds, keep back £22,700 from the net proceeds: £12,700 for buying and moving costs plus the chosen £10,000 reserve. That leaves a £102,050 deposit. After transferring to Affordability, enter the buying and moving costs once, keep the retained sale cash separate from other savings, and check that the result still leaves £10,000 after purchase.
The affordability tools use a simplified take-home-pay estimate that does not model Scottish income tax, pensions, student loans or all individual circumstances. Check the monthly budget against your payslips and actual bills; read the calculator methods and assumptions before relying on a result.
6. Make the budget easier to manage
- Ask each provider for a written total, what is excluded, when payment is due and which charges remain payable if the move falls through.
- Replace provisional allowances with real quotes as soon as you receive them, keeping buying and selling costs separate.
- Recalculate after a price change, survey finding or revised completion date. A lower offer can change both the mortgage and purchase tax.
- Protect access to cash for bills and urgent repairs. Choose a reserve that reflects your household, the property and the uncertainty still in the move.
For the practical tasks and timings around the move, use our must-have UK moving home checklist. You can also browse all moving-home articles or return to the Budget My Move calculator hub.
Sources and planning notes
Sources checked on 15 October 2026: MoneyHelper: buying, selling and moving costs; HMRC: residential SDLT rates; Welsh Revenue Authority: LTT calculator; Revenue Scotland: property transactions calculator; RICS: house surveys.
General information and estimates for personal planning. Not financial, tax, legal or mortgage advice. Costs, tax rules and individual circumstances can change. Confirm transaction figures, payment dates and any reliefs with your conveyancer, lender or adviser.