How much does it cost to move house in 2026? What you can calculate, and what you must quote

There is no single figure for the cost of moving house that we can stand behind. Averages published by comparison sites were not in a GOV.UK, HMRC or original-survey document we could use, so they are not repeated here. The line you can calculate is Stamp Duty Land Tax, if you are buying in England or Northern Ireland. Everything else — conveyancing, a survey, removals, an EPC, searches — is a quote, not a national average. This is general information, not tax or legal advice.

The costs, line by line, without invented averages

• Stamp duty: calculable from the GOV.UK residential bands, below.
• Estate agent: usually paid by the seller, as a fee you agree. No national figure is stated here.
• Conveyancing: ask two or three solicitors or licensed conveyancers for a written quote. GOV.UK says you need one of those professionals.
• Survey: optional in England and Wales. RICS describes three levels and says the fee varies. No pound figure is stated here.
• Searches: GOV.UK says you usually pay for them up front. It does not state a price.
• Removals and an EPC: get quotes. No average is stated here.
• Your deposit: not a moving fee, and not included in any total on this page.

Stamp duty: the line you can calculate

Stamp Duty Land Tax applies in England and Northern Ireland. Scotland and Wales charge different taxes. The bands below are the ones on GOV.UK's residential rates page when we read it on 4 November 2026. That page does not show a visible updated date. We have not verified any claim that a Budget left the bands unchanged, so this article does not say that. Use the GOV.UK calculator for a figure you will rely on.

If, after the purchase, the home is the only residential property you own, GOV.UK lists these slices:

• Up to £125,000: 0%
• The portion from £125,001 to £250,000: 2%
• The portion from £250,001 to £925,000: 5%
• The portion from £925,001 to £1.5 million: 10%
• The portion above £1.5 million: 12%

GOV.UK's own example is a house bought in April 2025 for £295,000: nothing on the first £125,000, £2,500 on the next £125,000, and £2,250 on the final £45,000, totalling £4,750. Applying the same slices to a £300,000 purchase gives nothing on £125,000, £2,500 on the next £125,000, and £2,500 on the remaining £50,000, totalling £5,000. That £5,000 is arithmetic from the published bands, not a figure printed by GOV.UK.

First-time buyers

GOV.UK says first-time buyers pay nothing on the first £300,000 and 5% on the portion from £300,001 to £500,000, if everyone buying is a first-time buyer. If the price is over £500,000, the relief is not available and the ordinary bands apply. GOV.UK's example is a first-time buyer paying £500,000: nothing on £300,000 and £10,000 on the remaining £200,000. A first-time buyer at exactly £300,000 therefore owes nothing under that relief. This article does not state an average bill for first-time buyer fees, because we do not have a primary-source average.

If the purchase means you will own more than one residential property, GOV.UK says you usually pay 5% on top of the rates. You do not pay that extra 5% when the home replaces your main residence and you sold the previous one within 36 months. If you still own the old home on completion day, you pay the higher rates and may be able to claim a refund later. Someone who is not present in the UK for at least 183 days in the 12 months before the purchase usually pays a further 2% surcharge. Company purchases and purchases of six or more dwellings use different rules, which this article does not calculate.

Costs that are not stamp duty

GOV.UK says that once an offer is accepted, your solicitor or conveyancer organises searches, which you usually pay for up front, and that your mortgage lender values the property before approving the loan. That valuation is for the lender. A home survey is separate. None of those pages states a price for searches, the lender's valuation, a mortgage product fee, or furniture. Ask the firm and the lender.

Your own number

Use the stamp duty calculator for the tax line and the moving-cost estimator to add the quotes you have actually received. Neither replaces HMRC's calculator or a solicitor's quote.