The true cost of moving home

Updated: Nov 10, 2026

Written by

Emily Tye

Reviewed by

Amy Lancashire

For many people, moving home is a big decision and milestone. Whether you’re finally in the position to purchase your first property, upsizing to a family home or even renting a home in a different location, it is an achievement worth celebrating. 

But with the celebrating comes the expense. Whilst many people budget for the bigger costs such as deposits, mortgage payments or rent, there are hidden costs movers may not consider, from removal company costs and professional cleans to Land Registry fees and locksmith costs for buyers. 

With this in mind, experts at Zable have analysed a range of factors in order to reveal the locations in the UK where it’s cheapest, and most expensive, to buy or rent a property, and the hidden costs people should be factoring into their moving budget.

Hull is revealed as the cheapest location to buy a house in the UK

In order to understand the full cost to purchase a property in the UK, we considered the average price of a home in each location, along with the associated deposit (an average of 20% is taken) and Stamp Duty, presuming non-first time buyer status. Hidden costs that were included cover survey and Land Registry fees, the price of solicitors, removal companies and professional cleaning - whether for the property you’re leaving, or the one you’re moving into - and the cost to change the locks in your new home.

Kingston upon Hull

Kingston upon Hull is revealed as the cheapest place in the UK to buy and move house. It has the lowest average house price in the table, so buyers can expect to pay a deposit of £26,633 when considering 20% of the average house price, along with £163 in Stamp Duty. Land Registry fees of £100 also help keep costs down, bringing the total cost to £30,299.

Aberdeen

Aberdeen comes in second place, with total costs of £30,772. The Scottish stamp duty contributes heavily to this, where those purchasing a home with the average price of £134,167 are exempt from paying Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, with the first threshold where this is required being £145,000. Low professional cleaning costs of £253 also help keep the total down.

Blackpool

Coming in third place is Blackpool. With low land registry fees of £100 and locksmith costs in the North West being the cheapest out of the whole of the UK at £148, it costs just an extra £3 to move into a house you’re buying in Blackpool when compared to Aberdeen, with the total cost coming to £30,775.

Moving in London has an average upfront cost of nearly £135,000 

On the flip side, considering the same costs, the South of England is home to all of the top 10 most expensive locations for moving home in the UK. From higher property prices to additional moving expenses, buying a home in these locations can come with a considerably higher price tag.

London

London is notorious for being home to high property prices, as well as a high cost of living, which is why it might not come as a  surprise that it’s revealed to be the most expensive location in the UK to move home. With an average home price of £554,000, home buyers placing down a 20% deposit can expect to pay £110,800 with Stamp Duty costs of £17,700 before they even open their new front door. 

Oxford

The average price of a home deposit in Oxford comes in at nearly £97,000. But it’s not just the deposit buyers need to budget for. Additional costs can quickly add up, with removal companies charging an average of £952, professional cleaning costing £281 and locksmiths adding a further £169. All in all, the total cost of buying a home in Oxford reaches £115,356.

Cambridge

Rounding out the top three most expensive locations to buy a home is Cambridge. The costs are very similar to Oxford, with the total price to purchase and move home reaching £114,496 for an average property price of £480,583. The eastern region, including Cambridge, is home to the highest removal company costs studied at £1,010 so it’s important this is factored into budgets when saving to purchase a property in this part of the country. 

Those relocating to Blackpool can benefit from some of the cheapest rental properties in the UK.

For the 19% of households in England that rent privately, paying the deposit isn’t always the only money that needs to be saved.. To understand the cost associated with renting a property, we looked into the average cost of a deposit, assuming a standard of five weeks' rent, an initial month's up-front payment, along with removal company costs and professional cleaning fees.

Blackpool

The north of England is home to the majority of the 10 cheapest locations to move as a renter, with Blackpool topping the list. An average deposit of five weeks rent is £830, with a month's rent up front equalling £719. If you also need to pay for removal company and professional cleaning costs, the move itself will be a total of £2,393.

Middlesbrough

It costs just £40 more to move into a rental property in Middlesbrough, which comes in second place. Despite a lower rental price, and therefore lower deposits and up-front rent, the costs for removal companies and professional cleaning are higher in the North East as opposed to the North West, costing a total of £2,433 in order to move into a rental property. 

Bradford

In third place is Bradford, where it costs £2,479 to move into a rental property. Higher average monthly rent costs of £745 feeds into the higher overall cost, with removal companies also charging an average of £600 to help facilitate the move. 

The locations with the most expensive up-front cost when renting a property

The top four most expensive locations to buy a property remain the same when it comes to renting in that location. A strong reflection on the property market in those locations, over half of London households rent their home, and private renters can expect to be paying over £2,300 per month on average for this. Those renting in Oxford can expect to be paying just shy of £2,000 when it comes to their up-front rental cost, and the same amount per month, with Cambridge and Brighton’s average rental costs having just £3 between them, at £1,805 and £1,808 respectively. 

James Goforth, Product Manager from Zable comments:

“Whether you’re buying or renting a property, it’s important to ensure you’re fully aware of all the costs associated with the move before you sign on the dotted line. Whilst things like deposits are standard, it’s important to consider your position and whether additional costs like storage or moving support are needed. These hidden costs can quietly add up before you even receive the keys to your new home.

“That being said, even the best-laid plans can change, and unexpected expenses can crop up during a house move, whether that’s needing extra storage at short notice or making a last-minute trip to the shops for essentials.

“If you’re considering using a credit card to cover some of these expenses, it’s important to understand the interest rates, fees and repayment terms, and to consider whether you can afford to repay what you borrow. A credit card is a form of borrowing, so it’s worth weighing up the costs carefully and considering the options available to you before making a decision.”

Methodology

Zable analysed a seedlist of 50 most populated cities and towns in the UK, according to City Population to determine the cheapest, and most expensive locations to move house. Locations were evaluated across the following categories:

To Buy

1. Average house price: (ONS UK House Price Index). We took the average house price for each local authority from the 12 monthly releases published between October 2025 and September 2026, covering the year August 2025 to July 2026, then averaged them to get a 12-month figure. Where a city or town doesn’t have its own local authority, we used the figure for the local authority it sits in. For London, we used the figure for the whole Greater London region rather than individual boroughs.

2. Deposit: We calculated an estimated deposit rate as 20% of the value of the average home in each area.

3. Stamp duty: (GOV.UK, Revenue Scotland, Welsh Government). We calculated stamp duty on the average house price in each location using standard residential rates. These rates assume the buyer is not a first-time buyer and is not buying an additional property. Cities in England and Northern Ireland used Stamp Duty Land Tax bands. Scottish cities used Land and Buildings Transaction Tax bands, and Welsh cities used Land Transaction Tax bands.

4. Survey costs: (MV Surveying). The source gives survey costs as a range for each region, so we used the midpoint. Each city was given the figure for its region. For locations in the South West, East of England or Northern Ireland, an average of available costs has been used. 

5. Land registry fees: (HM Land Registry, Registers of Scotland). Most applications are now made online, so we used the online portal fee for the price band each location’s average house price falls into. Cities in England and Wales used HM Land Registry fees. Scottish cities used the Registers of Scotland fee bands. Belfast’s fee was calculated in-line with the Land and Property Services electronic fee.

6. Solicitor fees: (Money Saving Advisors). The source gives conveyancing fees as a range for each region, so we used the midpoint and gave each city the figure for its region. For locations in Scotland or Northern Ireland, an average of available costs has been used. 

7. Removal company costs: (Checkatrade). We took the average house removal price from Checkatrade’s page for each city, collected on 14 October 2026. These figures are based on Checkatrade’s customer data and are regional or county-level, so some cities share the same value. London’s figure comes from the Greater London average shown on Checkatrade’s London borough pages.

8. Professional cleaning costs: (HaMuch). We recorded the average cost of a professional end-of-tenancy clean for each location.

9. Locksmith costs: (Checkatrade). We took average locksmith prices from Checkatrade’s page for each city. London’s figure is the Greater London average shown on Checkatrade’s London borough pages.

To Rent:

1. Average monthly rent: (ONS Price Index of Private Rents). We took the average monthly rent for each location from the most recent release. For London, we used the Greater London figure. Scotland only publishes rents for wider rental market areas, so Glasgow uses Greater Glasgow and Edinburgh uses Lothian. The dataset has no Belfast figure, so Belfast’s rent was taken from the ONS Housing prices in your area tool.

2. Deposit: (Citizens Advice, mygov.scot, nidirect). We assumed a deposit of five weeks’ rent, working out a weekly rent (annual rent divided by 52) and multiplying it by five. Five weeks is the legal maximum in England where annual rent is under £50,000. Scotland caps deposits at two months’ rent. Northern Ireland caps them at one month’s rent, so Belfast’s deposit is one month’s rent.

3. Upfront rent: We assumed one month’s rent is paid upfront when moving in.

4. Removal costs and professional cleaning costs: (Checkatrade and HaMuch): The same data was used as in the to buy section.