Removal Costs Set to Rise Significantly for Brits, Projection Shows

To get an accurate comparison of pre and post-pandemic times, we looked at users’ average removal costs in 2019 and compared that to what they paid in 2022. We worked out the average from the highest and lowest quotes they received, along with the price they actually paid.

We then used this data to project what this average cost will be in 2027 for both the regions of the UK and the cost depending on the number of bedrooms that you’ll be moving.

Findings at a glance: Removal costs on average could increase to £3.113.56 across the mainland UK.The East of England will be hit the hardest with projected removal costs of £5,651.85.The cost of hiring a removal company for a 4-bedroom property is projected to be £4,796.20The cost of hiring a removal company for a 1-bedroom property is projected to have the highest increase at 176.4%

Moving already has a reputation as one of the most stressful and expensive things you can do in your life, and over the past few years, this reputation has solidified itself. Moving house is full of hidden costs, one of which is physically moving your belongings from your old house to your new home. 

Compare My Move research has found that the average Brit will spend £9,327.99 moving house in 2023, excluding the cost of the deposit you pay for the new house. Around 17% of this sum is spent on removals, and it’s about to get a lot higher. 

In 2019, the average Brit spent around £797 on house removals, and that number has now increased to around £1,276, increasing the average by over 60% in just 4 years. Using this data, we projected the cost of removals by region in the next 4 years for the mainland UK. 

Here is a table summarizing the projection: 

Region	2019 Cost	2022 Cost	Percentage Increase	Projected Cost in 2027
East of England	£692.68	£1,583.31	+128.6%	£5,651.85
East Midlands	£792.68	£1,562.36	+97.1%	£4,622.19
South West	£861.60	£1,543.81	+79.2%	£3,544.98
Yorkshire and the Humber	£741.23	£1,234.88	+66.6%	£2,883.72
North East	£793.56	£1,297.13	+63.5%	£2,867.69
London	£895.06	£1,282.50	+43.2%	£3,752.62
Scotland	£785.46	£1,122.89	+43%	£3,393.48
South East	£1,095.09	£1,525.31	+39.3%	£2,537.60
Wales	£930.61	£1,213.28	+30.4%	£2,616.58
West Midlands	£974.86	£1,234.42	+26.6%	£2,274.10
North West	£809.85	£917.83	+13.3%	£1,182.27

This data projects that the average house removals cost will rise to £3,113.56 for the mainland UK, with the East of England and the East Midlands getting hit the hardest with removal prices rising to £5,651.85 and £4,622.19 respectively. 

Move Size: Projected Costs

We found that 1-bedroom house moves went up the most, going from £323.52 to £608.80 when comparing pre and post-pandemic times. This is an 88.2% increase from 2019.

Our data shows that 2-bedroom moves saw the least change in price, increasing by only 34.6% from £755.47 to £1,017.06.

It’s not a surprise that 5-bedroom moves were the most expensive in 2022, averaging at £2,897. This increased by 55.9% in 2022 jumping from £1,858.41 to £2,897.25.

Move Size	2019 Costs	2022 Costs	Percentage Increase	Projected Cost in 2027
1-bed	£323.52	£608.80	+88.2%	£1,680.51
2-bed	£755.47	£1,017.06	+34.6%	£1,720.87
3-bed	£1,067.08	£1,466.20	+37.4%	£2,562.91
4-bed	£1,258	£2,079.88	+65.3%	£4,796.20
5-bed	£1,858.41	£2,897.25	+55.9%	£6,136.38

David Sayce, Co-Founder of Compare My Move had this to say on the projections: 

“House removal costs will increasingly become an issue when moving, and although paying over £5,600 to move your belongings from one house to another seems high, this is the best-case scenario. This projection is based on whether the percentage increase stays steady for the next 4 years, meaning that the cost of removals from now to 2027 will increase by 22%. However, as we know, in the last 4 years the average UK mainland cost of removals rose by over 60% meaning that it’s more likely that we’ll be looking at an average of around £5,000 for removal in the UK mainland in 2027.”  Owner and Managing Director of Compare My Move, Dave Sayce

This estimation is average, and there are many ways to keep the price of removals down. For instance, you can save up to 70% on removal costs simply by comparing different removal companies beforehand and researching different tips and tricks on how to make moving your belongings as efficient as possible.