How much do removals cost in the UK? (by house size)
£867 on average for a removal firm to move a 3-bedroom house locally, inc VAT, from partner data published in November 2025; a 1-bedroom house is £432, a 2-bedroom £603, a 4-bedroom £1,196 and a 5-bedroom £1,590. Over 100 mi the 3-bedroom figure is £1,500, and a packing service adds £400 to £500. Hiring a Luton van yourself starts at £70 a day, about £102 with diesel for a 30 km move in 2 loads. Below: every house size, the long-distance figures, the packing service, and the van hire beside the removal quote at each distance.
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Removal costs by house size
The average of real removal quotes by bedrooms, inc VAT, for a local move, and the published figure over 100 mi (161 km), which is where the moving cost calculator switches from one to the other (HomeOwners Alliance, How Much Do Removals Cost?, read 2026-09-20). Set the region to UK and it prices your own house size and distance.
| House | Local removal | Over 100 mi | Packing service |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | £432 | £800 to £1,200 | £133 to £167 |
| 1 bedroom | £432 | £800 to £1,200 | £133 to £167 |
| 2 bedrooms | £603 | £800 to £1,200 | £267 to £333 |
| 3 bedrooms | £867 | £1,500 | £400 to £500 |
| 4 bedrooms | £1,196 | £2,000 | £533 to £667 |
| 5 bedrooms | £1,590 | £2,500 | £667 to £833 |
A studio takes the 1-bedroom row in every column. The packing service is the published 3-bedroom figure spread per bedroom, £133 to £167 each (HomeOwners Alliance, How Much Do Removals Cost?, read 2026-09-20); the long-distance rows for one and two bedrooms share one published band.
Hiring a Luton van instead
A 3.5 t Luton van is the largest van a category B licence covers, 17 m³ of load space (helpmemove.co.uk, Guide to Removal Van Sizes, read 2026-09-20). Hire starts at £70 a day with 125 mi included and £0.15 a mile beyond that; diesel is priced at the government’s weekly pump price, £1.91 per L, at 20 mpg loaded (CVS Van Hire, How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Luton Van?, read 2026-09-20; GOV.UK, Weekly road fuel prices, read 2026-09-20; Falkirk Van Hire, Luton Van FAQs, read 2026-09-20). The van goes back to the depot, so every load is charged there and back. Boxes and helpers are not priced, so the hire column is a floor.
| House | Van | Loads | Hire | Diesel | Hire total | Removal firm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 3.5 t Luton van | 1 | £70 | £16 | £86 | £432 |
| 1 bedroom | 3.5 t Luton van | 2 | £70 | £32 | £102 | £432 |
| 2 bedrooms | 3.5 t Luton van | 2 | £70 | £32 | £102 | £603 |
| 3 bedrooms | 3.5 t Luton van | 2 | £70 | £32 | £102 | £867 |
| 4 bedrooms | 3.5 t Luton van | 3 | £70 | £48 | £118 | £1,196 |
| 5 bedrooms | 3.5 t Luton van | 3 | £70 | £48 | £118 | £1,590 |
The loads come from the per-room rule the truck size calculator uses; the truck guide for a 3-bedroom house lists the 7.5 t lorry and the removals lorry a firm would bring instead, which need a C1 licence or a driver.
A 3-bedroom house by distance
Locally the van is one day and a short round trip; over 100 mi the round trip needs a day per 400 mi of driving and the removal figure jumps to £1,500. The rows are the tool’s starting distance, the long-distance line and the first two published distance bands.
| Distance | Move | Van | Hire | Diesel | Hire total | Removal firm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 mi (30 km) | Local | 3.5 t Luton van x 2 | £70 | £32 | £102 | £867 |
| 100 mi (161 km) | Local | 3.5 t Luton van x 2 | £111 | £173 | £285 | £867 |
| 250 mi (402 km) | Long distance | 3.5 t Luton van x 2 | £355 | £433 | £788 | £1,500 |
| 500 mi (805 km) | Long distance | 3.5 t Luton van x 2 | £607 | £867 | £1,475 | £1,500 |
What the quote should include
The £867 average is the removal itself: a crew, the lorry and the loading. Packing is a separate £400 to £500 for three bedrooms, and the boxes are usually another line; the 3-bedroom box guide counts them. Ask each firm to quote the same list in writing: the date, both addresses with the floor and the parking, the rooms, the packing service or not, the insurance cover and what happens if the completion date slips. Three quotes on the same list are the only way to see which one is dear. For the US figures by the hour and the long-distance bands, see the 2-bedroom apartment cost guide.
Sources: HomeOwners Alliance, How Much Do Removals Cost?, read 2026-09-20; HomeOwners Alliance, How Much Do Removals Cost?, long-distance moves, read 2026-09-20; CVS Van Hire, How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Luton Van?, read 2026-09-20; GOV.UK, Weekly road fuel prices, read 2026-09-20; Falkirk Van Hire, Luton Van FAQs, read 2026-09-20; helpmemove.co.uk, Guide to Removal Van Sizes, read 2026-09-20. The removal figures are published averages of partner quotes, not quotes; the van figures use the starting rate and the midpoint of the included mileage.
Frequently asked questions
- How much do removals cost for a 3-bedroom house in the UK?
- £867 on average inc VAT for a local move (HomeOwners Alliance, How Much Do Removals Cost?, read 2026-09-20), £1,500 over 100 mi (HomeOwners Alliance, How Much Do Removals Cost?, long-distance moves, read 2026-09-20), and £400 to £500 on top if the firm packs for you (HomeOwners Alliance, How Much Do Removals Cost?, read 2026-09-20). The figure is an average of real quotes, not a range, so a firm's quote for your own house can sit either side of it.
- How much does it cost to move house in the UK per bedroom?
- studio £432, 1 bedroom £432, 2 bedrooms £603, 3 bedrooms £867, 4 bedrooms £1,196, 5 bedrooms £1,590 for a local removal inc VAT (HomeOwners Alliance, How Much Do Removals Cost?, read 2026-09-20); a studio takes the 1-bedroom figure. The step from one size to the next grows with the house: £264 from two to three bedrooms, £329 from three to four.
- How much are long-distance removals in the UK?
- Over 100 mi (161 km): 1 bedroom £800 to £1,200, 2 bedrooms £800 to £1,200, 3 bedrooms £1,500, 4 bedrooms £2,000, 5 bedrooms £2,500 (HomeOwners Alliance, How Much Do Removals Cost?, long-distance moves, read 2026-09-20). The calculator switches to these figures when the distance you type passes 100 mi.
- How much does a packing service cost in the UK?
- £400 to £500 for a 3-bedroom house, the published figure, applied here as £133 to £167 per bedroom (HomeOwners Alliance, How Much Do Removals Cost?, read 2026-09-20): 1 bedroom £133 to £167, 2 bedrooms £267 to £333, 3 bedrooms £400 to £500, 4 bedrooms £533 to £667, 5 bedrooms £667 to £833. With the removal itself a packed 3-bedroom move comes to £1,267 to £1,367.
- Is it cheaper to hire a van and move yourself?
- On the hire and diesel alone, yes: a 3.5 t Luton van (17 m³) from £70 a day with 125 mi included, £0.15 a mile beyond that, diesel at £1.91 per L and 20 mpg loaded (CVS Van Hire, How Much Does It Cost To Hire A Luton Van?, read 2026-09-20; GOV.UK, Weekly road fuel prices, read 2026-09-20; Falkirk Van Hire, Luton Van FAQs, read 2026-09-20). A 3-bedroom house is 2 loads, about £102 for a 30 km move against £867 with a firm. Boxes, a helper, your own day and the deposit on the van are on top, and every load is you lifting the sofa.
- Does a flat with stairs or a summer date cost more in the UK?
- Not in these figures: the UK source publishes one average per house size (£867 for three bedrooms), not a low-to-high range, so ticking stairs or peak season in the calculator leaves the UK figure at £867. Firms do quote more for a walk-up flat, a long carry from the van or a Friday at the end of the month; get the quote in writing with those named.
More guides
- How much does it cost to move a 2-bedroom apartment? (local vs long distance)
Local movers by the hour, long-distance ranges by distance, what stairs, peak season and packing add, and a rental truck at each distance, US and UK, with sources.
- How many boxes do I need to move a 1-bedroom apartment?
Boxes by size for a 1-bedroom apartment at each packing style, what one to five people change, what a big kitchen adds, the tape and paper, and the truck.
- How many boxes do I need to move a 4-bedroom house?
Boxes by size for a 4-bedroom house at each packing style, what a family of three to five changes, what a garage or office adds, and the truck it takes.
- What size moving truck do I need for a 3-bedroom house? (cubic feet)
The cubic feet and m³ a 3-bedroom house takes, which U-Haul, Penske or UK lorry class moves it in one trip, and a truck size chart from a studio to 5 bedrooms.
Last updated 2026-09-22. Estimates from published moving guides and rate pages, each with its source and date: quotes from movers and rental companies replace them.