UK Moving Statistics 2026
Citation-ready facts and figures on UK removal costs - by city, property size, and season. Free to use with attribution (“MovingCost.co.uk UK Moving Cost Index, 2026 Q2”).
Key statistics at a glance
£620–£990
Typical local 2-bed removal in London (Q2 2026)
~55%
How much more a London move costs vs Cardiff (2-bed, local)
1.16×
London seasonal price index - the highest in the UK
£400–£660
Cheapest major-city 2-bed move (Cardiff)
Average local removal costs by city (Q2 2026)
Benchmark price ranges for a professionally handled local move (under ~30 miles), sorted from most to least expensive. The seasonal index shows how far each city sits above or below the UK baseline (1.00) during peak demand.
| City | Region | 1-bed (local) | 2-bed (local) | Seasonal index |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| London | Greater London | £420–£690 | £620–£990 | 1.16 |
| Southampton | South East | £330–£560 | £510–£830 | 1.08 |
| Bristol | South West | £320–£540 | £500–£810 | 1.06 |
| Edinburgh | Scotland | £300–£510 | £470–£770 | 1.05 |
| Manchester | North West | £300–£510 | £460–£760 | 1.04 |
| Birmingham | West Midlands | £290–£500 | £450–£740 | 1.03 |
| Leeds | Yorkshire and the Humber | £280–£480 | £430–£710 | 1.01 |
| Glasgow | Scotland | £275–£470 | £420–£700 | 1.00 |
| Liverpool | North West | £270–£450 | £410–£680 | 0.99 |
| Cardiff | Wales | £265–£440 | £400–£660 | 0.98 |
What the numbers show
- • London is the most expensive UK city to move in, with local 2-bed moves averaging £620–£990 - roughly 55% more than the same move in Cardiff.
- • Scotland offers two very different markets: Edinburgh prices sit near the southern-England level (index 1.05), while Glasgow tracks the UK baseline (1.00).
- • Seasonality moves prices by up to 16% in peak months (typically late spring to early autumn and end-of-month Fridays) versus off-peak periods.
- • Long-distance moves cost roughly 1.6× a local move for the same property size across most cities in the dataset.
Using these statistics
- • Free to republish with attribution and a link to this page.
- • Cite as: “MovingCost.co.uk UK Moving Cost Index, 2026 Q2”.
- • Figures are benchmark ranges, not fixed quotes - see our methodology.
- • Journalists: media assets and contact details are in our press kit.
Related resources
UK Moving Cost Index
The full quarterly dataset behind these statistics.
Moving Costs by Property Size
Detailed breakdowns from 1-bed to 5-bed moves.
Average Cost of Moving House UK
All-in budget model including legal and moving fees.
Methodology
How we build and validate the index each quarter.
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