Personal Finance

Moving Cost Estimator

See what a move costs beyond the removal quote, and compare movers on a like-for-like basis once packing and insurance are matched.

Delivery: Instant download
Purchase: One-time payment
Format: Google Sheets
Excel
Updated: August 2026

$5.90

What this spreadsheet does

People budget for the removal company and are surprised by the deposit, the fees and the things the old place had built in. On the worked example the removal quote is under a fifth of the total.

What you can do with it

Find the full cost of a move before signing anything
Compare removal quotes that include different things
Track what you have actually paid against the estimate

What's included

Sheet tabs

Instructions
Moving Budget
Quote Comparison

Features

Fifteen budget lines across moving day, the new home, setting up, and the costs you only discover on arrival
Estimated against actual, with the difference left blank until you enter an actual
The removal quote shown as a share of the total move
Three removal quotes compared, with packing and insurance added back where a quote excludes them
Cheapest headline quote and cheapest like-for-like quote named separately
Cost per hour for each mover, so a short cheap job is comparable to a long one

How it works

1Fill in the Estimated column and leave rows at 0 where they do not apply
2Enter actuals as you pay them to see where the estimate was wrong
3Enter each mover's quote and whether packing and insurance are included

Who it's for

Anyone moving home who wants the whole number before committing, not just the mover's price.

Sample figures are a worked example for a two-bedroom move of about 40 miles. Costs vary widely by distance, country and time of year.

Frequently asked questions

Does this include the cost of buying a house?

No. It covers the move itself and setting up the new home: removals, deposit, rent in advance, fees, connections and the things you find you need on arrival. Purchase costs like stamp duty and legal fees are a different exercise.

Why does the removal quote look like such a small part?

Because it usually is. On the worked example it is 19% of the total, and the deposit plus first month alone are nearly three times it. That is the point of laying the whole move out on one page.

How does the quote comparison work?

You enter each mover's price and whether packing and insurance are included. Where they are not, the sheet adds a standard amount for each so the totals compare. On the sample figures the cheapest headline quote is not the cheapest once matched.