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Moving House Costs Australia: A Budget Checklist for Renters and Buyers

Moving costs more than the truck. For renters, the biggest shock is usually the overlap: paying a new bond and rent in advance before the old bond is refunded. For buyers, it's the pile of small fees around settlement. A moving budget lists everything up front, so you can choose a moving date that your bank balance agrees with.

Renters: the overlap

When you sign a new lease you'll usually pay a bond and some rent in advance. Your old bond may not be returned until after you've moved out and the final inspection is done. Plan for a few weeks where both amounts are out of your account at once. Check your state's rules for how much bond and advance rent can be asked for.

Buyers: settlement extras

Beyond the deposit and stamp duty (check your state revenue office for duty rates and first home buyer concessions), budget for conveyancing or solicitor fees, building and pest inspections, loan fees, and council and water rate adjustments at settlement.

Everyone: the moving day costs

• Removalists or van hire, fuel and tolls.
• Boxes, tape and packing materials.
• End-of-lease or exit cleaning, and carpet cleaning if required.
• Power, gas and internet connection fees.
• Mail redirection.
• Changing your licence and rego address (often free, but it's a task).
• Takeaway meals for the first few nights.
• Time off work.

Ways to keep moving costs down

• Move mid-month or mid-week, when removalists may be less busy.
• Get several quotes and ask whether they charge by the hour or a fixed price.
• Collect free boxes from shops or local groups.
• Declutter and sell before you move, not after.
• Do the exit clean yourself if you're confident with the condition report.

Protect your bond on the way out

Use your entry condition report as a checklist, clean to that standard and take dated photos of every room. Being organised here is often worth hundreds of dollars.

Worked example

Here's a worked example. Dani rents in Perth and is moving to a bigger place at $650 a week. The new lease asks for four weeks' bond ($2,600) plus two weeks' rent in advance ($1,300). Her old bond of $2,200 is likely to come back a couple of weeks after she leaves. Removalists quote $780 for a three-hour move. She budgets $120 for boxes and tape (she gets half free from a local group), $350 for an exit clean, $90 in connection fees, $60 for mail redirection, $100 for takeaway in the first week and one day of unpaid leave. Her total upfront need is about $5,500, with $2,200 coming back later. She has $3,000 saved, so she pushes the move date back three paydays to save the gap rather than putting it on a credit card. The figures are illustrative, but the overlap is real for most renters.

How to do it: step by step

1. List one-off moving costs and get at least two removalist quotes.
2. Renters: add new bond plus rent in advance, and assume the old bond comes back later.
3. Buyers: add settlement costs from your conveyancer and lender.
4. Choose a moving date that leaves a buffer in your account.
5. Save toward the total each payday and tick off tasks as you go.

Frequently asked questions

General information only, not financial or tax advice.