Brisbane homeowners are increasingly ripping into renovations instead of relocating as new research has revealed the shock cost of moving in Queensland.
Airtasker’s inaugural The Moving Report has revealed just one move could cost over $81,000, with a lifetime of moves potentially racking up a mind-blowing bill of $285,2000.
The research said that those in a seller/buyer scenario faced the biggest one-time bill of as much as $81,064 by the time outlays such as time spent, buying/selling costs and removalist fees were taken into account.
“The most expensive scenario is selling and buying a home, with a local move of a three-bedroom house costing around $81,064, just under the national average of $82,253,” the report revealed.
When time and actual costs are considred, it all adds up
The report looked at Airtasker’s own internal data, external cost research and a survey of over 1000 Australians to crunch the numbers.
It found that for those just buying, the cost was around $45,000, while for those selling it was just shy of $40,000.
Meanwhile, Queensland renters faced a bill of around $7000 just to move – no small feat given the fickle nature of the rental market.
Over a lifetime, moving costs could cost between $189,600 (lower end) and $285,2000 (higher end) when multiple relocations – rental moves, first purchaser moves, owner occupier changeover (sell and buy) and final sale – were considered.
“Moving house is often seen as a short-term inconvenience, but over the course of an adult life, the costs can be substantial,” the report said.
The national estimated lifetime cost of moving was $193,376.
The higher estimate of the lifetime cost of moving. Airtasker
The Airtasker report comes after Compare the Market revealed in 2025 that it cost at least $53,500 just to sell a home in Brisbane.
Now, Brisbane sellers are looking at “around $59,495 minimum” based on current median house prices, agent and legal fees, advertising and auctioneer costs, removalists fees and lender discharge fees if still paying a mortgage, updated analysis from the comparison website has revealed.
The latest PropTrack Home Price Index revealed that Brisbane’s median home price index – houses and units combined – was $1.046 million in February, with houses now $1.203 million and units now $831,000.
And it is prompting many homeowners to toss up whether to move or improve.
Brisbane home prices only continue to rise.
National research analysing about 61,000 skip bin bookings between 2021 and 2025 revealed that Brisbane recorded 7393 bookings in the five year period and had “experienced one of the strongest growth trajectories nationally”.
The Mobile Skips National Clutter Report also revealed that Queensland had the third highest percentage of renovation waste in the nation at 51 per cent, behind NSW (56%) and Victoria (52%).
“Renovation activity has remained consistently high across the city, with little difference between (Brisbane) inner and outer suburbs,” the report revealed.
The top five suburbs for renovation waste were Graceville, Kangaroo Point, The Gap, Teneriffe and New Farm, while the top suburbs for decluttering waste were South Brisbane, Wurtulla and Toowong.
Mobile Skips chief executive Jacob Spencer said the figures pointed to a clear “improve rather than move” mindset emerging across Australia’s biggest cities.
“What that data really tells us is that more Australians appear to be renovating instead of relocating,” Mr Spencer said.
“Moving house has become incredibly expensive, especially when you factor in stamp duty and the broader costs associated with relocating.
“So what we’re seeing is homeowners asking a different question: how do I improve the asset I already own?”
A classic Queenslander at 97 Villiers Street, New Farm, has recently undergone a major renovation, and will go to auction with Ray White New Farm on March 28
Block judge Marty Fox said rising transaction costs were forcing homeowners to rethink whether moving made financial sense.
“When people actually calculate the cost of moving — agent commissions, stamp duty and transaction costs — the numbers add up very quickly,” Mr Fox said.
“So they start asking a different question: what could that same money achieve if it was invested into the home I already own?”
The Block judge Marty Fox. Supplied
Compare the Market property expert Andrew Winter said to sell and upgrade or to stay and renovate was a question many families would likely grapple with at some stage.
“Our first home often isn’t our forever home, especially now that affordability constraints often limit entry point options,” the TV personality and property expert said. .
“Most buyers have to compromise on space or location – potentially both, meaning they may want to upgrade eventually.
“The ‘right’ option isn’t going to look the same for everyone – it really depends on your family’s needs and budget – and I don’t think that there is an easy answer to ‘what’s more cost effective’.
“If what you desire is mostly cosmetic, and you are happy to do a bit of the grunt work yourself, renovating might be a cheaper option.
“But if you’re looking to add space, which often requires extensive foundation work and reconfigurations, then you might be better off moving to the next place.”
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Compare the Market property expert and host of Foxtel’s Selling Houses Australia Andrew Winter. Picture: Supplied
In 2026, home renovators can expect to fork out between $20,000 and $30,000 for a kitchen makeover, $15,000 to $30,000 for a bathroom revamp and $4000 to $6000 for a bedroom glow-up, according to hipages.
Depending on design and complexity, a garden and deck renovation costs between $4000 and $12,000 on average.
Top offers for this renovated residence at 31 Small Street, Teneriffe, close on March 24. It is listed with Place New Farm
In terms of declutter waste, the Mobile Skips research found that the most commonly tackled areas nationally were garages, sheds, spare rooms, bedrooms and backyards, with Aussies holding onto clutter for an average of 13.8 years.
Connor Morgan of Morgans Construct said his Brisbane-based company had completed “about a dozen” garage conversions into short term accommodation in the past three years, most of those on the Redcliffe Peninsula.
He said those customers were doing conversions to combat the cost of living crisis and to help offset their own mortgage costs.
“I feel that garages have become a bit of a wasted space for some people,” he said, adding that the same space could be transformed with a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living space with a private entry.
He said a garage conversion started from around $100,000 and included flooring, amenities, electrical and plumbing needs, certification and council approvals.
“Most of our clients have continued to live there and rented the conversion out for short term accommodation,” Mr Morgan said.
He said that currently most jobs were for house raising.
“There is next to no housing stock and it costs about $50,000 to raise a house which gets you an extra level of space,” he said.
“You could spend $2 million on another house just to get that and it is happening all over Brisbane at the moment. It’s mental.”
Th egarage at the Redcliffe property was converted into short term acommodation Morgans Construct
In 2026, home renovators can expect to fork out between $20,000 and $30,000 for a kitchen makeover, $15,000 to $30,000 for a bathroom revamp and $4000 to $6000 for a bedroom glow-up, according to hipages.
Depending on design and complexity, a garden and deck renovation will cost between $4000 and $12,000 on average.
In terms of declutter waste, the Mobile Skips research found that the most commonly tackled areas nationally were garages, sheds, spare rooms, bedrooms and backyards, with Aussies holding onto clutter for an average of 13.8 years.
Connor Morgan of Morgans Construct said his Brisbane-based company had converted “about a dozen” garages into short-term accommodation in the past three years, most of those on the Redcliffe Peninsula.
He said those customers were doing conversions to combat the cost of living crisis and to help offset their own mortgage costs.
“I feel that garages have become a bit of a wasted space for some people,” he said, adding that the same space could be transformed with a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living space with a private entry.
A garage that was converted for short-term accommodation by Morgans Construct
He said a garage conversion started from around $100,000 and included flooring, amenities, electrical and plumbing needs, certification and council approvals.
“Most of our clients have continued to live there and rented the conversion out for short term accommodation,” Mr Morgan said.
He said that currently most jobs were for house raising.
“There is next to no housing stock and it costs about $50,000 to raise a house which gets you an extra level of space,” hesaid.
“You could spend $2 million on another house just to get that and it is happening all over Brisbane at the moment. It’s mental.”
Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee said that it was not surprising that many homeowners were looking to renovations, conversions or raising their homes – not just to make extra money from rent but also to accommodate multigenerational living.
“If you are spending $80,000 on moving, that could be a really good renovation project instead,” she said.
“But you need to consider if your renovation cost expectations are realistic, and whether you can get a builder, let aloneone that will offer a fixed contract price.”
Ray White chief economist Nerida Conisbee
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