How much does it cost to move from the UK to the USA in 2026?
The cost of moving from the UK to the USA in 2026 typically runs between £8,000 and £25,000 for a full household relocation, depending on the size of your home, your US destination, and your visa route. Shipping a 20-foot container of household goods door-to-door costs £4,500 to £8,000. Visa application and legal fees range from £200 for an ESTA to £15,000 or more for an EB-5 investor visa. Flights for a family of four run £2,000 to £4,000. The largest hidden cost is the first month on the ground in the USA, where rental deposits, utility setup, car purchase or lease, and health insurance can require £8,000 to £15,000 upfront before your first paycheck arrives.
This guide breaks down every cost category, gives realistic ranges for different household sizes and destinations, and walks through the full timeline from first survey to delivery day so you can budget accurately and avoid the cost surprises that catch most movers off guard.
Total cost summary by household size
The headline numbers for a UK to USA move in 2026:
Single person, light household, East Coast destination: £6,000 to £10,000 total
Couple, two-bedroom flat, East Coast destination: £10,000 to £15,000 total
Family of four, three-bedroom house, East Coast destination: £14,000 to £22,000
Family of four, four-bedroom house, West Coast or inland destination: £18,000 to £28,000
These figures cover shipping, visa fees, flights, and the first month of US setup costs. They exclude the visa investment itself if you are using an E-2 or EB-5 route, and exclude US property purchase costs if you are buying rather than renting.
Shipping costs by container size and destination
Shipping is the largest single line item for most UK to USA moves.
20-foot sole-use container (suits 2 to 3-bedroom homes):
- East Coast destinations (New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, Charleston): £4,500 to £6,500
- Gulf Coast destinations (Houston, New Orleans): £5,000 to £7,000
- West Coast destinations (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle): £5,500 to £8,000
- Inland destinations (Chicago, Denver, Dallas, Atlanta): £5,500 to £8,500
40-foot sole-use container (suits 4 to 5-bedroom homes):
- East Coast: £6,500 to £9,000
- Gulf Coast: £7,500 to £10,000
- West Coast: £8,000 to £11,500
- Inland: £8,500 to £12,000
Shared container (groupage), per cubic foot:
- East Coast: £8 to £12 per cubic foot
- West Coast: £10 to £14 per cubic foot
- Typical 100 cubic foot shipment: £900 to £1,400
Air freight (urgent or small shipments):
- £15 to £25 per kg
- Typical 50kg shipment: £750 to £1,250
What these prices include with Anglo Pacific: origin packing in your UK home with full materials, transit to the UK port, ocean freight, US port handling, customs clearance, and final delivery to your US door.
What these prices typically exclude: US import duty (most household goods are duty-free under returning resident or new resident provisions, but vehicles, alcohol, and tobacco trigger separate duties), US storage if your destination property is not ready, and additional services like unpacking and rubbish removal at delivery.
Visa fees and legal costs
Visa costs vary enormously depending on your route.
- ESTA visa waiver: £17 (90-day visits only, not a relocation route)
- B-1/B-2 visitor visa: £150 application fee, no legal fees needed for most applicants
- E-2 Treaty Investor visa: £350 in government fees plus £4,000 to £8,000 in legal fees, plus the investment itself ($100,000+ typically)
- L-1 intracompany transfer: $5,000 to $7,000 in petition fees plus $5,000 to $10,000 in legal fees (usually paid by the employer)
- H-1B specialty occupation: $4,000 to $6,000 in petition fees plus $3,000 to $6,000 in legal fees (usually paid by the employer)
- O-1 extraordinary ability: $2,000 to $3,000 in petition fees plus $5,000 to $10,000 in legal fees
- EB-5 investor green card: $11,160 in government filing fees plus $25,000 to $50,000 in legal fees, plus the $800,000 to $1,050,000 investment
- Family-sponsored green cards: $1,200 to $1,800 in filing fees plus $3,000 to $6,000 in legal fees if used
For most working-age UK movers without family in the USA or capital to invest, the realistic visa cost falls between £200 (if your employer sponsors and pays) and £15,000 (if you are funding your own E-2 or O-1 application with full legal support).
Flights and travel costs
Flights for the move itself depend on family size, season, and class.
Single adult, economy, off-peak: £400 to £700
Couple, economy, off-peak: £800 to £1,400
Family of four, economy, off-peak: £1,600 to £2,800
Family of four, economy, peak season (June to August, December): £2,400 to £4,000
Premium economy or business class: Add 50 to 200 per cent
Most movers fly with checked luggage allowances and ship the rest. Excess baggage fees beyond your free allowance run £40 to £150 per bag, so anything beyond two large suitcases per person is usually cheaper to ship.
If you are bringing pets, factor £500 to £2,500 per pet for transport, depending on size and route. Cats typically fly in cabin (£100 to £400). Larger dogs go as cargo (£800 to £2,500).
Customs and US import duty
Most UK household goods enter the USA duty-free under one of two provisions.
Returning resident provisions: If you have lived in the USA before, your goods can return duty-free if used and owned for at least one year.
New resident provisions: First-time movers to the USA can bring household goods duty-free if owned and used for at least one year before the move.
Items that do trigger separate duty calculations:
- Cars: 2.5 per cent duty on imported cars from the UK, plus the US safety and emissions conversion costs (often $5,000 to $15,000), which is why most movers sell their UK car before flying
- Alcohol: Wine, spirits, and beer over the personal allowance are taxed at federal and state rates that vary by quantity and destination
- Tobacco: Heavy duties; most movers do not ship
- New goods (less than one year owned): May trigger duty depending on value and category
Anglo Pacific handles all customs paperwork as part of the door-to-door service, including the 3299 customs form and any state-specific requirements at your destination.
First month on the ground: the hidden cost
The cost category most movers underestimate is what happens between the day you arrive in the USA and the day your first paycheck or business income lands.
Typical first-month costs for a family of four:
- First month’s rent on a US rental: $2,000 to $5,000
- Last month’s rent (often required upfront): $2,000 to $5,000
- Security deposit (usually one month’s rent): $2,000 to $5,000
- Utility deposits (electricity, gas, water, internet): $300 to $800
- Health insurance until employer coverage starts: $500 to $2,500
- Car purchase down payment or first lease payment: $2,000 to $5,000
- Car insurance for first month: $100 to $300
- US driving licence application fees: $30 to $100
- Initial groceries and household basics: $800 to $1,500
- Children’s school registration and supplies: $200 to $800
- Phone plans and contracts: $100 to $300
Total first-month US setup: £8,000 to £15,000 for a family of four
This is the cost most likely to catch movers without enough cash flow. UK savings accounts can be slow to transfer to US accounts in the first weeks, US credit cards take time to obtain without US credit history, and most landlords require certified funds rather than international transfers. Plan for substantial accessible funds at arrival.
The full UK to USA move timeline
Costs are spread across the full move timeline, which typically runs six to twelve months from first decision to settled in the USA.
12 to 9 months before departure
Confirm visa eligibility and start the application. Visa fees and legal costs begin to be paid in this period. Costs to date: £500 to £15,000 in visa-related fees.
9 to 6 months before departure
Visa application in process. Begin shipping research and request quotes from movers. Anglo Pacific surveys are free and can be conducted in person or online. Costs to date: visa fees only.
6 to 3 months before departure
Visa typically approved or near approval. Confirm shipping date and pay deposit (usually 25 to 50 per cent of shipping cost). Begin US destination preparation: rental search, schools, banking. Costs to date: £1,000 to £3,000 in shipping deposits, plus visa fees.
3 months to departure
Final preparation. Anglo Pacific’s UK survey team revisits if anything has changed in your inventory. Confirm temporary US accommodation for the first one to two weeks if your rental is not yet ready. Book flights. Costs to date: £3,000 to £8,000 spent (deposits, flights, ongoing visa work).
Final month: pack day
Anglo Pacific’s UK packing team arrives at your home for one to three days, depending on household size. Goods are packed, inventoried, and loaded into the container. Final shipping payment due. Costs to date: full shipping cost paid.
Departure and arrival
You fly to the USA. Your container ships separately and arrives four to eight weeks after UK collection, depending on destination.
Arrival in the USA: weeks one to four
Highest-cost period. Rental deposits, car purchase, utility setup, health insurance setup, school registration. Container arrives mid-period. Anglo Pacific’s US destination team handles customs clearance and delivery to your door.
Settling in: months two to six
Recurring costs (rent, insurance, school fees if applicable) replace the one-off setup costs. Most movers reach a stable monthly budget by month three.
Cost-saving tips that actually work
A handful of decisions noticeably reduce total move cost.
Move outside peak season. May to early June and September to October are cheapest for shipping. June to August and December run 15 to 25 per cent higher because of demand from US summer college moves and Christmas shipping.
Sell rather than ship low-value items. A tired sofa, a UK kitchen full of appliances that will not work on US voltage, and a wardrobe of clothes that will not suit US climate are all candidates for sale. Use the proceeds to buy US replacements on arrival.
Choose East Coast destinations over West Coast where possible. Shipping to New York is around £1,500 cheaper than to Los Angeles for the same container.
Avoid car shipping. US conversion costs and 2.5 per cent duty often exceed the value of the UK car. Sell in the UK, buy on arrival.
Negotiate the employer relocation package if your move is employment-driven. Most large multinationals offer relocation budgets of $10,000 to $50,000 for international transfers. Many UK employees do not realise this is negotiable until they ask.
Planning your UK to USA move
Anglo Pacific has been moving British families to the USA since 1978. Our UK survey team will walk through your home with you and produce a fixed-price, no-hidden-costs quote covering door-to-door international shipping with origin packing, customs clearance, and US delivery.
Get a free, no-obligation quote at our USA international shipping page or USA international removals page.
FAQ
1. What is the cheapest way to move from the UK to the USA?
The cheapest full-household move is a shared container (groupage) shipment to an East Coast destination, with the lightest practical inventory. A solo mover with one to two cubic metres of personal goods can complete a UK to USA move for around £6,000 including shipping, flights, ESTA, and basic US setup. Reduce shipping by selling rather than shipping low-value items.
2. How much does it cost to ship a 3-bedroom house from the UK to the USA?
A 3-bedroom UK household typically fits a 20-foot sole-use container, which costs £4,500 to £8,000 door-to-door depending on US destination. East Coast destinations are cheapest; West Coast and inland destinations cost more because of longer transit and additional handling.
3. How long does a UK to USA move take?
From first survey to your shipment arriving at your US home, typical timelines run six to twelve weeks for sole-use container moves and eight to fourteen weeks for shared container moves. Add the visa timeline on top, which can run from three months for an ESTA-based business visit to two years for some employment-sponsored green cards.
4. Are there hidden costs in a UK to USA move?
The most commonly underestimated costs are the first-month US setup costs (rental deposits, utility deposits, car purchase, health insurance, school registration), which typically total £8,000 to £15,000 for a family of four. Visa legal fees, pet transport, and US import duty on cars are other costs that catch some movers off guard.
5. Do I have to pay US import duty on my household goods?
Most household goods enter the USA duty-free under new resident or returning resident provisions, provided they have been owned and used for at least one year. Cars, alcohol over personal allowance, tobacco, and very new goods may trigger duty. Anglo Pacific handles all customs paperwork as part of the move.
6. Can my employer cover the cost of moving from the UK to the USA?
If your move is employer-driven (L-1 intracompany transfer, H-1B sponsorship), most large multinationals offer relocation packages covering shipping, flights, temporary US accommodation, and sometimes school fees. Packages typically run $10,000 to $50,000. Negotiate this before signing your US employment contract.
