11 Top Tips for Moving Overseas Cheaply
โ Ocean freight is between 12 and 16 times cheaper than air freight
โ You should start contacting shipping companies three to four months before your move
โ Buy tickets for long-haul flights eighteen weeks in advance โ seven for short-haul flights
People who say that โthe best things in life are freeโ have clearly never moved abroad.ย
Relocating to a brand new country is as exciting as it gets, but it costs money.ย
Just when you think youโve dealt with one thing, something else crops up. If youโre not careful, things like shipping, visas, and flights can set you back a serious amount of cash โ and thatโs before youโve even got to your destination.ย
But you shouldnโt let money worries put a downer on your big plans. Luckily, we know how to cut your moving costs, and weโre delighted to share our advice with you.
A key way you can cut down on costs is to compare companies to get the best deal. Donโt have time to scroll through the internet, finding shipping prices?ย
Try using our simple quote tool to speed the process up. All you have to do is tell us a bit about your trip, and weโll pass your details on to our expert suppliers whoโll be in touch with free quotes, tailored to your move.ย
Select the size of your move to get free quotes
What's on this page?
01 | Choose sea freight over air freight
02 | Give yourself time
03 | Compare shipping quotes
04 | Prepare for overseas finance
05 | Buy flights at exactly the right moment
06 | Get your pets vaccinated
07 | Sell the stuff you don't need
08 | FCL or LCL?
09 | Sort out your taxes
10 | Get insurance
11 | Avoid unnecessary customs duty
12 | Ways to move overseas cheaply: FAQs
Before you start reading, have a watch of Ben, Gary, and Becky explain our top tips for moving abroad cheaply.
1. Choose sea freight over air freight
When youโre looking for the cheapest way to move your belongings, sea freight should be your first port of call, because international container shipping costs are considerably lower.
Ocean freight is typically between 12-16 times cheaper than air freight, according to the World Bank.
Why is this? Well, thereโs currently massive overcapacity in the global sea freight industry, which means supply is outweighing demand and keeping prices low.
Air freight also comes at a premium because itโs significantly faster than sea freight. While a container ship might take weeks to travel to China, a freight plane can nip over in no time.
If youโre moving in a serious hurry, air freight might be your only option โ but for any sensible international move, sea freight is essential.

Sea freight wins out on the carbon footprint front too. The CO2 released by container ships is utterly dwarfed by the nasty emissions of the planes overhead.
For example, two tonnes of freight travelling 5,000km on ocean waters would create 150kg of CO2. Put that same freight on a plane for 5,000km, and youโve got 6,605kg of CO2. It's clear who Mother Nature would prefer.ย
For more information, take a look at our comparison of typical sea freight and air freight rates.
2. Give yourself time
โYou may delay, but time will notโ – Benjamin Franklin.
Mr. Franklin certainly wasnโt one to dilly dally when it came to planning his international relocations. Time is humanityโs greatest commodity, so don't waste it stumbling around in a last-minute panic.
Almost every aspect of your move will benefit hugely from you getting it sorted sooner rather than later. Once you know where and when youโre going, thereโs nothing stopping you from setting a date for the shipment of your belongings.ย
If you leave it too late, youโll be left with two rubbish choices: flying your stuff for a crazy price, or arriving several weeks ahead of all your cargo. Itโs a no-brainer, really.
Keep time on your mind, and you wonโt miss the boat. Start contacting shipping companies at least three to four months before your planned move date.

3. Compare shipping quotes
Every sensible customer shops around a bit before committing to a purchase. This might be excessive behaviour when youโre buying a pint in the pub, but itโs sound practice when it comes to moving overseas.ย
There are multiple shipping companies operating on almost every route around the world, which means youโve got a choice to make. Itโs important that you consider your options before going with the first freight forwarder you find.
This is where we come in. We can make this part of the process a million times easier with our custom-built quote tool. All you need to do is provide a few short details about your trip, and our trusted suppliers will get back to you with free quotes to compare.

4. Prepare for overseas finance
When you move abroad, you donโt ever fully uproot. Youโll always leave a piece of you behind.ย
This is especially the case with money. If youโve got savings in a bank, youโll probably need to draw on them once youโre up and running in your new country.ย
But this gets expensive, because transferring money abroad comes with all sorts of fees and unfavourable exchange rates.
Thatโs why weโve teamed up with Wise, an easy-to-use online international money transfer service which uses the real exchange rate, and charges low fees.
How much could you save? Well, its service can be up to 8x cheaper than high street banks.
Join more than 7 million people and start using Wise today.
Make sure you're well prepared before you move
5. Buy flights at exactly the right moment
While we heartily recommend that your cargo takes the watery route to your new home, we generally assume that youโll be flying there.ย
However, itโs not necessarily the most advanced planners that get their hands on the cheapest flights. Youโve got to choose your moment.ย
- Buy tickets seven weeks in advance for short-haul flights
- Buy tickets 18 weeks in advance for long-haul flights
So, if you can hold your nerve, itโs better to hang on a bit instead of just buying the tickets as soon as theyโre released.
If this advice isnโt specific enough for you, most airlines also recommend Sundays as the best day of the week to book your plane tickets.ย
The worst day? Wednesday.ย
Naturally, off-peak seasons offer the best opportunities for finding cheap flights, so you should always try to fly when there arenโt many tourists heading the same way โ if you have the luxury of choosing when you go, that is.
There are even sites that will send you email alerts when flights are particularly cheap.
If moving abroad still feels overwhelming, hereโs everything you need to do, in one handy checklist.
6. Get your pet vaccinated
Before you set off for your new adventure, make sure your pet is properly vaccinated. Remember to give yourself plenty of time to get this organised, to avoid any stress and any last-minute fees.ย
By getting your four-legged friend up to date on its jabs, not only will you be looking after its health, but you might also be able to avoid it having to quarantine.ย
Different countries implement different rules, but generally, quarantine comes with all sorts of fees. If youโre moving to Australia, for example, the cost of quarantining your pet for 10-30 days is roughly AUS $1,200.ย
If you fail to sort out your petโs paperwork and vaccinations, unfortunately, you might have to part way with your pal, as it will be refused entry to your new home country.ย
This will come with additional flight costs (as well as a whole lot of emotional baggage). Not only will you have to sort out a return flight for your pet whilst abroad, but youโll probably have to deal with last-minute price hikes.ย
Want to make the whole process of moving abroad with your pet easier? Why not let Starwood give you a helping hand? Not only do 95% of users recommend this company, but Starwood Pet Travel has also been voted Pet Relocation Company of the Year by the Australian Emigration Awards.
To find out exactly how much it'll cost you to use Starwood services, pop your details here, and they'll get back to you with a free quote.
7. Sell the stuff you don't need
Weโre pointing out the obvious here, but the less you bring, the cheaper your shipment will be. If you can trim the fat before loading up and shipping out, youโll be spending significantly less money.ย
When youโre moving to a new country, you should take half the stuff and twice the cash you think youโll need. Itโs time to be completely brutal with your belongings.ย
Choose something you currently own and try to imagine life without it. If you feel okay, you donโt need it. If you canโt imagine life without it, then try a bit harder.ย
That big television in your front room? Sell it. Your big winter coat? You wonโt need it if youโre moving to a warm country. Your dog? Only joking, you donโt need to get rid of your dog.
But in all seriousness, vaccinations, and passports for your pet can be pricey, so if Fido and Mittens are coming with you, check out our detailed page on pet relocation.
Once youโve decided what youโre leaving behind, you can then start to sell it on websites like eBay. Youโll be shrinking your shipment, and making some extra cash on the side.ย
If it wonโt sell, donate it to charity, or give it to a friend. If literally nobody wants it, maybe just put it in the bin.ย
So what kind of stuff should you leave behind? An important thing to consider is whether the cost of shipping the item will exceed the cost of buying it again in your new country.ย
You can always just follow the six-month rule: if you havenโt used it in six months, you probably donโt need it. Check out the table below for some guidance.
8. Decide between FCL and LCL
The overseas shipping industry is awash with acronyms (AWA), some less necessary than others.ย
Once you start looking into sea freight, youโll be presented with two options: Full Container Load (FCL) or Less Than Container Load (LCL).ย
With an FCL, youโll pay a flat rate for the full use of a whole 20ft (or 40ft) container, while LCL involves sharing a container with other people. Itโs basically like the difference between a taxi and a bus.

If you're only shipping a small amount of cargo, LCL is the more cost-effective option.
However, this stops being the case once you reach around 15 cubic metres of cargo. After this point, youโre better off hiring a whole container, even if youโre only filling half of it.ย
So why is that? Well, in terms of cost per cubic metre, LCL is about two-three times more expensive than FCL.ย
While an FCL container can be delivered seamlessly from one door to another, an LCL shipment has to be carefully put together in a warehouse before shipment (as everyoneโs separate cargo arrives), then unloaded at the destination port. All this extra time and labour naturally leads to a higher cost.ย
If this all sounds a little complicated, no bother; once a professional shipping company is taking care of your move, theyโll be able to help with the LCL/FCL decision.

9. Sort out your taxes
Letโs not mess around: at MoveHub, we think paying tax is really important. But we donโt think you should be doing it in two countries.ย
Once you know youโre moving abroad, make sure you notify your current government about it. People can often end up paying income tax twice, and only reaping the benefits in the country theyโve moved to.
Most countries have a fairly simple exemption process; for example, if youโre leaving the UK, you just need to complete the P85 form and send it off to HMRC.ย
Meanwhile, if youโre still going to be receiving interest from any UK-based savings after youโve moved abroad, you should complete form R105 and send it off to HMRC. This will stop the government taxing you on your interest income, as youโll be paying income tax abroad instead.ย
Americans still have to file a tax return even when theyโre living abroad, but they can complete forms 2555 and 1116 to ensure that they pay a lot less.
Select the size of your move to get free quotes
10. Get insurance
It's never a sure thing that you'll need insurance โ but when it's useful, it's exceptionally useful.
The best way to avoid spiralling costs if something goes wrong is by putting that risk onto an entity that's totally separate โ plus it can give you peace of mind during the often stressful moving process.
Make sure you get health insurance, life insurance, travel insurance, home insurance, and removals insurance sorted as early as possible.
In the event that anything goes wrong, you'll thank your past self profusely for your forethought. Just make sure you get a few quotes for each one.
11. Avoid unnecessary customs duty
Getting your belongings through customs is never a simple process, but you can certainly take steps to ensure that it goes as smoothly as possible. Take shortcuts, however, and your move overseas could be dogged by additional costs, stacks of extra paperwork, and misplaced items.ย ย
Pretty much every country in the world will require you to complete a detailed, itemised inventory of every belonging you want to bring in. This sounds nosey, but it helps border officials calculate customs duty, as well as keep an eye on anything untoward.ย
The vast majority of containers around the world are either x-ray scanned or physically inspected (or both), so donโt bother trying to sneak anything through.ย
And donโt do it accidentally, either โ make sure you know exactly what is and isnโt allowed into the country youโre moving to. Some countries can have restrictions on some pretty peculiar things, such as ballpoint pens (Nigeria), chewing gum (Singapore), and Kinder Eggs (the United States).ย
Correct packing is another must. During physical inspections, if your goods are a nightmare to look through, the procedure will take even longer and youโll be charged additional fees.ย
What next?
If you already know where and when youโre moving abroad, youโve got things to be getting on with.ย
Firstly, you should make a list, and prioritise the most important stuffย โ or just borrow our checklist.
Some things are fairly quick (e.g. buying flights), while other things can take a bit longer, such as telling your dog that he canโt come with you.
As long as youโre prepared, you can make sure every aspect of your international move is as cheap as possible. No pressure.
Remember, when it comes to shipping things abroad, a key part of keeping the price down is shopping around. If you want to make this easier, join the thousands of expats that have used our custom-built quote tool to help them with their move.ย
Simply pop a few details about your move abroad in this short form, and our expert shipping suppliers will be in touch shortly with their best deals.ย
Ways to move overseas cheaply: FAQs
Here are the answers to some of our most popular queries about moving abroad without breaking the bank.
How much will it cost to move abroad?
It typically costs between ยฃ7,000 and ยฃ11,000 to move all your belongings from the UK to most places in Asia and North America.
Moving everything in your life to Oceania or Africa usually costs ยฃ6,000-ยฃ7,000, while a relocation to Europe will typically set you back ยฃ3,000-ยฃ6,000.
Other expenses will heavily depend on your situation, but can include the cost of your accommodation, visa, insurance, and travel.
Can you just move overseas?
You can't just move overseas without extensive research and planning.
You have to take the steps to ensure you're allowed to live in your chosen destination, figure out whether you'll need to work and how to gain permission to do so, and sort out a home to live in.
Then it's a matter of deciding which belongings you'll take with, how much of your old life you'll leave in place, and how you'll set yourself up in your new location โ and those are just the main considerations.
Can UK citizens move abroad?
UK citizens can certainly move abroad โ more easily than most countries' citizens, in most cases.
You also don't need to worry about losing your UK citizenship if you move abroad.
You can even usually vote in UK elections from overseas.
What is the best age to move overseas?
There is no best age to move overseas that applies to everyone.
Many people in their twenties and thirties move abroad and have a wonderful time, but that also applies to middle-aged people and retirees.
There's also no wrong age to move overseas. Every experience is different and every relocation is a risk โ but so is life. If you want to move abroad, do the research, and make an informed decision either way.