Pricing
How Much Does a Move in Central London Cost? (2026)
Van and crew prices by home size, parking suspension fees council by council, the £18 Congestion Charge and a worked Westminster example: the full cost of a Central London move.
Published 27 October 2026 · Updated 27 October 2026
A move in Central London costs the same per hour as a move anywhere else in London. What changes in the centre is everything around the van: where it can park, whether it has to pay the Congestion Charge, and how long the walk is from the kerb to a fourth-floor flat in a mansion block.
This guide adds those up. It starts with our own van and crew prices by home size, then sets out what each Central London council charges to reserve parking, which areas fall inside the Congestion Charge zone, and a worked example for a one-bed move from Westminster. Council figures were read on each council’s website and Congestion Charge figures on TfL’s, in October 2026.
Key takeaways
- Van and crew prices are the same across London: a one-bed flat usually takes 3–4 hours with a van and one helper, £175–£240 on our rate card.
- Reserving two parking spaces for a day for a home move cost from £66.66 in Camden to £213.93 in Lambeth in October 2026, with full notice.
- The Congestion Charge is £18 a day from 2 January 2026, 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday and noon to 6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. We add it only if your route enters the zone while it applies.
- ULEZ, fuel, stairs and weekend moves are already included in our prices, in the centre as everywhere else.
How much does a move in Central London cost?
Most Central London moves cost between £110–£175 for a studio and £375–£525 for a three-bed home on our rate card, before any parking or road charges. Add a parking suspension if the van needs a guaranteed space, and £18 if the route enters the Congestion Charge zone while it applies.
Our prices are the same in every London borough, so the van and crew part does not change because the address is in Mayfair rather than Ilford. The table shows typical times and prices by home size.
| Home | Van and crew | Typical time | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Single item | Van + 1 helper | 2 hours | £110 |
| Studio | Van + 1 helper | 2–3 hours | £110–£175 |
| One-bed flat | Van + 1 helper | 3–4 hours | £175–£240 |
| Two-bed flat | Luton + 2 helpers | 4–5 hours | £300–£375 |
| Three-bed home | Luton + 2 helpers | 5–7 hours | £375–£525 |
Each job has a two-hour minimum, then 30-minute steps at the hourly rate. A van and driver on its own is £90 for the first two hours, for a few boxes or items you can help carry.
- Suspended bay at the door: about 10 metres a trip. We can arrange it; some boroughs want ten working days’ notice.
- Nearest legal space: 60 metres a trip for every box and every piece of furniture. That alone can add an hour.
What does Central London add to the cost?
Three things, none of which is part of the hourly rate:
- Parking. If there is nowhere legal to stop near the door, a council parking suspension reserves the space. It costs anything from an admin fee to a few hundred pounds, depending on the council and how late you apply.
- The Congestion Charge. £18 a day if the van drives in the zone while it applies. Many Central London moves avoid it, either because the addresses are outside the zone or because the move runs outside charging hours.
- Access time. Mansion blocks without lifts, lifts that must be booked, concierge desks, long corridors and a van parked round the corner all add minutes to every trip. In the centre this is usually the biggest of the three.
Parking and the Congestion Charge, council by council
The table brings together what each Central London council charged in October 2026 to suspend two parking spaces for one day for a home move with full notice, how much notice it wants, and where it sits against the Congestion Charge zone.
| Council | Two spaces, one day | Notice | Congestion Charge zone |
|---|---|---|---|
| City of London | Priced for works, not moves | 6 working days to process | Inside the zone |
| Westminster | £102 or £110 | 10 working days | Mostly inside: Mayfair, Soho, St James’s, south Marylebone and Westminster itself |
| Camden | £66.66 | At least 17 days | Only the south: Holborn, Bloomsbury and the Covent Garden fringe |
| Islington | £164.80 | 14 days; 10 days for Pay By Phone bays | Only the southern edge, around Clerkenwell |
| Southwark | £199.30 | 7 days | Only the north: Bankside, Borough and Elephant and Castle |
| Lambeth | £213.93 | 10 or more working days | Only the north, around Waterloo and the South Bank |
| Kensington and Chelsea | £164 | 10 working days for resident bays; 2 working days for pay-by-phone bays | Outside the zone |
The City of London prices suspensions for works rather than home moves, so there is no simple example. For every council’s full charges, late fees and how to apply, see our parking suspension costs guide, or use the parking suspension cost checker to find the last day to apply for your moving date.
How does the Congestion Charge affect a removal?
TfL charges £18 a day from 2 January 2026 for driving in the zone 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and noon to 6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. There is no charge between Christmas Day and the New Year’s Day bank holiday.
For a removal the question is the route, not the address alone. A move between two addresses outside the zone can still cross it, and a move that starts at 6pm on a weekday or finishes before noon on a Saturday can avoid it altogether.
With Alpha Movers, the Congestion Charge is added only if your route has to enter the zone while the charge applies, and it is shown in your quote rather than afterwards. ULEZ is already included in our prices.
Worked example: a one-bed flat from Westminster
A one-bed flat on the third floor of a Westminster mansion block with a lift, moving to Islington on a weekday morning. No parking near the door, so two spaces are suspended for the day with full notice.
| Part | Cost |
|---|---|
| Van and one helper, 3–4 hours | £175–£240 |
| Parking suspension, two spaces, one day (Westminster) | £102 or £110 |
| Congestion Charge (weekday, route inside the zone) | £18 |
| Total | About £295–£368 |
Move the same flat on a Saturday afternoon and the Congestion Charge still applies; start at 6pm on a weekday and it does not. If the street has a legal place to load outside the door, the suspension is not needed and the total is the van and crew alone.
Why access matters more than distance in the centre
Distances in Central London are short, but every trip from the van to the flat takes longer than in the suburbs. The common causes are a van parked out of sight of the door, a lift that is small or shared, and stairs in mansion blocks and converted houses.
Tell us about each of these before the day: the floor at both ends, whether there is a lift and if it must be booked, and where the van can stop. Photos on WhatsApp are the quickest way, and they let us plan the crew so the hours stay down.
Moving in Central London with Alpha Movers
Our prices in Central London are the same as in the rest of London, and fuel, ULEZ, stairs at any floor, evenings, weekends and £10,000 goods in transit cover are included. Parking suspensions are charged by the council, and the Congestion Charge is added only if your route needs it.
See how our prices work, work out your van size or book online. You pay by bank transfer after the job, with no deposit.
- BeforeGet your priceCall, WhatsApp or book online. A price in about two minutes on the phone.
- BeforeYour slot is bookedNo deposit. Free to change or cancel up to 24 hours before the start time.
- On the dayThe crew arrivesBlankets, straps and floor protection come with the van at no extra cost.
- On the dayLoad and driveEverything on board is covered by £10,000 goods in transit insurance.
- On the dayUnload room by roomFurniture and boxes go into the rooms you choose, not left in the hallway.
- AfterPay when it’s doneBy bank transfer, once you’ve confirmed the move is complete. No cash, nothing up front.
Frequently asked questions
Per hour, no: our van and crew rates are the same across Greater London. The total can be higher in the centre because of three things outside the hourly rate: a parking suspension if the van needs a guaranteed space, the Congestion Charge if the route enters the zone while it applies (£18 a day from 2 January 2026), and extra time when the van cannot park near the door or the building has a slow lift.
Our worked example comes to roughly £295–£368: 3–4 hours with a van and one helper (£175–£240), two suspended parking spaces for the day (£102 or £110 depending on the zone, October 2026) and one Congestion Charge (£18) if the move runs on a weekday. Without a suspension, or outside charging hours, it is just the van and crew.
Yes, if the van drives within the zone while the charge applies: 7am to 6pm, Monday to Friday, and noon to 6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. There is no charge between Christmas Day and the New Year’s Day bank holiday. With Alpha Movers it is added only when your route actually needs to enter the zone during those hours, and it is shown in your quote.
No. The zone covers the City of London and most of central Westminster, plus the edges of Camden, Islington, Southwark and Lambeth. Kensington and Chelsea is outside it, although parking there is the most expensive of the councils we checked if you apply late. Check the exact street on TfL’s zone map before you book.
Not always. Some councils let a removal van load in a bay or on a single yellow line if loading is continuous and nothing is blocked. A suspension is worth it when there is nowhere legal to stop near the door, because a long carry adds time to every trip. Our parking suspension cost checker shows the charge and the last day to apply for each council.
Yes, but for shorter hours: noon to 6pm on Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays. A Saturday morning move that is finished before noon will usually avoid it. ULEZ is a separate scheme and runs every day, but it is already included in our prices.
