Why Most First-Home Move-In Budgets Are Wrong
The standard buyer template of deposit plus stamp duty plus a buffer misses three line items that consistently catch first-home buyers off-guard in the first 30 days.
Most contracts require you to set up new accounts in your name on or before settlement day, with connection fees ranging $65 to $99 per service. Internet alone takes 2 to 7 business days to activate even on the same NBN tail, and the connection fee plus first month is due upfront. Electricity and gas typically charge a connection fee plus their first bill in the same cycle.
Council rates are charged quarterly in most states but pro-rata at settlement, so you typically owe the seller for the unused portion of their current quarter, and then the next quarter falls in your first 90 days. Home insurance becomes due on settlement day. Internet, electricity and gas all front-load: your first bill arrives within 30 days. The new home checklist walks through the sequencing.
Most contracts leave fridges, washing machines and dryers behind only if explicitly listed in the inclusions. New builds typically come with none. Even fully-furnished resales rarely include the kettle, toaster, microwave and basic kitchen tools you actually use day one. The calculator above lets you tick which bundles you still need; the totals are pulled from the NestPath hub's verified Amazon AU kit minimums.
How the Appliance Bundle Totals Were Calculated
The bundle figures are the sum of each kit's budget-tier picks from the NestPath hub. We verify Amazon AU availability daily. The prices reflect the lowest in-stock pick we would actually recommend, not theoretical Kmart-tier numbers that will not survive a year.
| Bundle | Budget-tier total | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Kitchen starter | about $436 | Kettle, toaster, microwave, air fryer, knife set |
| Bedroom kit | $472 | Mattress, protector, pillows, sheets |
| Major appliances | $3,500 | Fridge, dishwasher, induction cooktop, washing machine, dryer |
The kitchen starter (about $436) bundles a budget kettle, toaster, microwave, air fryer and knife set, sourced from the best kettle Australia, best toaster, best microwave, best air fryer and best knife set guides.
The bedroom kit ($472) is mattress + protector + pillows + sheets at the budget tier. Major appliances ($3,500) is the conservative whole-of-house white-goods bundle: fridge, dishwasher, induction cooktop, washing machine, dryer. The hub's own fridge guide and washing machine guide carry the per-item picks.
Compare With Other AU Calculators
If you only need the stamp-duty figure, use our stamp duty calculator. If you need to know whether your deposit triggers LMI, use the LMI calculator. For borrowing-capacity sanity-checking pre-offer, the borrowing power calculator models that. For ongoing repayments after settlement, use the mortgage repayment calculator.
The Move-In Cost Calculator is the only one that combines all the above (via the same stamp-duty rate tables) with the post-settlement reality: utilities, connection fees, council rates, insurance, and the appliance kit your new home is missing.
Moving in soon? Sort your utilities before settlement day
Connection fees are mandatory if the previous owner disconnected services, and internet can take 2 to 7 business days to activate. Our utilities guide walks you through connecting electricity, gas, water and internet at your new address.
Move-In Costs: Frequently Asked Questions
What is the real cost of moving into a first home in Australia in 2026?
For a $750,000 NSW property bought as a first home buyer, expect roughly $3,150 in conveyancing, building and pest inspection, title transfer and mortgage-registration fees (stamp duty is exempt under $800,000), $1,980 in one-off move-in costs (removalists, connections, professional clean), about $674 in first-month recurring costs (electricity, gas, water, internet, council rates, home insurance) and $4,408 minimum if you buy the kitchen + bedroom + major appliances bundles, totalling around $10,200 in the first month. Different states and price points move this figure significantly. The calculator above runs the numbers for your specific situation.
How much should I budget for first-month utilities in Australia?
First-month utility costs vary by state. NSW averages around $674 (electricity $165, gas $70, water $55, internet $79, council rates $175, home insurance $130). Victoria runs lower at about $669 because electricity is cheaper. Queensland sits at about $764 because of higher electricity prices and warmer-climate cooling loads. WA is around $684. SA is among the highest at about $714 due to electricity prices. ACT averages about $704. TAS is around $669. NT is the highest at about $829 because of internet and insurance premiums.
Do I need to budget for new appliances when moving into my first home?
Most first home buyers underestimate this line item. A bare-minimum kitchen starter kit (kettle, toaster, microwave, air fryer, knife set) runs about $436 from Amazon AU verified picks. A bedroom kit (mattress, protector, pillows, sheets) is around $472. Major appliances (fridge, dishwasher, induction cooktop, washing machine, dryer) at the budget tier total about $3,500. If your new home is unfurnished, expect $4,000 to $8,000 in appliance spend in the first 3 months. The calculator pulls these figures from our verified hub bundle data, so you can include or exclude each kit based on what you already own.
What one-off costs are easy to forget when moving into a new home?
The forgettable ones add up to about $1,980: removalists ($1,400 for a typical interstate or city-to-suburb move), electricity connection fee ($65), gas connection fee ($65), internet setup ($99) and professional clean ($350). Add another $1,500 to $3,000 if you also buy curtains, blinds and basic furniture in the first month. These are not optional in practice, because connection fees are mandatory if the previous owner disconnected services. A building and pest inspection (around $600) is strongly recommended before settlement too, but that sits in your pre-purchase inspection fees, not these move-in costs.
How is this different from a stamp duty calculator?
A stamp duty calculator only tells you the state-government tax line. The Move-In Cost Calculator includes stamp duty (using the same 2026 state revenue office rates) PLUS conveyancing, inspections, title transfer, mortgage registration, removalists, connection fees, the first month of utility bills, council rates, home insurance, and the appliance kit your new place is missing, sourced from NestPath's verified Amazon AU bundles. It's the figure your conveyancer won't quote you. Use the stamp duty calculator if you only need the tax number; use this one if you want the honest move-in budget.