This calculator compares the cost of renovating your current home against selling up and moving to a better one in New Zealand, a decision most homeowners wrestle with at some point as their needs outgrow their house. The two paths look similar in outcome, a home that suits you better, but they cost very differently. Renovating is one clear spend: the cost of the work. Moving, on the other hand, hides a lot of dead money, because the act of selling and buying carries real estate agent commission on the sale, legal fees on both the sale and the purchase, and removal costs, none of which buy you any extra house. On top of that sits the price gap, the extra you pay for the better home compared with what your current one is worth. You enter your renovation budget, then your current home value, the agent commission rate, legal and moving costs, and the price of the home you would move to. The calculator totals the full cost of moving and sets it against the renovation, showing which path costs less to reach a home that fits. Renovating frequently wins on pure cost, but moving can deliver a location, school zone or section that no renovation can, so weigh those factors too. Figures are estimates only and not financial advice.
Move total includes the price gap to a better home plus transaction costs. Moving may offer location or land a renovation cannot. Estimate only.
The renovate total is simply your renovation cost. The move total is the transaction cost of moving, which is agent commission (your home value times the commission rate) plus legal and moving costs, added to the price gap (the new home price minus your current home value). The calculator compares the two totals and reports which path is cheaper.
A 180,000 dollar renovation versus moving: commission at 2.5 percent of a 900,000 dollar home is 22,500 dollars, plus 3,000 legal and 3,000 moving, so 28,500 dollars of transaction costs, plus a 250,000 dollar price gap to a 1,150,000 dollar home, totals 278,500 dollars. Renovating is about 98,500 dollars cheaper.
If you've found a bug, or would like to contact us, or learn more about James Graham and Calculate.co.nz.
Calculate.co.nz is partnered with Interest.co.nz for New Zealand's highest quality calculators and financial analysis.
All calculators and tools are provided for educational and indicative purposes only and do not constitute financial advice.
Calculate.co.nz is proudly part of the Realtor.co.nz group, New Zealand's leading property transaction literacy platform, helping Kiwis understand the home buying and selling process from start to finish. Whether you're a first home buyer navigating your first property purchase, an investor evaluating your next acquisition, or a homeowner planning to sell, Realtor.co.nz provides clear, independent, and trustworthy guidance on every step of the New Zealand property transaction journey.
Calculate.co.nz is also partnered with Health Based Building and Premium Homes to promote informed choices that lead to better long-term outcomes for Kiwi households.
Calculate.co.nz is hosted in Auckland via SiteHost new Zealand.
All content on this website, including calculators, tools, source code, and design, is protected under the Copyright Act 1994 (New Zealand). No part of this site may be reproduced, copied, distributed, stored, or used in any form without prior written permission from the owner.
© 2019 to 2026 Calculate.co.nz. All rights reserved.