A relocation service for a move to Europe can cost anything from a few hundred euros for one task to several thousand for a full package. The price depends less on the country and more on one question: who does the work, you or them? A firm that books you a furnished flat for a month charges a few hundred euros. A team that stays with you from CV to registered address charges in the thousands.
This guide explains what relocation services actually cover, how they charge, what the prices look like, and how to spot a bad deal. Fair warning: we sell relocation services ourselves, so we use our own four services as one example near the end, with every price exactly as it stands on our homepage. The market prices come from other companies' own websites, checked in October 2026.
Relocation Service Costs at a Glance
| Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Home search only (Germany, one firm's published prices) | €450–€2,500 per package |
| Job search agency (US, one agency's published price) | $1,500 a month plus 10% of first-year salary |
| Full packages for individuals | Mostly quoted on request |
| Employer-paid relocation | Paid by the employer, no price to you |
| Removal and shipping | Quoted separately by volume |
| Who decides on your visa | Only the authority, never a service |
| Move2Europe services | Basic (€299), Gold (€999), VIP (€8,999 in 4 stages), Placement (€2,000) |
What a Relocation Service Actually Does
"Relocation service" covers very different businesses. Before comparing prices, work out which of these jobs you actually want help with:
- Job search: your CV in the format the target country expects, your LinkedIn profile, interview practice, and the search itself.
- Visa: what each route requires, which documents go in, and how the appointment works. Immigration rules are partly EU-wide and partly national, so the details change from country to country.
- Housing: where to search, what landlords ask for, viewings and the lease. In Germany, the deposit is capped by law at three months' rent without utilities.
- Settling in: address registration, a bank account, a tax number, health insurance, schools and childcare. In Germany you have to register your address within two weeks of moving in, so this part comes fast.
- The physical move: shipping your things. That's a moving company, not a relocation service, and it's priced separately.
Most providers cover one or two of these. Ask who actually does each part, because some hand parts of the work to partners.
Heads up: a relocation service can show you what a visa route requires and help you get your documents in order. It can't promise approval. Only the embassy, consulate or immigration office decides, and any service that suggests otherwise is a red flag.
How Relocation Services Charge: Four Price Models
The price model tells you more than the price itself, because it shows what the provider is paid for.
| Price model | How you pay | Example we found | What to watch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Per task (home search, registration) | One fee per package | €450 for a booked furnished stay up to €2,500 for an unfurnished long-term search with viewings and handover (one German firm) | How many viewings and options are included, and what extending costs |
| Monthly plus success fee (job search agencies) | A monthly fee, then a share of your salary | $1,500 a month plus 10% of first-year salary (one US agency) | The total if your search takes six months |
| Full package (job, visa, housing, settling) | One price or several payments | Usually quoted on request | What is done for you and what is only explained to you |
| Employer-paid (corporate relocation) | Your employer pays the provider | No price to you | Only available once you have the job offer |
Home search and settling-in packages
Many home-search firms target people whose employer doesn't provide a relocation package. One German firm publishes four home-search packages: €450 to research and book a temporary furnished stay, €850 for a short furnished search with up to two viewings, €1,500 for an unfurnished long-term search with up to four accompanied viewings, and €2,500 for a larger search plus handover, utilities and registration help. Others give a price only after a call. Either way, you pay per city and per search, and a second search costs again.
Job search agencies
Sometimes called reverse recruiters, these apply to jobs for you. The ones we found are US businesses, aimed at US jobs. One well-known US agency charges $1,500 a month plus 10% of your first-year salary when you accept an offer. That model makes sense for a US job hunt. For Europe, ask whether they know the employers, the CV formats and the language requirements in your target country, because most don't.
Full packages
Firms that cover job, visa, housing and settling together rarely publish a price. When they do, check whether the price covers the work or only the guidance. "Visa support" can mean anything from a document list to a person going through your file with you.
Employer-paid relocation
If you already have a job offer, ask your employer before you pay for anything. Some employers pay a relocation firm directly for the home search and registration. You won't see the price, but you also won't pay it.
How to Choose a Relocation Service
Once you know which parts you want help with, these questions sort the good providers from the rest:
- Who does the work? Ask what they do for you and what they only explain. Both are fine, but the price should match.
- Which countries do they actually know? A firm with people in Berlin may know nothing about renting in Lisbon.
- When do you pay? One payment upfront, monthly fees, or stages tied to things that happen. Payments tied to events (a lease signed, an address registered) protect you best.
- What happens if a step never happens? If you don't get the job, or the visa is refused, do you still owe the rest?
- Is there a written contract? It should name the company, the price, what's included, and how you can withdraw.
- Who stays with you? One named person, or a ticket queue?
If you're still early, our list of mistakes that sink most moves to Europe is worth reading before you sign anything.
Red Flags When Hiring a Relocation Service
Walk away, or at least slow down, if a provider does any of these:
- Promises your visa will be approved. No service can. The decision belongs to the authority.
- Tells you which visa you qualify for after a ten-minute call. That's a judgment on your legal situation, not a sales question.
- Promises a job offer by a date. Interviews and offers depend on employers, not on the service.
- Asks for the full price upfront for work that happens months later. Paying for housing before you have a job or a visa is paying for something that may never happen.
- Has no company name, address or written contract. You should know exactly who you're paying.
- Charges monthly with no end date. Check what the total would be after six or twelve months.
- Won't say who does the work. If parts are handed to partners, you should know who they are.
Example: Move2Europe's Four Services and Prices
Here's how we price our own services, as one example of the "who does the work" logic. All prices include VAT and are the total you pay. Each service has its own contract.
| Service | Price | Who does the work |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | €299 one-time, 12 months | You. Our job search tool shows live roles from European employers; you search and apply yourself |
| Gold | €999 one-time | You, with a person from our team: CV optimization, guided LinkedIn profile optimization, 2 hours of live interview coaching, relocation guides on four topics |
| VIP | €8,999, paid in 4 stages | Us, guiding your move: CV and LinkedIn done for you, visa checklist and guidance, housing search guidance, registration, bank and tax number, family, 10 hours of coaching in total |
| Placement | €2,000, nothing upfront | A separate service: we source roles for you and submit applications with your written authority. You pay only if you sign an employment contract that came about through our work |
VIP is paid stage by stage, and each stage is invoiced only when it's reached:
- We start on your profile, CV and LinkedIn: €1,999
- Your visa is approved: €2,000
- You sign a lease: €2,500
- You have arrived and registered: €2,500
If a stage never happens, you never pay for it. VIP, visa support and the housing search work for any European country, with Germany as our home base. Visa support (€2,000) and the housing search (€2,500) can also be bought on their own.
On the visa, we're specific about what we do and don't do. You choose the route. We show you what the consulate asks for and point out anything missing from the list. You prepare and submit everything yourself and book your own appointment. On housing, we show you where and how to search; you find, choose and contact the landlord yourself. For the details of a German rental, see our guide to renting an apartment in Germany, and for the first weeks after landing, settling into Europe in your first 30 days.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a relocation service cost in Europe? It depends on what you hand over. A single home search in Germany costs roughly €450–€2,500 per package at one firm that publishes its prices, US job search agencies charge around $1,500 a month plus a success fee, and full packages are mostly quoted on request.
Is a relocation service worth it when moving to Europe from the US? It's worth it for the parts you can't do well alone, usually the CV format for the target country, the housing search in a tight market, and registration in a language you don't speak. If you only need one of those, pay for that one part rather than a full package.
Do relocation services include job search? Some do, most don't. Home-search and settling-in firms usually start once you already have a job, while job search agencies rarely help with visa or housing. Ask which part each provider actually covers.
Can a relocation service guarantee my visa? No. Only the embassy, consulate or immigration office decides on a visa. A good service shows you what the authority asks for and helps you get your documents in order, and says plainly that the decision isn't theirs.
Will my employer pay for a relocation service? Sometimes, if you already have the offer. Some employers pay a relocation firm directly for the home search and registration, so ask before you pay for anything yourself.
What's the difference between a relocation service and a moving company? A moving company ships your belongings and charges by volume and distance. A relocation service helps with the job, visa, housing and paperwork side of the move. Most people moving from the US need a mover, a relocation service, or both, and they're priced separately.
The cheapest service isn't the one with the lowest price. It's the one that charges you only for the parts you can't do yourself, and only when those parts actually happen.
Official sources:
- EU Immigration Portal, European Commission: immigration rules are shared between the EU and each member state
- Federal Registration Act, section 17 (gesetze-im-internet.de): registering your address in Germany within two weeks of moving in
- German Civil Code, section 551 (gesetze-im-internet.de): the cap on rental deposits at three months' rent