Moving to Devon is one of those decisions people think about for years before finally doing it. And then, when they actually do it, most find the reality is better than the idea — which isn’t always how that goes.
We’ve helped plenty of families and couples make exactly this move over the past five years. Whether they’re arriving from Bristol, London, the Midlands, or further north, the questions are usually the same: Which part of Devon? What are house prices like? What’s it actually like to live here? And, practically speaking, how do you move your whole life to the South West without it turning into a disaster?
Here’s our honest take, from a team that loads and unloads Devon properties every week.
Which Part of Devon is Right for You?
Devon is bigger than most people expect, and the different parts of the county feel genuinely different. Getting this decision right — ideally before you commit to a purchase — makes an enormous difference to whether moving to Devon delivers what you hoped.
South Devon is where most people picture when they think of Devon. The English Riviera towns — Torquay, Paignton, Brixham — sit along a warm, south-facing coastline. Totnes and the South Hams draw a creative, independent crowd. Newton Abbot sits at a practical mid-point: good rail connections to Exeter and Plymouth via the Riviera Line, reasonable house prices relative to the coast, and a proper working market town feel. Teignmouth and Dawlish offer seafront living at a fraction of the coastal premium you’d pay in Salcombe or Dartmouth.
The A38 Devon Expressway is your main artery in from the east, dropping you into this part of the county fairly efficiently. South Devon’s relative accessibility from the M5 makes it a sensible choice if you’re still travelling to other parts of the UK occasionally.
Exeter is a different proposition altogether. A compact, busy city with a good university, a strong employment base, direct rail to London Paddington (Great Western Railway), and considerably more cultural life than anywhere else in Devon. If you’re relocating but can’t entirely step away from a career that needs city access, Exeter is the obvious answer. It draws a younger demographic than much of the rest of Devon, and its housing market reflects that — prices are higher than inland market towns, but still well below Bristol or the southeast. You can read more about what a move into Exeter involves on our Exeter removals page.
North Devon — Barnstaple, Bideford, Ilfracombe, Croyde, Woolacombe — is genuinely wilder and more remote. The A361 North Devon Link Road connects Barnstaple to Junction 27 of the M5 at Tiverton, but it’s a single-carriageway A-road for most of its length and can be slow in summer. Go in expecting a proper rural lifestyle, not a quieter version of somewhere more connected. In return, the scenery is spectacular and the pace of life is as different from the southeast as it’s possible to get while remaining in England.
East Devon — Exmouth, Sidmouth, Honiton, Axminster — offers the Jurassic Coast, a gentler pace, and a slightly older demographic. Popular with early retirees and people making a permanent break from the commuter belt.
One piece of advice that might seem obvious but is often ignored: visit at different times of year before committing. Devon in August is beautiful and busy. Devon in February is quiet, dramatic, and gives you a much clearer idea of what year-round life actually looks like.
What Are Devon House Prices Like?
Devon house prices cover an enormous range depending on where you’re looking. As a rough guide for 2026:
In Newton Abbot, a two-bedroom terraced house might be found at around £220,000–£270,000. A three-bedroom semi runs £280,000–£350,000 in most parts of town.
In Exeter, expect to pay considerably more — a three-bedroom semi in a good catchment area is typically £350,000–£460,000. City-centre flats start lower, but the family home market in Exeter proper is competitive.
In Torquay and Paignton, prices are broadly similar to Newton Abbot for comparable properties, though there’s huge variation between seafront and a few streets inland.
In North Devon, Barnstaple and Bideford tend to be more affordable than South Devon — more house for your money, though you’ll offset some of that saving in fuel costs.
At the premium end, Salcombe, Dartmouth, and parts of the South Hams can run to £600,000 and well beyond for properties that might fetch half that in a mid-Devon market town.
Stamp Duty Land Tax is worth factoring into your budget — your solicitor will calculate it, but it sits on top of purchase price and legal fees and catches people out when they haven’t planned for it.
Moving to Devon from Far Away: Planning the Long-Distance Removal
A long-distance removal into Devon — from London, the Midlands, Yorkshire, Scotland, anywhere north or east of Bristol — needs earlier booking and more planning than a local move.
The A38 Devon Expressway is manageable in a removal lorry, but Devon’s roads beyond that can surprise. Narrow lanes, steep approaches, and limited turning space are common in the county’s older housing stock. A removal crew that’s driven four hundred miles from Sheffield doesn’t want to discover a tight village lane at the end of it with twenty minutes of daylight left.
A few things that make a real difference:
- Share access information in advance. Photos or short video of the approach to your new Devon property — particularly if there’s a narrow lane, a shared drive, or limited parking — help your removal team plan properly. We ask for this as standard when we’re working on long-distance jobs.
- Clarify your key handover time. On long-distance moves, there’s often a gap between loading at one end and being able to unload at the other. If keys aren’t available until midday, discuss whether loading the evening before or arriving early makes sense.
- Allow for storage if completion dates don’t align. Chain collapses and delayed completions happen. When you’re coming from far away, the consequences are more disruptive than for a local move. Our storage service is used regularly by incoming relocators who need a short-term bridge between vacating their old property and being able to move into the new one.
We cover the whole of Devon for long-distance arrivals. Our Devon removals page explains the geographic scope and what to expect when you book with us. For your specific move, give us a ring on 07792 215 204 and we’ll talk through the practicalities.
The Admin You Need to Sort After Arriving
The first few weeks in your new Devon home involve a fair amount of admin. Working through it methodically in the first month saves a pile of letters addressed to you at the wrong place and prevents gaps in services that are harder to fix later.
Council tax. Register with your new local authority — Teignbridge District Council, Exeter City Council, Torbay Council, Mid Devon District Council, or one of the others, depending on where you’ve settled. You’re liable from the day you move in, so register promptly.
Electoral roll. Register with your new council. It takes five minutes online and shouldn’t be left until the next election rolls around. It also affects your credit score, so it’s worth doing early.
Your V5C logbook. Update your vehicle address with the DVLA within a month of moving. You can do it online in a few minutes. Neglecting it means your V5C has the wrong address, which matters more than most people realise when they come to sell the vehicle.
GP and dental registration. Finding an NHS GP practice in Devon is usually straightforward. NHS dental practices with available NHS patient slots are harder — there’s a shortage across the county, particularly in rural areas and some coastal towns. Ask around locally as soon as you arrive rather than waiting until you need a dentist urgently.
TV Licence. If you had one at your old address, update the address at tvlicensing.co.uk — it takes a couple of minutes.
Royal Mail redirect. Set one up from your old address to cover the first three to six months while you work through your accounts, subscriptions, and contacts. It’s not expensive and catches things you’d otherwise miss.
HMRC. If you’re employed, your employer handles your tax code, but it’s worth confirming HMRC has your updated address — particularly if you’re self-employed or file a self-assessment return.
Ready to Make the Move?
Moving to Devon is one of those decisions that tends to stay made. We’ve watched a lot of families arrive in this county and settle into a life they’re genuinely happy with. The move itself doesn’t need to be the hard part.
Our house removals service covers long-distance relocations into Devon as well as local moves within the county. We know the roads, the access quirks, and how to make the end of a long removal day as smooth as possible.
To talk through your move, get in touch online and we’ll come back to you with a no-obligation quote.
Professional removal services across Devon. Helping families and businesses move with care since 2019.