You may not particularly like the quote that money is what makes the world go round. However, whether you like it or not is largely irrelevant as you will soon realize that whenever you’re facing a house move, it’s practically the dollar bills that will make the wheels of the truck go round and round until the destination city or town is reached.
Knowing how much your move will cost will surely enable you to set your moving budget accordingly. After all, the last thing you would need during a tough transitional period of moving from one home to another is to learn that you don’t have enough money to cover the inevitable move-related expenses.
What is the average cost of moving house?
The national average cost of a local move is about $1,680 with a price range from $480 to $2,880.
The national average cost of a long-distance move ranges from $2,363 – $4,930 (1-bedroom) to about $4,208 – $6,885 (4-bedroom) for a distance of 1,000 miles.
Read on to find the average moving cost you’re most interested in.
If you have chosen to use a full-service moving company, then in most cases, that will be the most expensive option to move your belongings.
When moving from one state to another, then the relocation cost of your move will be based on the distance between the old and new locations and the overall weight of the stuff you’re moving.
Of course, the average moving cost will also depend on the extra services you choose to get from your full-service mover or are required for the successful completion of the house move.
Therefore, if you wish to have your household items packed professionally, then you’ll have to pay for the additional service of packing.
Local move
Long-distance move
Basic move (no extra services)
$480 – $2,880
$2,567 – $5,801
Packing
$80 per hour per mover
$500 – $4,000
The national average cost to hire packers for a local move is about $80 per hour per packer but through careful research, you could find cheaper professional packing services.
Also, your full-service moving company should be able to offer you a number of other add-on services that you may need:
What is the average cost of hiring movers?
disassembly and re-assembly of large and heavy furniture items,
crating of extra-fragile and super-valuable items using strong wooden crates,
temporary storage of your items in their storage facilities until your new home is ready for those possessions, and even
hoisting of big and heavy items out of the home using specialized housing equipment.
Make sure you get an accurate cost estimate from your movers that will include all extra moving services that you will be paying for.
What are the average moving costs per hour? Local moving
If you happen to be moving across town or locally within the same state, then it’s important to understand how the local moving price is formed.
What is the average cost of movers per hour?
The average moving price of local moves is about $80 per hour per mover. However, that price can be higher depending on your location within the country.
Here’s a table with the average cost of movers for a local move based on the number of bedrooms in the home you’re moving out of.
The average moving costs are calculated with the typical hourly rate of $80 per local mover.
Factors that affect the average moving cost of local moves
Here are 3 points you should keep in mind throughout your local move so that you don’t get an unpleasant surprise when it’s time to cover the expenses at the end of the relocation.
1) Local moving costs can vary greatly depending on your exact location (state and city). Yet, our average moving cost example will give you a good idea of how much money you should prepare to pay the local moving company at the end of your short-distance move.
Finding a perfectly affordable moving company is the key to a perfectly affordable move.
2) As a rule of thumb, local movers charge on an hourly basis regardless of the type of activity they are performing at the moment. That is, the hourly tariff stays unchanged regardless of whether they are packing, carrying your household items outside your home, loading those same household goods into the moving vehicle, driving to your destination, unloading your stuff, or carrying all your furniture pieces, household appliances and cardboard boxes over the threshold of your new apartment or house.
3) If you have no idea what the term travel fee means, then you’re likely to learn its meaning soon enough. That fee covers the expenses in terms of fuel and time your local moving company needs to reach your home, and then travel back from your second location. Usually, you will be charged a travel fee that equals 1 hour of standard move-related work.
If you have the required time and necessary skills to pack your own belongings, your average moving bill will be much lower than if you choose to have professional movers do the packing for you.
It’s always important to be aware of the extra local moving costs that you should expect to be charged whenever applicable.
Of course, extra charges may be available according to the complexity of your local move. Excessive flight of stairs, long distance to the moving vehicle, or an excess of bulky and heavy items may make the final price higher.
Discuss in advance the possibility of additional costs with your local moving company.
Furthermore, it’s a good idea to prepare some money in cash in case you are satisfied with the work of your hired men and you wish to reward their efforts by giving them well-deserved tips.
Be mindful that tipping local movers is not mandatory but is always appreciated by each and every hard-working crew member.
What are the average moving costs per mile and pound? Cross-country moving
And now that you have a much better idea about the average moving costs for local moves, let’s take a look at the average moving costs for cross-country moves.
What is the average cost of long-distance movers?
For the sake of convenience, let’s assume that you’re moving to a new town or city that is exactly 1,000 miles away from your starting point. Then, we get the following moving average price examples:
Home size
Total Weight (approximately)
Move Distance
Average Moving Cost
Studio / 1-bedroom
1,800 – 3,500 pounds
1,000 miles
$2,363–
$4,930
2-bedroom
5,000 – 6,000 pounds
1,000 miles
$2,567– $5,801
3-bedroom
9,000 pounds
1,000 miles
$3,570– $6,163
The most important thing to remember here is that the above moving costs are only approximate values that can serve you well to get a general view of what your cross-country move will cost you.
In practice, exact values are merely impossible to state due to the fact that all final moving prices are calculated on a case-by-case basis.
In other words, even if you and your next-door neighbor were moving to one and the same city in another part of the country, each of you would pay a different sum in the end because
you’d have a different number and types of household goods for transportation;
you’d request different extra services depending on your individual needs and preferences, and
you’d use the professional services of different long-distance movers (most likely).
Factors that affect the average moving cost of cross-country moves
The first thing to understand here is that the price of long-distance moving is formed and calculated in an entirely different way than the price of local moving.
For example, you shouldn’t expect to be charged by the hour when using the services of a top-rated long-distance mover.
Rather, the final price will be determined by these 3 major factors:
Understand what factors affect the average interstate moving costs and you will be able to save big on your cross-country move.
1. Distance between the two homes
The longer the distance between your current home and the residence you’re moving to, the higher the relocation cost.
And because you won’t be able to exert any control whatsoever over the mileage between the two homes, concentrate on the next two price influential variables.
2. Shipment weight
It’s easy to guess that the more household items you choose to move to your new home, the more the entire shipment will weigh, and therefore, the more money you will have to pay in the end.
Fortunately, this highly logical relocation price factor will also let you save hundreds of dollars when you choose to do the smart thing of reducing the number of your belongings to their absolute minimum.
3. Additional services
The price estimates you receive from reputable long-distance movers should include the basic move parameters, plus any additional moving services you have requested such as packing, unpacking, furniture disassembly and/or re-assembly, and so on.
Also, you will be charged extra for handling specialty items such as a piano, a grandfather clock, a hot tub, a heavy safe, a pool table, etc.
Therefore, be ready to be charged extra for any accessorial service you demand or which may have become necessary for completing the job altogether.
Packing is the most common add-on service offered by full-service moving companies. As it turns out, it also happens to be the most laborious task in the entire house moving process as well.
In most cases, the arduous job of packing for a move starts on Day 1 of the pre-move preparation and ends one day prior to Moving day (ideally) or on the Big day itself.
And this is exactly why some people choose to hire professional packers to protect and pack up their belongings quickly, and more importantly – safely.
One of the most critical decisions to make during a house move is to decide whether you should pack your things by yourself or whether you’d be better off hiring professional packers to complete that difficult task for you.
The major factors that will help you make the right decision are
What’s the average cost to hire packers?
TIME. How many days do you have until the move-out date? Professional packers are known for their high packing efficiency and optimal time management.
SAFETY. Do you know what it takes to protect your fragile items so that they survive the move perfectly intact? Professional packers do.
PACKING SUPPLIES. Getting hold of the proper packing materials should not be underestimated. Professional packers will arrive at your home with their own quality packing supplies.
PRICE. Of course, the cost of professional packing services will greatly influence your decision about whether to hire packers or pack by yourself.
So, how much does it cost to hire packers?
Cost of packers for a local move
The national average price to hire packers is around $80 per hour per packer.
When moving locally, your local moving company will charge you for packing on an hourly basis. Therefore, the cost of the additional service of packing will depend on how many hours your hired men spend on packing up your household items.
Needless to say, the more things you intend to move with you, the more time professional packers will need to protect them.
Each additional packer will cost you an extra charge of roughly $80 per hour but the decision to hire more helpers may prove to be a great one since the packing job should be completed in a shorter time interval.
The cost of packing materials may or may not be included in the hourly rate of packers, so make sure you ask your moving company for clarification.
Cost of packers for a cross-country move
When you’re moving across the country, long-distance movers will give you a flat rate for the service of packing. And as you can suspect, the cost of packing will depend on the number of items that need to be packed up and whether or not some of those things will require special packing care.
1-bedroom apartment: $300-$450. The cost of packing a 1-bedroom apartment by professional packers will be roughly $300-$450 for packing labor alone. The cost of packing materials should be around $100-$150.
2-bedroom home: $450-$600. The price of packing a 2-bedroom home by professional packers will be roughly $450-$600 for packing labor alone. The cost of packing materials should be around $150-$250.
3-bedroom home: $600-$750. The cost of packing a 3-bedroom home by professional packers will be around $600-$750 for packing labor alone. The cost of packing supplies should be around $250-$350.
4-bedroom home: $750-$1,200. The cost of packing a 4-bedroom home by professional packers will be around $750-$1,200 for packing labor alone. The cost of packing supplies should be around $300-$450.
The cost of moving out of an apartment will depend on various factors such as
the distance to the new home,
the number and type of items to be moved,
the add-on services required to complete the move,
the time of your move, and
the moving company you have picked as your relocation partner.
It’s important to understand well the specific factors that will influence your house move simply because only then should you be able to reduce the moving costs, thus saving a good amount of money during the relocation process.
Note that the move distance remains a constant value and there’s nothing you can really do to change it. And that’s exactly why you should concentrate on the rest of the price factors when moving out of an apartment.
Cost to move a 1-bedroom apartment
Local move: $640
Long-distance move: $2,363 – $4,930
It can be pretty useful to know the average cost of moving an apartment.
When moving locally (in the same state within a radius of 100 miles), 2 movers should complete the local move within 4 hours, which, at $80 per hour per mover, will amount to approximately $640 for labor alone.
When moving across the country, the average cost of moving will be anywhere between $2,363 and $4,930 depending on a number of factors.
On average, the total weight of all items found inside a 1-bedroom apartment is 2,200 – 3,200 lbs.
Cost to move a 2-bedroom apartment
Local move: $1,440
Long-distance move: $2,567 – $5,801
When moving locally in the same state within a radius of 100 miles, 3 movers should complete the local move within 6 hours, which, at $80 per hour per mover, will cost approximately $1,440 for labor alone.
When moving across the country, the average cost of moving will be anywhere between $2,567 and $5,801 without the inclusion of any add-on services.
On average, the total weight of all items inside a 2-bedroom apartment is between 5,000 lbs. and 6,000 lbs.
Cost to move a 3-bedroom apartment
Local move: $2,240
Long-distance move: $3,570 – $6,163
When moving locally, 4 movers should complete the local move within 7 hours, which, at $80 per hour per mover, will cost roughly $2,240 for labor alone.
When moving to another state, the average cost of moving will be anywhere between $3,570 and $6,163 depending on a number of price factors.
On average, the total weight of all items found inside a 3-bedroom apartment is roughly 9,000 lbs.
To save money, remember to purge your 3-bedroom apartment of all items that 1) you no longer like, and 2) you won’t ever need again. Moving experts are unanimous that any items that have not been used for over a year are not worth moving to a new home.
Under specific circumstances, you may find out that the best option for you to move out is to rent a moving truck and move your belongings by yourself.
The cost to rent a truck will depend on a number of variables.
Such house moving circumstances include but are not limited to
moving only a short distance away,
moving only a small number of household items,
not moving any specialized items such as a piano or a pool table,
having previous move-related experience, and
knowing you can rely on your friends for assistance.
And if you’ve really decided to move on your own, then you’re likely to be very interested in the average cost of moving truck rental in order to set your budget correctly.
First of all, the cost of renting a moving truck will depend on the size of the vehicle itself – the bigger the truck, the costlier it will be to rent.
On average, small trucks cost roughly $30 per day, mid-sized trucks cost around $40 per day, and large trucks cost anywhere between $60 and $100 per day.
Secondly, the final moving truck rental price will be calculated based on the duration of the move itself – you may need the moving vehicle for 1 day or you may need it for a week.
Thirdly, the average cost to rent a truck will depend on whether you’re moving locally or long distance across the country. For local moves, you may have to pay a mileage fee (approx. $1 per mile) while for cross-country moves you may be given a number of miles you’ll have to stay within. Unlimited mileage is also an option you must discuss with the truck rental company.
And finally, the cost to rent a moving truck will depend on the moving season itself. The truck rental prices will be the highest during the peak of the moving season (May – September) and will be the lowest during the off-peak moving season (September – May).
Cost to rent a truck for a local move
On average, the cost to rent a moving truck when moving locally is somewhere between $150 and $300.
Not surprisingly, you should expect extra fees and charges such as a mileage fee, insurance, an environmental fee, taxes, and a deposit (usually around $100). Also, you’ll have to pay extra if you need to hire extra supplies such as a moving dolly and furniture blankets.
Be careful when returning the moving truck as you may get charged extra for returning the vehicle late, returning it dirty, or returning it with less fuel than it had when you rented it.
Cost to rent a truck for a long-distance move
The truck rental price tends to go up significantly when you hire a moving vehicle for an interstate move. Despite the possible unlimited mileage option that you may get from the truck rental agency, the average truck rental cost for a long-distance move still remains rather high at roughly $2,000-$3,000.
Follow the link below to learn more information about the cost of renting a moving truck and what you can do to keep that truck rental cost as low as possible.
What are the average moving costs of renting a moving container?
After careful consideration, you may choose to move house with the help of a portable container. The idea is simple enough: you rent a portable storage container from a pod moving company and the latter delivers the empty storage container to your door, giving you enough time for you to load it up – a few days or even a few weeks depending on your packing and loading pace.
The cost of renting a moving container will depend on a number of factors.
When you’re done, you call up the moving container company and they come to your place, load the moving pod onto a moving truck and transport it to the new address.
After the moving pod is delivered to the new home, you are given enough time, once again, to unload it at your own comfortable pace.
So, what’s the average cost of moving containers?
The moving container costs can vary substantially from company to company. Also, the costs will depend on a number of variables such as the size of the moving pod, the distance to the new home, and the time you’ve used the container for.
On average, renting a moving container for a local move will cost you somewhere between $200 and $400 for small moves and between $600 and $800 for larger moves.
When using moving containers for a long-distance move, the average moving cost of using a moving pod will be somewhere between $2,000 and $5,000, depending primarily on the move distance.
Don’t forget to also factor in extra moving costs such as the price of the packing materials, the cost of renting moving equipment (a moving dolly), and the price of hiring extra moving labor whenever needed.
What’s the average cost to ship a car to another state?
If you wish to have your car shipped across the country by a reputable car shipping company, then you will find it very useful to know the average car shipping costs.
While it’s true that you won’t know the exact cost to ship your car until you get an accurate car transport quote from a cross-country car shipper, the average cost to ship a car to a different state will help you get a good idea of what to expect pricewise so that you can set your budget accordingly.
What’s the average cost to ship a car to another state?
Keep in mind that the cost to ship a car across the country will depend on a number of critical factors such as:
The move distance from the pickup location to the drop-off location;
The make, model, and size of your car. Larger vehicles will cost more to transport;
The weight of your car;
The car transportation company itself;
The car insurance coverage.
So, what’s the average cost to ship a car cross country?
Local car shipping. For relatively short in-state car hauls, expect to pay roughly $500 to have your car shipped by a top-rated car shipper.
Cross-country car shipping. For long-distance car transports, expect to pay around $1,500 to have your vehicle transported safely by a reputable interstate car shipper.
As mentioned above, several factors will influence the final car shipping cost, including the size and weight of your own vehicle. It’s good to bear in mind that shipping SUVs, vans, and pickup trucks will generally cost roughly $200 more than transporting sedans for the same distance.
Here are some average car shipping costs that should prepare you for the financial side of your decision to have your car shipped to another state:
from the East Coast to the West Coast: $1,100 for a sedan, $1,300 for an SUV or a pickup truck;
from the West Coast to the East Coast: $1,100 for a sedan, $1,300 for an SUV or a pickup truck;
from the East Coast to the Midwest: $700 for a sedan, $800 for an SUV or a pick-up truck;
from the Midwest to the East Coast: $700 for a sedan, $800 for an SUV or a pick-up truck;
from the West Coast to the Midwest: $900 for a sedan, $1,100 for an SUV or a pick-up truck;
from the Midwest to the West Coast: $900 for a sedan, $1,100 for an SUV or a pick-up truck;
from the North to the South: $700 for a sedan; $800 for an SUV or a pick-up truck;
from the South to the North: $700 for a sedan; $800 for an SUV or a pick-up truck.
Note that the above average costs of shipping a car across the country are very rough estimates. Request a free car shipping quote from reputable car transportation companies to know exactly how much it’ll cost to ship your car.
What’s the average cost of moving to another country?
When you’re about to move to another country, one of the most pressing questions on your mind will be How much does it cost to move internationally? And this is perfectly understandable since the typical international moving cost often exceeds $10,000 for overseas moves.
The very first thing you should know when moving internationally is that there are scores of factors that will affect the average cost of moving to a different country:
Moving to another country is the most expensive type of moving house.
Move size. Needless to say, the more items you choose to move with you, the higher the international moving cost will be. When shipping your items by sea, the volume of your things will determine the moving price. When shipping your things by air, the weight of your belongings will set the price.
Moving services. Each extra international moving service you opt for will mean more money out of your pocket. The most common services you can choose from are packing of fragile items, disassembly of large furniture, temporary storage, express delivery, or extra insurance coverage.
Transportation method. The international moving cost will depend heavily on whether you’ve chosen road freight, sea freight, or sea freight transport.
Pickup and delivery method. Which type of international moving are you going for? A port-to-port move or a door-to-door move. Of course, door-to-door international moving is the more expensive option of the two.
Move distance. As a rule of thumb, the farther away the destination country is, the higher the international relocation price will be. Also, moving to a common destination country is generally cheaper than moving to a more exotic one.
Moving company. Of course, average international costs will depend on the international mover you pick as your partner. The thing is that international moving rates can vary substantially from mover to mover.
The only way to learn how much your country-to-country move will cost is to get an accurate international moving quote from reputable international moving companies.
But before you do, make sure you familiarize yourself with the average international moving costs so that you are mentally prepared for the expenses that are coming your way.
Follow the link below to see multiple examples of average costs of moving to another country: Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Germany, France, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, China, Mexico, and more.
Even though the final price of your own move will differ from the average moving costs you see in this article, being aware of the average cost of moving house in advance will certainly help you manage the move better from a financial point of view.
Don’t underestimate the hidden costs of moving.
However, you should also keep in mind that there are a number of hidden costs when using movers:
Packing labor. Professional packing is offered as an add-on service by the best full-service moving companies in the country. You may think you’ve got the house packing task under control only to realize later on that you won’t be able to handle it on your own for one reason or another. The cost of professional packing may or may not include the price of all packing supplies.
Moving insurance. You’ll get Basic Limited Liability protection for free as soon as you sign your bill of lading. However, that is not proper moving insurance and will not provide you with enough coverage in case something bad happens to your items on the road. Make sure you get Full Value protection for your valuables.
Furniture disassembly charge. When moving large furniture items, your movers may have to disassemble those furniture units for easier and safer handling and moving. Viewed as an extra service, you should expect to be charged by your mover for the extra time and effort of furniture disassembly and re-assembly.
Elevator fee. If the elevator inside an apartment building is missing or is out of order on the day of the move, you’re likely to be charged a one-time fee of roughly $80. The reason for this is obvious – your movers will have to carry heavy items across multiple flights of stairs.
Long carry fee. If the movers you’ve hired cannot park their truck in front of the house or apartment building, you’re likely to get charged a long carry fee since the hired men will have to walk all the way to the parked vehicle and back.
Extra stops charge. If you request that your movers stop along the route to pick up or drop off additional household items, get ready to be charged for such extra stops along the way. $80 is the common starting price for the extra stops charge.
Travel fee. Local movers may charge you a travel fee – compensation for the time those movers need to reach your home from their main headquarters. In most cases, the travel fee equals ONE hour of moving labor.
Unfortunately, hidden moving costs and expenses will increase the cost of moving, so it’s important that you pay attention to those additional fees and charges when moving house.
Each of the above-mentioned moving options has its pros and cons, and you should do thorough research before selecting one. Your moving costs will vary for the selected option based on a number of factors that are involved in the move – factors that are described above in more detail.
Regardless of whether you’re moving across the country or moving locally, and whether you’re moving out of a one-bedroom apartment or moving out of a 4-bedroom house, it is important to know what the average moving cost is for each choice.
Fill out the free moving quote form on top of the page for accurate moving cost calculation.
Here are the top 5 ways to reduce the average cost of moving:
1) Choose a low-cost moving company
Hiring affordable movers will bring down the average moving cost.
It’s no secret that some moving companies are more affordable than others.
If you decide to go with a moving company, take your time and read some reviews about the movers near you to make sure you select a reputable mover.
The next thing you should do to minimize the damage to your moving budget is to compare carefully the quotes from different movers and choose the best one, which mind you, is not always the lowest bid on the table.
Select professional movers that satisfy your requirements and fit comfortably in your budget as well. However, be cautious of any price estimates that are way below the average price mark.
Also, take a good long look at all the additional services offered, their respective rates, and above all – trust your gut feeling.
Moving company rates are not non-negotiable, so you should try to get a better deal from the movers you have shortlisted. And how exactly do you do it? By using your negotiation skills, of course.
There are several negotiation tactics you can try with your movers to bring down the moving price. One is to request more information about any ongoing promotions, special offers, or price discounts that may apply in your case.
Another one is to tell them that you’ve been offered a better deal from another moving company and ask them if they can price-match or even beat their competitor’s offer.
Even if you’re told NO the first time, it’s worth trying again – the second time you may get in touch with another moving company representative. The thing is that your persistence can actually prove to be useful when moving house.
Depending on the nature of the move, it’s possible that you go way below the average residential moving costs. How? It’s very simple – just don’t take anything you don’t plan to use in the near future.
After years of living under one roof, it’s only normal that a certain degree of clutter will have accumulated. Luckily, your upcoming move is the perfect chance to get rid of it once and for all.
First of all, inventory your entire home to see where you stand on clutter. Then, sit down and go through your things with the purpose of reducing their number to their reasonable minimum.
Remember: fewer items to pack and transport means less money to pay out of your own pocket + the bonus of having more free space in your new home.
Learn what you should do with all the furniture pieces and other possessions you’ve decided to leave behind.
4) Pack whatever you can by yourself
The bad news is that the average moving costs across the country will most likely seem too high for you. The good news is that it’s well within your power to reduce that average moving cost by choosing to pack up your things on your own.
As long as you have enough time until the move-out date, you should be able to pack safely most of your possessions. Items such as clothes, shoes, bed linens, books, etc. are fairly easy to protect for the upcoming move.
Thus said, there are also household items that you’d be better off leaving to the care of professional packers – extra-fragile things such as plates and glasses that you’d hate to see damaged during the haul.
Also, leave specialty items such as a piano, a pool table, or a grandfather clock to experienced packers and movers who know what it takes to keep them safe.
Who would have thought that the move-out date could affect the moving price?
The exact date on which you schedule your house move plays an important yet often underestimated role in bringing down the average moving home costs even further.
It’s essential to remember that the chances of you getting a good bargain during the peak relocation season (May-September) are somewhat slim.
As far as the moving price is concerned, the great deals usually come during the off-peak season when local and long-distance moving companies are more willing to cut down their usual tariffs in order to attract more customers.
So, if you happen to be flexible about your move date, keep in mind that moving during the summer, on weekends, on the first and last days of a month, and on national holidays is usually pricier than normal.
To save more money, book as early as you can and aim for periods when not too many people are moving at the same time.
Joshua Green is a relocation expert and a moving industry professional, one of the esteemed contributors to MyMovingReviews.com with specialized articles and informative guides which help people organize and execute their moves easily and comfortably.
Joshua is a recognized author of two books about moving one of which is Relocating Without Breaking A Sweat - Your Personal Handbook For A Perfect Move. Both books are well received and help thousands of people make the right relocation decisions.
He is known to skillfully incorporate his never-ending energy, utmost dedication and raw passion into his works.
You can contact Joshua Green at: joshua@mymovingreviews.com | Linkedin
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