The Best Cross Country Movers: All You Need to Know

Choosing the right cross country movers is crucial for the success of your long-distance move. Why?

Moving long distance is a complicated process (moving by yourself often proves to be a bad idea) and this is why you need to make sure your cross country moving company possesses the required experience and skills to handle your move in a highly professional manner.

Without a doubt, it is a huge logistical challenge to have all aspects of your upcoming long-distance move covered, so consult this Cross Country Moving Guide to help you stay in control of your house move from start to finish.

Learn how much it costs to hire professional cross country movers.

Follow these proven, logical, and easy steps to find the best cross country movers for your fast-approaching residential move.

Also, get familiar with the most important questions to ask your future relocation partner before you hire their services.

And finally, learn the potential red flags when searching for reliable and affordable state-to-state movers.

Here’s everything you need to know about the best cross country movers in the country.

How much do cross-country movers cost?

The national average cost of moving long distance is roughly $4,000 with a price range from $2,200 to $5,700.

Of course, the average cost to hire cross country movers will depend on several important factors and may prove to be (much) higher in your specific case, especially so when you’re moving coast to coast or you’re taking too many things with you.

It’s perfectly understandable why everyone who’s about to move to another part of the country wants to know how much cross-country movers cost.

After all, the answer to that very question will determine how they plan, organize, and later play out the entire relocation.

The above question is really hard to answer with any desirable accuracy due to the fact that moving costs are calculated on a case-by-case basis.

In other words, except for the distance between Point A (starting point) and Point B (destination point) which remains the only constant during a residential move, all other major relocation aspects are variables and will influence the overall price to a different degree.

• Distance between the two homes. As mentioned above, the distance to your new cross-country home is the only constant value of your move. And since there’s nothing you can really do about it, turn your attention to the next 4 factors in order to learn what you can do to lower the overall relocation costs.
• Number of items you own. Be mindful that the total weight of your shipment will affect the final moving price directly and in direct proportion. Therefore, make sure you inventory your entire home and bring down the number of household items and personal possessions to their absolute minimum. Yes, save BIG by moving ONLY the belongings you really need and intend to use in the future.
• Time of year. It’s useful to know that the exact date of your cross-country move will also influence the final price one way or the other. For example, state-to-state moving companies usually charge more during the peak moving season (May – September) with weekends, beginnings and ends of each month, and national holidays being even pricier. Thus said, if you happen to have the luxury of picking your relocation date, then don’t forget that choosing a work day during the off-peak season should earn you a healthy discount from your reliable cross country moving companies.
• Additional costs. Of course, the more additional services you request from your professional partner, the more you will pay after the move is complete. Possible accessorial moving services include but are not limited to packing and unpacking, custom crating, disposal of packing materials, disassembly and reassembly of large furniture pieces, appliance servicing, handling of bulky and heavy items, hoisting (rigging), exclusive use of moving vehicle, shuttle services, and so on.

How Much Does It Cost to Hire Long Distance Movers?

Example costs of moving across the country

Take a closer look at our sample moving costs which will give you a general idea of how much moving companies charge for a house move across the country.

To help you prepare better for the financial aspect of your upcoming relocation, we have collected the most up-to-date price information for relocating 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom residences along the 7 most common moving routes in the country:

• New York City – Chicago
• New York City – Boston
• New York City – San Francisco
• Chicago – Los Angeles
• Chicago – San Francisco
• Houston – New York City
• Houston – Los Angeles

Have in mind that all values below are approximate. Request a price quote from reputable cross country movers in order to receive much more accurate moving estimates.

Type of home	Approx. weight of items	Moving route	Approx. price (partial packing)	Approx. price (full packing)
1 Bedroom home	2,500-3,500 lbs.	New York City – Chicago	$2,000	$3,000
1 Bedroom home	2,500-3,500 lbs.	New York City – Boston	$1,800	$2,500
1 Bedroom home	2,500-3,500 lbs.	New York City – San Francisco	$4,500	$5,500
1 Bedroom home	2,500-3,500 lbs.	Chicago – Los Angeles	$4,000	$5,000
1 Bedroom home	2,500-3,500 lbs.	Chicago – San Francisco	$4,000	$5,000
1 Bedroom home	2,500-3,500 lbs.	Houston – New York City	$3,000	$4,000
1 Bedroom home	2,500-3,500 lbs.	Houston – Los Angeles	$3,500	$4,500
2 Bedroom home	5,000-6,000 lbs.	New York City – Chicago	$3,700	$4,500
2 Bedroom home	5,000-6,000 lbs.	New York City – Boston	$3,000	$4,000
2 Bedroom home	5,000-6,000 lbs.	New York City – San Francisco	$5,500	$6,500
2 Bedroom home	5,000-6,000 lbs.	Chicago – Los Angeles	$4,500	$5,500
2 Bedroom home	5,000-6,000 lbs.	Chicago – San Francisco	$4,500	$5,500
2 Bedroom home	5,000-6,000 lbs.	Houston – New York City	$4,000	$5,500
2 Bedroom home	5,000-6,000 lbs.	Houston – Los Angeles	$4,000	$5,500
3 Bedroom home	9,000 lbs.	New York City – Chicago	$6,700	$8,000
3 Bedroom home	9,000 lbs.	New York City – Boston	$5,000	$7,500
3 Bedroom home	9,000 lbs.	New York City – San Francisco	$6,500	$9,000
3 Bedroom home	9,000 lbs.	Chicago – Los Angeles	$5,500	$9,000
3 Bedroom home	9,000 lbs.	Chicago – San Francisco	$5,500	$9,000
3 Bedroom home	9,000 lbs.	Houston – New York City	$5,500	$9,000
3 Bedroom home	9,000 lbs.	Houston – Los Angeles	$5,500	$9,000

* All the sample moving costs in the table above are only approximate values and the actual final price you will pay for your cross-country move will depend on the total weight of your household items, your booked moving date, the additional services you have requested, the hidden moving costs and fees, and a number of other essential factors that will influence the final costs.

How to select a trustworthy cross-country moving company

When choosing a reliable cross country moving company, reputation is everything. Having top-rated state-to-state movers by your side can save you a lot of trouble.

How to find the best cross country movers?

• Step 1. Use our Moving Cost Calculator to get in touch with the best cross country movers in your area. Those moving companies will be properly licensed by the Department of Transportation and adequately insured to operate on the territory of the country.
• Step 2. Request accurate price estimates via on-site surveys from moving company representatives.
• Step 3. Compare the cross country moving companies to pick the best one for you. Do the all-important research by reading their moving reviews, ratings, and testimonials. Make sure your potential relocation partner has mostly positive reviews, as well as a performance rating of 3 and above.
• Step 4. Check the BBB record of the companies you’re researching to make sure they have positive ratings with the Better Business Bureau as well.
• Step 5. Pay special attention to the possible additional moving services included in the quotes, and of course – their respective rates. If you happen to get an estimate that is considerably lower than the rest, then something is probably not right. Sometimes certain dishonest moving companies provide very low quotes so that they can book the job and then increase the overall price later.
• Step 6. Ask your movers about your moving insurance options. Sometimes it’s better for expensive electronics and antique furniture to be packed up by the moving company. You may think that you can pack everything carefully, but of course, if your movers and packers are experienced enough, as they should, they will know what moving techniques and materials to use to ensure that your belongings are safely transported to your new place.
• Step 7. Select the interstate movers that best fit your budget, have good moving reviews online, and are available on your preferred moving date.
• Step 8. Book your move with the movers and pay the deposit to reserve your moving date. Make sure your deposit is as low as possible (no more than 10% of the final amount). Usually, deposits are non-refundable.

Do not underestimate the importance of in-house surveys from the best cross country movers near you. You should know that there are a number of indisputable benefits of having a moving expert visit your home in person.

• First of all, the moving company representatives will be able to calculate the moving cost much more precisely based on the weight of the household items you want to move to the new home.
• Secondly, the moving experts will take into consideration any potential difficulties, possible obstacles, and even dangers that the moving team is likely to face on Moving day. Also, the experienced representatives will figure out the best course of action in terms of proactive preventative measures so that your Big day goes as smoothly as possible.
• And thirdly, you will be given the rare opportunity to voice any fears, concerns, and doubts you may have regarding the details of your upcoming move across the country. Needless to say, an open face-to-face conversation with a knowledgeable representative is by far the better option than trying to sort things out over the phone.

What to look for in a cross-country moving company

When looking for one of the best cross country movers in the country to take care of the most difficult aspects of your upcoming move, you may get confused by the fact that almost every moving company will claim they are the best one out there.

Clearly, that’s impossible.

So, how do you know which movers to trust when they all say they offer top-notch cross country moving services?

To be able to pick precisely the moving company you need, you’re going to need to know what to look for in cross country movers in general.

• Legitimate, licensed, and registered cross country movers. Of course, you’ll want your long-distance mover to be properly licensed and registered by the authorities – something that will give the peace of mind that the moving company you select won’t try to scam you in any way as a rogue mover would.
  As mentioned above, all cross country moving companies must be registered by the U.S. Department of Transportation in order to operate legitimately within the country. Check the USDOT numbers of the cross country movers you’re reviewing – they should be clearly visible on their respective websites.
• Reputable cross country movers. Reputation is very important for professional moving companies. This is why the best ones recognize its significance and strive to leave their customers happy so that the latter can leave good ratings and positive online reviews about their services. It’s all connected, really – the better services a cross country mover offers, the more positive reviews they will get, and hence, more people will be willing to trust them and ultimately, hire them.
  Remember that you’re looking for cross country movers with an excellent online reputation and good overall performance ratings left by former customers. So, make sure you check those customer reviews before saying YES to a mover.
• Competent cross country movers. You’re definitely looking for cross country movers who have been trained for the job and will know exactly what it takes to protect your items, handle them carefully, and load them safely into the moving truck. You want to be paying for professionals with years of experience, not some rookies in the business who don’t know what it’s all about.
  Speaking of professionalism, you also need your long-distance movers to be generally nice, respectful, and well-mannered.
• Affordable cross country movers. The best cross country moving companies will also need to offer competitive prices so that most people can afford them. Being the best in the business is all about walking the thin line between offering high-quality services at affordable prices.
  And now that you know how much cross country movers cost on average, you can easily determine whether a state-to-state mover is too expensive for you to hire or not.

What to Look for In a Moving Company

Questions to ask your cross-country movers

Do not hesitate to ask your long distance movers some important questions which will ultimately help you reach the best-informed decision under the circumstances.

Here are the top 7 essential questions to ask your state-to-state movers before you make up your mind to use their relocation services.

• Is your moving company properly licensed and insured?
• How long has the company been in business?
• What type of liability coverage do you offer?
• Do you have enough experienced movers and packers during the peak summer period?
• Do you have available storage facilities if my items need to be stored for a few days?
• Do you provide on-site binding written estimates?
• What services do you offer as extra and how much do you charge for them?

30 Fundamental Questions to Ask When Hiring a Moving Company

Red flags when searching for reliable movers

Unpleasant surprises are surely not welcome before, during, and after your move across the country.

Make sure you are familiar with some potential red flags when searching for a suitable cross country moving company in order to avoid being scammed during this very nerve-wracking transitional period.

• A moving company doesn’t have a website which is a must-have company asset in the Computer Age. Or if they do, the website lacks any satisfactory information about proper licensing or insurance. The law requires that all interstate moving companies have a USDOT Number (the proof that they are licensed by the U.S. Department of Transportation) placed on a visible spot on their respective web pages. You are strongly advised to stay away from movers that are not properly licensed.
• A moving company answers your phone call with “Movers” instead of saying clearly and proudly the name of the moving company. Salesmen that pick up their phone with that generic term usually work for multiple moving companies, or this particular mover goes by multiple names because they frequently change names and websites. It could also be observed with companies that have multiple D.B.A.s (“Doing Business As” names). This is a major red flag.
• A moving company gives you an unusually low moving estimate over the phone, accompanied by sweet promises of completing the job in a very short time. If you sense such suspicious behavior, just hang up and call another mover.
• Movers want you to pay up a deposit of more than 10% of the total estimated moving price or require a cash-only payment for their services in advance. Please note that cash payments could hardly be retrieved if something goes wrong, the company under-delivers, or the move gets canceled.
• A moving company asks you to sign blank documents on Moving day or a few days before your moving date. Remember never to place your signature on blank sheets of paper no matter how “legitimate” the documents seem. It is always a good idea to ask the mover to send you all contracts and documents in advance so that you can get to know what you are agreeing to.
• A moving company refuses to supply you with a free copy of the booklet “Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move”. Of course, this refusal of theirs is not a real indicator that something is not right. If they say they’ve run out of copies, you can always download the booklet for free from here.

Yes, moving to another part of the country is never a joke. Still, no move-related problems are big enough when you have a top-rated cross-country mover by your side during one of life’s most stressful and transitional periods.

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Frequently Asked Questions