Moving is always expensive, but local moves are, naturally, much cheaper than cross-country moves – the average cost of a short-distance move is about $1,500. Yet, if you happen to be on a tight budget where every dollar counts, $1,500 may seem like a big count – and you may want to find a more cost-effective way to move to your new home across town (or in a nearby city or town).
Fortunately, you’re not without options – there are many cheap ways to move locally. You can borrow a pickup truck from a friend, rent a small moving van, or use a portable moving container – you may even be able to move with your own car. Some options are cheaper than others, some are more convenient than others, and some are only viable under certain circumstances – which one will be right for you will depend on your specific moving needs and requirements.
Read on to find out the specifics of each cost-effective local moving option, so you can decide which one will work best for you – and learn how to make your short-distance move as cheap as possible.
Avoiding unnecessary costs
The first thing to do when looking for a cheap way to move house is to ensure you don’t pay a cent more than absolutely necessary for your relocation – so you need to do all you can to avoid expenses that can be avoided and to reduce costs that cannot be avoided as much as possible.
Luckily, there are many relocation-related costs that can be easily avoided when moving locally – and many ways to save money on a short-distance move that are not viable when moving long-distance:
1) Pare down your possessions (reduce moving costs that cannot be avoided)
Unless you decide to sell everything you own and move, you cannot avoid the cost of transporting your belongings to your new home. You can, however, greatly reduce that cost by choosing a cheap transportation option (see below) and purging your belongings.
Decluttering and getting rid of unneeded items is a great money-saving tactic that works for all kinds of moves, local and long-distance alike – the fewer items you have for moving, the cheaper and easier your relocation is going to be.
You will need less packing materials and packing, loading, and unloading will take less time and effort, but what matters even more when looking for cheap local moving options is that your stuff will take less space and will fit in a smaller vehicle.
This means that you will be able to rent a smaller – and cheaper – moving van or moving pod. Or, if you decide not to relocate any furniture or other larger household items, you may even be able to move with your own vehicle – so your only moving expense is the cost of the gas (see below for details).
As an added bonus, you may be able to pocket some extra money for your move if you manage to sell some of the items you decide not to take to your new home.
2) Save on packing supplies (avoid costs that can be avoided)
You can do without boxes when packing for a local move.
Packing costs can add up quickly – especially when moving a larger household – but, fortunately, it’s really easy to cut down your packing expenses to a minimum when moving locally.
You’re moving short-distance, so your belongings won’t travel long and will arrive at your new home within hours. Therefore, the risk of damage will be very small and it will be safe to leave lightweight, non-breakable items in their drawers, pack clothes in garbage bags, use old moving boxes and improvised wrapping and cushioning materials, etc.
This means that you won’t need to pay for professional packing materials – you can easily get used moving boxes for free and you can use things you already have at home as alternative packing materials (suitcases, backpacks, bags, baskets, crates, buckets and furniture drawers as packing containers; old newspapers, clothes, towels, linens, and blankets as wrapping and padding materials).
You can pack your belongings without spending a cent on packing supplies.
3) Do your own packing (avoid costs that can be avoided)
If you pack all your belongings yourself (or with the help of family and friends), you won’t need to pay for professional packing services. So, packing will cost you nothing but the cost of packing supplies – and as already detailed above, the cost of packing supplies for a local move can be completely FREE.
4) Ask friends for help (avoid costs that can be avoided)
So, completing the necessary moving tasks yourself is, clearly, a great way to save on your moving costs. There may be, however, some tasks that you can’t complete single-handedly – you may not be able to pack your entire home by yourself in time or to lift and carry your heavy furniture on your own. You will most likely need help with your move – and asking friends for help is your most economical option.
You can, of course, hire professional movers to do all the hard work for you, but you will have to dig deep into your pocket. You can hire moving labor only – to load and unload the moving vehicle – but although cheaper, it will still cost you. If your friends agree to give you a hand, though, you won’t need to pay for moving assistance – it will be enough to buy your buddies lunch and drinks and thank them sincerely for their help.
Now that you know how to avoid unnecessary moving expenses, it’s time to consider the cost of transporting your items to your new home and find an affordable moving option that works for you.
Take a look at the cheapest ways to move locally and pick the one that best suits your particular relocation circumstances.
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The cheapest way to move locally is to transport your belongings in your own vehicle.
Your items will probably not fit in your car at once (even after a thorough purge), but that is not much of a problem as you’re moving short distance and will, therefore, be able to make multiple trips between your old home and your new one. It will take some time, but your move will be practically free – you’ll only need to pay the cost of the gas.
You will be surprised how many items your car can fit.
This option, however, is only viable if you can fit each and every item you want to move to your new home in your car – and that is usually only possible when you’re not moving any furniture or other large household items (most furniture pieces are too big to fit inside a sedan even when disassembled; many large kitchen appliances won’t fit in a car, either).
If you happen to own a pickup truck or a van, though, you will have little to worry about – you may need to disassemble some larger pieces and some items may stick out of the truck bed, but you should be able to transport all your furniture and appliances in your vehicle.
If you decide that moving with your vehicle will work for you, use the following tips to make the process smoother and safer:
Assess the approximate number of trips you’ll have to make between your old home and your new one, so you can plan your time (if possible, take some of your items to your new place in advance to make things easier – and faster – on moving day) and your finances (calculate the cost of fuel for a round trip between the two homes, then multiply that cost by the number of trips you’ll have to make to find out how much money you’ll need for gas);
Make sure your car is in excellent technical condition – it’s advisable to have your vehicle checked and serviced by a professional mechanic before the move;
Remove any items from your car that don’t need to be there and lower the back seats (if applicable) to create more packing space.
When packing the car, do everything possible to maximize the available space, so you can fit in as many items at once as possible and reduce the number of trips you need to make.
It is still possible to move with your vehicle, even if you’re relocating large items that don’t fit in – provided that your car has the necessary towing power, you can rent a cargo trailer or a utility trailer and use it to transport your belongings to your new home. Renting a utility trailer typically costs about $15-$45 a day, depending on its size. Cargo trailers are slightly more expensive, but the cost is still easily affordable.
When there is a trailer hitch, there is a cheap way to move locally…
In order to use a tow-behind trailer, however, you will, of course, need a trailer hitch. The average cost of a trailer hitch is about $700-$1,000 and you can expect to pay another $300 for installation, so if your car doesn’t already have a hitch, using a tow-behind trailer to move your stuff won’t be an economical option at all (when you add up the cost of the trailer hitch, the cost of the installation, the trailer rental cost, and the cost of the gas, the final amount will be equal to the cost of hiring a professional moving company).
Borrowing a pickup truck from a friend
If you can’t move with your own car, your next cheapest option is to borrow a larger vehicle from a friend.
If you have a friend or a relative who owns a pickup truck or a van, they will probably not mind lending you their vehicle – and they are very likely to come help you with your move, as well.
You will need to thank them properly for the favor, of course – buy them lunch and drinks and get them a small meaningful gift (or think of some other form of payment they’ll enjoy). Needless to say, you will also need to pay for the fuel. (Keep in mind that even with a pickup truck, you will still most probably have to make several trips between your old home and your new one. You may be able to move all your belongings at once, if the pickup truck has a trailer hitch and you rent a trailer.)
Still, your local move will basically cost you next to nothing.
While there is no doubt that moving with your own vehicle – or with a borrowed pickup truck – is the cheapest way to move in town and anywhere within the area, it is also very risky (you can easily damage your items when trying to move them with an inappropriate vehicle), very difficult (loading and unloading your car several times and driving back and forth over and over again takes a lot of time and a lot of effort), and oftentimes – downright impossible (you may have too much stuff or your items may be too large, even for a pickup truck).
In such cases, you’ll have no choice but to loosen the purse strings.
Renting a moving truck
Renting a moving truck and performing a DIY move is usually the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of a cheap way to move house.
It is indeed a very affordable option – if you can pack your items yourself and get friends to help you load and unload your stuff (as discussed above), you will only need to pay for the truck rental.
Renting a moving truck is the traditional way to perform a self-move.
The average cost to rent a moving truck for a local move is between $150 and $300. This price includes the daily truck rental fee (about $19.99-$29.99 per day for smaller trucks and $39.99-$79.99 per day for larger trucks), the mileage fee ($0.59-$0.99 per mile), the insurance costs ($20-$40), the environmental fee (usually $5), and the relevant taxes. There are extra charges for accessorial moving equipment and/or packing supplies (moving dollies, moving straps, furniture sliders, moving blankets, etc.) and you’re required to return the truck with the same amount of gas as it had when you picked it up (so you need to consider fuel costs as well).
In order to save as much as possible on your truck rental, you’re advised to:
Schedule your move for a mid-week day in the middle of a month when the demand for rental trucks is smaller;
Choose the right size moving truck – smaller vans are cheaper to rent, so it’s best to rent the smallest vehicle that can accommodate all your belongings;
Get quotes from several different truck rental companies, compare the rates, and find out whether the quoted prices are final or there will be any extra charges;
Be careful to avoid penalties and extra fees – return the truck on time, make sure it is clean and in good condition, and don’t forget to refill the fuel tank.
Renting a moving truck will allow you to transport all your items at once, so you won’t need to make multiple trips to your new home and will, therefore, save time (and fuel) on your move. It will be safer for your items than moving them in your car (there will be enough cargo space in the truck, so your belongings won’t be squeezed in unnatural ways – or sticking out of the vehicle and exposed to all kinds of dangers) and it will be very cost-effective.
All in all, moving with a rented truck is quite an economical and advantageous option. The only drawback is that it takes a lot of work and a lot of planning (researching truck rental companies, determining the right size moving truck for your needs, renting the vehicle, getting friends to help you, organizing a safe and smooth moving day, etc.) – and it is still much riskier than moving with professional help.
Cheap and convenient – what else could you wish for?
Portable moving containers offer another affordable – and extremely convenient – local moving solution.
When you rent a pod, the container is dropped off in front of your home and left at your disposal for a predetermined period of time. You pack and load your belongings inside the pod at your own pace within that time frame. Then, the pod moving company picks up the container and transports it to your new address. When you unload your items, the company picks up the container. It’s safe, convenient, and very economical – the average cost of moving locally with a pod is about $400-$600 (depending on the size of the move).
Good to know: The cost of using a pod moving service is determined by:
The number of the containers you rent – you pay per container, so the more items you have for moving and the more containers you need, the higher the final price will be;
The size of the container(s) – smaller containers are, naturally, cheaper than larger ones (be sure to choose the right size moving pod(s) for your needs, so don’t have to pay for space you don’t use);
The time you keep the container(s) – pod moving companies generally charge by the month, so you should try to complete your move within one month in order to pay the minimal possible price;
The distance between your old home and your new one – the longer the relocation distance, the higher the cost, of course;
The moving container company you choose to work with – different companies have different rates.
Moving containers are very easy to load and unload (they sit on the ground) and give you the freedom to perform your move at your own pace. They provide excellent protection to the items inside them and can be used for temporarily storing your belongings (either outside your home or in a specialized facility), if necessary. What’s more, the containers are dropped off, picked up and transported by professionals, so you don’t need to worry about getting/returning the pod or transporting your items to your new home.
You will, however, still need to do all the packing, loading, unloading, and unpacking yourself (or with the help of friends). Besides, if there isn’t an adequate place where to keep the moving pod at your old property or at your new one (driveway, yard, parking spot, etc.), this option may not work well for you.
Moving help is easy to find – but quite difficult to get for free.
All the aforementioned cheap ways to move locally require that you have a helper to assist you with loading and unloading (except when moving without furniture and other larger household items). You cannot possibly lift and carry your big furniture, bulky appliances, and other weighty pieces on your own, so if you don’t have anyone to help you on moving day, you will need to hire an extra hand.
In such a case, you can use moving labor services – so you pay for the labor only. You can find independent labor contractors for as cheap as $20 an hour or hire more reputable moving labor professionals for about $30-$40 per person per hour.
Unless you’re moving with your own vehicle (or a friend’s vehicle), however, the cost of your hybrid local move won’t be much lower than the cost of hiring professional local movers (when you add up the cost of hiring moving labor and the cost of renting a moving truck (or a moving container), the final amount can easily go over $1,000).
No matter how cost-effective they may be, all DIY moving solutions have a couple of great disadvantages – they take a lot of time and effort and they’re very risky (moving without professional help greatly increases the risk of damage to your items, damage to your property, and personal injuries). And you may not have the time (or the energy, or the strength) to deal with it all – or you may not want to risk it.
In this case, your best bet is to find cheap local movers – moving experts who offer quality service at a reasonable price. The pros have the specialized equipment, technical know-how, and rich experience to perform your move in the safest, smoothest, and most efficient way possible – they will do all the work for you and will save you a lot of time and stress. And if you have done your homework right, the final cost won’t be much higher than the cost of moving with a rented truck or a pod. You just need to know how to find good, affordable movers:
Start looking for cheap local moving companies as early as possible, so you have more choice and more flexibility;
Ask friends, relatives, neighbors, and co-workers if they can recommend a reliable, affordable mover;
Consider small local movers – smaller moving companies rely on moving jobs within their immediate areas, so they try their best to gain the trust of the locals by providing quality service and offer lower prices in order to attract more customers;
Get several in-house estimates – and use the opportunity to get as much information as possible about the company, the way they handle moves, and the fees they charge;
Compare the offers (rates, included services, time-frames, special conditions, etc.) and choose the movers that seem to best suits your requirements and your budget (be sure to research your chosen company in detail to make sure you’re dealing with licensed, experienced, and trustworthy professionals).
Keep in mind that moving companies tend to lower their rates during less busy periods (the winter months, the middle weeks of months, the weekdays, etc.) when their services are not in high demand, so you’re going to pay less for professional moving services if you move during the off-season.
The bottom line: What is the cheapest way to move locally?
There is no cheaper way to move locally
The cheapest way to move short distance is to do all the work yourself (or with the help of friends) and find a cost-effective transportation method:
The best option for small moves is to transport your belongings with your own vehicle (or a vehicle borrowed from a friend);
The best option when your vehicle has a trailer hitch is to rent a trailer and transport your belongings in it;
The best option when moving a large household is to rent a moving truck that fits all your belongings;
The best option when you want to move at your own pace is to use a pod moving service;
The best option when you’re pressed for time – or want to reduce moving risks and stress to a minimum – is to hire cheap local movers. Your safe and smooth relocation experience will be well worth the slightly higher cost.
Amazing Blog. It’s a Wonderful Guide on Moving Locally with cost-effective local moving options. This is a proper guide for relocating. I think this information will help more who are eager to move one to another country.
Thank you for providing such detailed information and guidelines. The national average cost of moving is about $1,400 with a range from $800 to $2,500. Note, however, that this price range is for a 2-person moving team completing a local move of less than 100 miles.
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Amazing Blog. It’s a Wonderful Guide on Moving Locally with cost-effective local moving options. This is a proper guide for relocating. I think this information will help more who are eager to move one to another country.
Thank you for providing such detailed information and guidelines. The national average cost of moving is about $1,400 with a range from $800 to $2,500. Note, however, that this price range is for a 2-person moving team completing a local move of less than 100 miles.