How much does it cost to move?

Short answer: a local move with professional movers typically costs a few hundred to around $1,500 depending on home size, while a long-distance move averages around $5,000 and can reach $10,000 or more for large homes going cross-country. A DIY truck rental can cost anywhere from $100 to a few thousand dollars.

The range is wide because moving isn't one product — it's labor, distance, weight, timing, and add-on services bundled together. Two people moving identical apartments across town can pay very different amounts based on when they move and what they ask the movers to do.

Here's how the costs break down and where the savings are.

Local moves: billed by the hour

For moves under roughly 50 to 100 miles, movers charge by the hour. The going rate for a crew of two movers with a truck is typically $80 to $100 per hour in most markets — more in expensive cities, where two movers can run $180 to $260 an hour.

What you pay depends almost entirely on how long the crew takes to load and unload, which means it depends on how much stuff you have and how prepared you are. A studio apartment with everything boxed and ready might take 3 to 4 hours — a few hundred dollars. A three-bedroom house commonly lands in the $600 to $1,000 range for labor, and can run $1,500-plus in high-cost cities.

The biggest lever on a local move is your own preparation. Everything boxed, labeled, and staged near the door before the crew arrives means fewer billable hours. Disassemble beds and large furniture yourself. Reserve the elevator and parking in advance — movers charging by the hour while waiting for building access is money evaporating.

Long-distance moves: billed by weight and mileage

Once you cross state lines or pass roughly 100 miles, pricing switches to a weight-and-distance formula. The industry average for a long-distance move sits around $5,000, with typical ranges from a few thousand dollars to $10,000 or more depending on distance and shipment size.

A standard three-bedroom home's belongings weigh roughly 5,500 to 8,500 pounds, and that weight is the primary cost driver alongside mileage. A two-bedroom apartment moving 1,000 miles might cost $3,000 to $5,000; the same household going coast to coast can hit $7,000 to $12,000-plus.

Get written estimates from at least three companies — federal regulations require interstate movers to provide written estimates and specific consumer protections. Be wary of quotes that seem dramatically lower than the rest; the classic moving scam is a lowball estimate followed by a hostage load demanding more on delivery day. Binding or binding-not-to-exceed estimates protect you from that.

The add-ons that inflate the bill

The base quote is rarely the final number. Professional packing services typically add $300 to $500 for a standard home, and full packing for a large house can run into the thousands. Packing materials alone — boxes, tape, wrap — can cost $500 or more if you buy them from the mover.

Specialty items carry surcharges: pianos, pool tables, large safes, and artwork often have flat fees. Stairs, long carries from truck to door, and shuttle service (when a big truck can't reach your street) all add line items. Storage — if your move-out and move-in dates don't align — runs from tens of dollars a month for a portable container to hundreds for warehouse storage.

Moving insurance deserves attention. Movers must include basic "released value" protection by law, but it covers only $0.60 per pound per item — break a 25-pound TV worth $300 and you get $15. Full-value protection costs roughly 1 to 5 percent of your goods' declared value and is worth considering if you're moving anything you'd hate to replace.

The DIY option: cheaper but not free

Renting a truck and doing it yourself is the cheapest path for most moves. Local truck rentals can start around $100 for a day plus mileage; one-way long-distance rentals run from several hundred to over $1,500 depending on truck size and distance. Portable moving containers — where the company drops a container, you load it, and they ship it — sit between DIY and full-service, often $2,000 to $5,000 for long distances.

But DIY has real costs beyond the rental: fuel for a thirsty truck, equipment rental (dollies, blankets, straps), packing supplies, and your time — plus the injury risk and the friend-tax of recruiting help. For a local studio move, DIY is almost always the right call. For a four-bedroom house going 2,000 miles, the savings narrow once you price everything honestly, and the stress has a value too.

A hybrid approach works well: hire hourly labor just for loading and unloading the truck you rented, or pack everything yourself and hire movers only for the heavy furniture. You keep the savings where your effort is cheap and pay professionals where it isn't.

Timing is a bigger discount than haggling

When you move affects the price more than most people realize. Summer — roughly May through September — is peak moving season, with the highest demand and highest prices. Weekends and the first and last few days of any month (lease turnover) are the most expensive days. Mid-week, mid-month moves in the off-season (October through April) can cost 20 to 30 percent less for identical service.

If your dates are flexible, ask movers for quotes on two or three different date combinations. Shifting a move from a Saturday at month-end to a Wednesday mid-month is often the single biggest discount available, and it costs you nothing but scheduling.

Book early, too — four to eight weeks ahead for local moves, eight to twelve for long-distance, more in summer. Last-minute bookings pay premium rates and get the leftover crews.

Red flags and how to avoid moving scams

The moving industry has more than its share of bad actors, and the scam pattern is consistent: an unusually low estimate (often given over the phone without seeing your belongings), a large cash deposit demanded upfront, and then a much higher price once your goods are loaded — with the implicit threat that your things won't be delivered until you pay.

Protect yourself with a few firm rules. Never hire a mover that won't do an in-person or video survey before quoting a long-distance move. Never pay a large deposit — reputable movers typically ask for little or nothing upfront, with payment due on delivery. Get the estimate in writing, and prefer binding or binding-not-to-exceed estimates. Verify the company's USDOT number and complaint history through federal regulators, and be suspicious of companies that operate under multiple names, have no physical address, or answer the phone with a generic "movers" instead of a company name.

Also read reviews with a critical eye: a mover with hundreds of reviews and a 4.8 rating earned over years is very different from one with twelve perfect reviews posted last month. Ask for references if you're spending thousands — legitimate companies provide them.

Cutting the cost without cutting corners

Declutter before you get quotes, not after. Movers charge by weight and time; every box of things you don't actually want is money spent moving it. Sell, donate, or discard aggressively — a good rule is that if replacing it at the destination costs less than moving it, don't move it.

Get supplies cheap: grocery and liquor stores give away sturdy boxes, and you likely need fewer specialty boxes than movers suggest. Towels, blankets, and clothing make fine padding for most items.

Compare at least three quotes, and make sure they're quoting the same service level — one company's "full service" and another's may differ. Ask each mover what's not included. And verify credentials: interstate movers should have a USDOT number you can check with federal regulators, and local movers should be licensed in your state.

Finally, keep some cash reserve beyond the quote. Moves generate surprise costs — a parking ticket for the truck, an extra hour because the elevator broke, takeout for three days while your kitchen is in boxes. A 10 to 15 percent buffer keeps a stressful week from becoming a financial one.

One cost people forget to budget: tipping the crew. Tipping isn't mandatory, but it's customary for good service — a common guideline is $20 to $40 per mover for a half-day job and $40 to $80 per mover for a full day, more for exceptional work or difficult conditions. Have cash on hand on moving day so you're not scrambling at the end of an exhausting day.

The calm takeaway: moving costs what your stuff, distance, and timing say it costs — and you control all three more than you think. Declutter hard, move mid-week in the off-season if you can, compare written quotes, and budget the add-ons before they surprise you. The cheapest move is the one you planned.