How much does it cost to hire movers?

Tell somebody that moving is expensive and they’ll probably look at you as if you had just told them that Earth is round and revolves around the sun.

The real question is not whether or not the process of moving from one home to another can be costly or not – the big question is just how costly it is.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that anyone who’s about to move – either locally or long distance – is genuinely interested in knowing the answer to the How much does it cost to hire movers? puzzle.

Be mindful that the true benefit of knowing how much movers cost in advance is that you’ll be able to set your moving budget accordingly. This way, not only will you be ready financially for the upcoming house move, but you’ll also be in the right mindset without any last-minute unpleasant surprises.

Read on to learn the average cost to hire movers both for a local move (local movers) and for a long-distance move (cross-country movers).

What type of move do you need?

Moving house is believed to be a complicated matter but it really isn’t that difficult. In fact, if you do know what you want and what you need, then your own moving experience can be relatively problem-free.

The good news is that adequate professional help is just around the corner, and the best thing about it is that you are free to tailor those professional services to fit your specific needs and preferences.

The level of customization you are given will let you take complete control over the two most important factors when moving house: money and time.

• Most expensive option. Full-service move – the most expensive option available where movers will manage all the stages of your move and will let you enjoy the show. The pros will even handle packing and unpacking for you, but be ready to dig deeper into your pockets for those extra moving services. Packing/unpacking rates start from around $80 per mover per hour but the exact price will depend on the moving company and the city.
• Less expensive option. If you are willing to do some of the tougher work yourself, then you can drastically reduce the final moving bill. You may choose to pack and unpack your items yourself and use professional laborers to load your stuff into the truck, transport it, and unload it at your new home. This is a very common moving scenario for obvious reasons.
• Least expensive option. You can even go a step further and attempt to save more money by packing/unpacking on your own and renting a moving truck to drive yourself to your new home. This way, you only use professional assistance for loading and unloading your items.

Although this DIY type of moving is regarded as the most inexpensive option, things are not that black and white – the significant number of hidden moving costs such as fuel, truck rental costs, insurance, packing supplies, renting moving equipment, road tolls, etc. can be a reason enough to change your mind.

See also: Should you hire movers or move by yourself?

How much does it cost to hire local movers?

The very first thing you should know about local movers is that they charge by the hour.

In reality, what this means is that the most important price factor when moving locally is TIME – the more time your local movers need to complete the move, the more money you will pay in the end, and vice versa.

Note that the average moving cost when moving locally is around $80 per hour per local mover.

Of course, these average local moving costs will depend on various factors such as the time of year (moving in the summer is more expensive than moving in the winter), the town or city you live in (moving services in big cities tend to be costlier), and the local moving company itself.

Thus, hiring 2 men and a truck for your move will cost you approximately $160 per hour.

Typically, these local moving rates apply regardless of the type of activity that your local movers will be performing at any given moment: packing, disassembling furniture, or loading household items into the moving truck.

So, how much do local movers charge approximately for various home sizes?

Home Size	Movers	Hours	Average Moving Cost
Studio	2	3	$480
1-bedroom	2	4	$640
2-bedroom	3	6	$1,440
3-bedroom	4	7	$2,240
4-bedroom	4	9	$2,880

• Studio apartment: $480. Moving out of a studio apartment with the help of local movers will cost you approximately $480 if 2 hired workers spend roughly 3 hours to complete the move.
• 1-bedroom apartment: $640. Moving out of a 1-bedroom apartment using top-rated local movers will cost you roughly $480 if 2 hired workers spend roughly 4 hours to complete the move.
• 2-bedroom apartment: $1,440. Moving out of a 2-bedroom apartment should cost you about $1,440 if 3 local movers work on your move for approximately 6 hours.
• 3-bedroom home: $2,240. Moving out of a 3-bedroom home will cost approximately $2,240 provided that 4 hired men complete the local move in about 7 hours.
• 4-bedroom home: $2,880. Moving out of a 4-bedroom home should cost you about $2,880 if 4 movers work on your local move for roughly 9 hours.

Additional costs when moving locally

When moving locally, you should be aware that there may be a few extra moving costs that will increase the final moving cost.

• Extra mover. Hiring an extra mover to get the job done faster will cost you approximately an extra $80 per hour for the additional worker. That may prove to be the better option for you since the local move should be completed faster with more helping hands.
• Travel fee. The local moving company you’re working with is likely to charge you a travel fee – the time your local movers will spend on the road until they reach your home from the company’s office. Usually, a travel fee amounts to 1 hour of moving labor – that is, the extra charge should be approximately $80.
• Packing materials. Your local moving company is likely to charge you for the packing supplies they use to pack up your things. Be sure to ask the local movers about that to avoid any misunderstanding later on. On average, the cost of packing materials will be anywhere between $100 and $450 depending on the size of your home and the items in it.

Must-read: FIVE AND A HALF important things to know when hiring local movers

How much does it cost to hire cross-country movers?

When you’re moving to another state, then your move will be a long-distance one and you’ll have to hire interstate movers to transport your belongings to the new home.

And here’s the interesting part: unlike local movers, cross-country movers do NOT charge on an hourly basis. Instead, they calculate the moving price based on a number of critical factors and give you a cost estimate for the entire long-distance move.

Since the cost of an interstate move is calculated on a case-by-case basis, it can be really difficult to answer the question of how much long-distance movers cost. To learn the cost of YOUR cross-country move, you should definitely request accurate cost estimates following in-home surveys from moving company representatives.

Nevertheless, you’ll find it useful to have some reference price points so that you know you’re dealing with an honest interstate moving company that won’t try to rip you off.

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How much do long-distance movers cost over a distance of 250 miles?

Home Size	Move Distance	Average Moving Cost
1-bedroom	250 miles	$1,210 – $3,013
2-bedroom	250 miles	$1,556 – $4,225
3-bedroom	250 miles	$1,880 – $4,505
4-bedroom	250 miles	$2,100 – $5,066

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How much do long-distance movers cost over a distance of 500 miles?

Home Size	Move Distance	Average Moving Cost
1-bedroom	500 miles	$1,598 – $3,213
2-bedroom	500 miles	$2,083 – $4,352
3-bedroom	500 miles	$3,250 – $5,375
4-bedroom	500 miles	$3,788 – $6,783

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How much do long-distance movers cost over a distance of 1,000 miles?

Home Size	Move Distance	Average Moving Cost
1-bedroom	1,000 miles	$2,363 – $4,930
2-bedroom	1,000 miles	$2,567 – $5,801
3-bedroom	1,000 miles	$3,570 – $6,163
4-bedroom	1,000 miles	$4,208 – $6,885

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How much do long-distance movers cost over a distance of 2,000 miles?

Home Size	Move Distance	Average Moving Cost
1-bedroom	2,000 miles	$2,576 – $4,998
2-bedroom	2,000 miles	$3,460 – $6,146
3-bedroom	2,000 miles	$4,693 – $7,523
4-bedroom	2,000 miles	$6,481 – $10,625

Keep in mind that these price ranges are only approximate values that can serve as a reference point of what to expect price-wise from your cross-country move. The only way to know the cost of your upcoming residential move with any satisfactory level of accuracy is to get free moving estimates from the best interstate moving companies in your area.

Factors that affect the interstate moving cost

As mentioned above, long-distance movers charge a flat rate that’s formed on the basis of various factors and calculated for each individual customer.

Move parameters can be so diverse that even if two neighbors were to move away to the same destination town or city, they would be given different price quotes simply because they would be moving a different number of household items and they would be likely to get different add-on services. Of course, each interstate moving company has its own tariffs as well.

Here are the major factors that influence the cost of cross-country movers:

• Move distance. The greater the distance between Point A and Point B, the higher the movers’ price will be. However, you don’t have any control over the distance between the two homes so if you’re moving on a limited budget, then you’d better focus on the other moving cost factors.
• Shipment weight. Interstate movers will weigh your items and will charge you based on the total weight of the shipment. Therefore, it’s important that you move only the things that you really like and intend to use in the future.
• Add-on services. You will pay for each extra service you request from the interstate mover or is needed for the completion of the cross-country move. Additional moving services include but are not limited to packing, unpacking, furniture disassembly, furniture reassembly, wooden crating of extra-fragile items, warehouse storage (delayed delivery), etc.
• Specialty items. If you’re moving any specialty items such as a piano or a pool table, then you’re going to have to hire specialized piano movers or pool table movers to get the job done quickly and safely. Needless to say, you’ll need to pay for the specialty moving service as well.
• Move-out date. Bear in mind that movers’ rates are the highest during the peak of the moving season (May – September), during the weekend, and on national holidays. Also, the first and last days of a month are usually more expensive because of the higher number of renters who are looking to move out or move in with the help of a moving company. So, if you are flexible enough to choose your moving date, don’t hesitate to select your move-out day in the off-peak moving season to save a bunch of hard-earned dollars.

See also: 10 foolproof ways not to lose money on your next move

How much do movers charge?

This is a really tough question to answer simply because the moving costs are calculated on a case-by-case basis.

Therefore, in order to learn the relocation cost in your particular case, the best course of action for you is to get free moving quotes from reputable moving companies, compare the cost estimates carefully, and choose your relocation partner based on the quality services they offer and their respective rates.