How Much Does a Moving Service Cost?
Last Updated: January 20, 2022
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They say there are three hard things in life that people go through: Death, Divorce, and Moving. Hopefully, you're not going through two of these at the same time. Hopefully, moving is the only thing that you have to do right now.
You can make moving a lot easier by hiring a moving company to do the heavy lifting for you. Hiring a moving company will take stress off your life and make it a lot easier to focus on other things like packing and making other preparations.
Local Moving Service Prices #
The cost of moving locally is going to vary depending on the distance from one place to another. Further means more time you must pay for the movers' hourly rates and it also means paying a bit more for their trucks' gasoline. More importantly, the price will depend on the amount of things you have. The costs below are estimates based on moving for less than 2 hours of driving time.
- It will cost $200 to $300 to move enough furniture and boxes to fill a one bedroom or a studio.
- It will cost $300 to $400 to move enough furniture and boxes to fill a two to three bedroom home.
- It will cost $400 to $600 to move enough furniture to fill a four to six bedroom home.
Moving companies typically operate in 3 to 4 man crews. They typically charge $25 to $35 an hour per man for their services. Some of this goes to gas, insurance, and truck maintenance.
Long Distance Moving Prices #
- To move a one bedroom apartment from the coast to the coast will cost between $2,700 and $3,500.
- To move a two to three to three bedroom place from the coast to the coast will cost anywhere from $3,500 to $5,500.
- To move a three to four bedroom place from coast to coast it will cost $5,500 to $8,000. Any distance in the middle will require you to get customized quotes.
Things to Consider #
- By renting your own truck from a company like Uhaul or Ryder you can save yourself half of the money you would spend hiring a moving service. Is it worth the extra cost for you to load and unload the truck yourself? Is it worth it to haul the heavy appliances around?
- Make sure everything is packed in boxes. Some moving companies will not even touch anything not in a box. Whether you are hiring a moving company or moving yourself having everything in a box that can go in a box will only make the move go faster and smoother. That's a good thing.
- Does your moving company move pianos? Ask what they charge and get quotes from others. You may get a better price from a specialty moving company.
- Does your moving company insure the things they move or does that cost extra? They may have a separate charge for that.
- Separate breakable items and put them in separate boxes. Pack all those things in bubble wrap or newspaper and mark them FRAGILE in bright marker. Movers are fast but may not be as gentle as you would be. Pad your breakables well!
