There are many advantages of hiring professional movers when it’s time to move out of your current place. The pros will arrive on the pre-arranged day, pack up your things (if you’ve opted for the add-on service of packing), load them up safely into their truck, and transport your belongings to the new address.
When working with a full-service moving company, you won’t even have to lift a finger during the entire move – the experienced professionals will take care of each and every aspect of the relocation.
It all sounds too good to be true, right? And it is… as long as you can afford to hire one of the top-rated movers in your city.
Professional moving services are not cheap by any means. However, when you factor in all the hard work your movers will invest in the move and then think about that you would have to have done it all by yourself (or maybe together with a few good friends), then you’re likely to realize that choosing to go with a reputable and reliable moving company is still the best way to approach the upcoming house move.
And yet, you will need to find the answer to one important question before anything else: how much do movers charge?
Read on to learn the average cost of hiring movers and why you must know in advance how much movers will charge you.
Why you must know the average moving cost in advance
There are several good reasons why you should know the average cost of movers in advance, way before you pick a moving company and book their services.
Reason 1: You can be financially ready to move out
The very first reason to get a good idea about how much you’re going to have to pay your movers is all about your budget. By learning how much movers charge on average, you will be able to make some rough calculations and see where you stand from a financial point of view.
In the best-case scenario, you will have enough money to cover the inevitable moving expenses and you won’t be too stressed out about it. Or maybe you’ll almost have enough money to move out, in which case you’re going to have to use proven ways to cut moving costs.
In the worst-case scenario, you won’t be anywhere near enough the approximate moving cost, in which case you may need to postpone the move until you save more money, if that’s even an option for you.
Reason 2: You will be mentally ready to pay the price
The second reason why it’s a great idea to be aware of the average moving costs before you reach out to professional moving companies near you is that you’ll also want to be mentally ready for what’s coming.
One of your goals during a possibly stressful move is to avoid unpleasant last-minute surprises when it comes to the moving price. Basically, you’ll want to know how much your movers will charge you in the end – approximately, of course – so that you can have the peace of mind that 1) you have that amount of money, and 2) you won’t get scammed in any way.
Reason 3: You will be able to pick an affordable mover
It must be hugely satisfying to work with affordable movers who offer first-class moving services.
By knowing the average cost of movers, you will be able to figure out which moving companies are affordable and which ones are not.
Ultimately, your mission is to find an affordable moving company that offers high-quality services. The good news is that it’s easier than you think: all you need to do is get free quotes from at least 3 top-rated moving companies in your area, compare those moving estimates in terms of additional services, terms and conditions, and of course – price, and then pick the bid that’s perfectly agreeable with your relocation budget.
Reason 4: You will be able to spot any attempts at moving fraud
The average cost of movers will give you a rough idea of what to expect in terms of moving company rates. Why can this information be of any use to you?
If you do happen to get a quote that is uncharacteristically low – way lower than the rest of the estimates and even below what the average moving costs are telling you, then that could be an attempt at moving fraud from a not-so-reputable mover.
The approximate moving costs will help you stay vigilant when choosing a moving company, and thus avoid any possibility of becoming a victim of a moving scam.
How much do movers charge for a local move?
It’s important to understand that local movers and cross-country movers charge differently.
- When moving locally (within a radius of 100 miles in the same state), a local moving company will charge you by the hour.
- When moving across the country (moving to another state), then a cross-country moving company will charge you a flat fee based on various factors such as distance, shipment weight, and add-on services.
So, how much will movers charge you when you’re moving only a short distance away?
The average cost of a local move is roughly $60 per hour per mover.
And now that you know the average cost of local movers, you can do some calculations to figure out how much you’ll need to pay (roughly) when you’re moving locally. Remember that the local moving company you’ve hired will charge you based on the hours they spend working on your move.
- Studio or 1-bedroom. When you’re moving out of a studio or a 1-bedroom apartment, then 2 movers will work roughly 4 hours to protect and load up your stuff. On average, your local movers will charge you $480 for the job.
- 2-bedroom. When you’re moving out of a 2-bedroom home, then 3 movers will work roughly 6 hours to pack up and load up your things into their truck. On average, your local movers will charge you $1,080 for the job.
- 3-bedroom. When you’re moving out of a 3-bedroom home, then 4 movers will work roughly 7 hours to pack up and load up your household items into their truck. On average, your local movers will charge you $1,680 for the job.
- 4-bedroom. When you’re moving out of a 4-bedroom home, then 4 movers will work roughly 9 hours to protect and load up your things into their moving vehicle. On average, your local movers will charge you $2,160 for the job.
5 things you should know about local moving costs
Now that you’re aware of how much local movers charge on average, let’s take a look at 5 things you should know when moving only a short distance away with the help of a local moving company.
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Remember that local movers charge by the hour.
Local moving rates can vary significantly and will not only depend on the concrete local movers, but on your precise location as well. The state and the city you’re living in right now will affect the final price when you’re moving locally. Generally speaking, local movers in big cities tend to charge more than local movers in smaller towns.
- Local movers will charge you by the hour no matter what they have to do to get the job done. The professionals may be packing up your stuff, taking your boxes and furniture out of the home, or loading up your things into their vehicle, you’ll still be paying for the hours your move took to complete.
- Your local movers are likely to charge you a travel fee – the time they need to reach your home from their office location. In most cases, a travel fee equals one hour of work, so you should expect to pay roughly $60 extra.
- Your local movers may charge you extra for going up and down multiple flights of stairs, greater distance to the moving vehicle from the front door, or for handling too heavy or too large items – bulky furniture, for example.
- Your local movers are likely to do a great job packing, loading, and transporting your belongings. And if that’s the case, then you can think about rewarding their hard work by tipping each member of the moving crew. You’re not obliged to tip movers but it’s a good idea to do it provided that you’re really happy with their service.
20 Local Moving Tips: Local Moving Checklist
How much do movers charge for a cross-country move?
Interstate movers will not charge you on an hourly basis – instead, they will quote you a price based on a number of variables such as distance, weight, and extra services.
So, how much will state-to-state movers charge you when you’re moving across the country?
If we assume that your destination home is located roughly 1,000 miles away from your current location, then we have the following average moving costs:
- Studio or 1-bedroom. When you’re moving out of a studio or a 1-bedroom apartment (total weight of items: 1,800 lbs. – 3,500 lbs.), then you can expect to pay $1,500 – $3,200 without any extra services.
- 2-bedroom. When you’re moving out of a 2-bedroom home (total weight of items: 3,500 lbs. – 5,200 lbs.), then you can expect to pay $3,500 – $5,200 without any add-on services.
- 3-bedroom. When you’re moving out of a 3-bedroom home (total weight of items: around 9,000 lbs.), then you can expect to pay $6,300 – $7,800 without any accessorial services.
- 4-bedroom. When you’re moving out of a 4-bedroom home, then you can expect to pay roughly $8,000 or more without any additional moving services.
20 Simple and Easy Ways to Reduce Moving Costs
5 things you should know about cross-country moving costs
Now that you’re aware of how much interstate movers charge on average, let’s take a look at 5 things you should know when moving long distance across the country with the help of an out-of-state moving company.
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The best way to save on your long-distance move is to pack whatever you can by yourself.
The distance between the two homes will affect greatly how much movers charge you in the end. However, the distance factor is a constant value and there’s nothing you can really do to change it.
- Your interstate moving company will charge you based on the total weight of the shipment. What this means is that the more things you decide to take with you to the new place, the more money you’ll need to pay your mover. Therefore, in order to reduce the moving cost, do consider moving with the minimum number of belongings possible – just don’t take stuff you don’t particularly like and you won’t need in the new home.
- Your cross-country movers will charge you based on the number and types of extra services you request from them. For example, the most common add-on service is packing and it usually includes the cost of all packing supplies as well. What this means, in reality, is that if you manage to pack up all or most of your items by yourself, then your movers will charge you much less money for the move.
- Your interstate movers will charge you extra if you have any specialty items that require a much better level of protection and care during the relocation in order to arrive unscathed in the new home. Such specialty household items include but are not limited to pianos, hot tubs, pool tables, heavy safes, grandfather clocks, and so on.
- The only way to know for sure how much movers charge is to request accurate estimates from reputable, licensed, and experienced moving companies in your city or town. Use the Moving Cost Calculator below to get in touch with the best local or cross-country movers in your area.
I’m glad to see you pointed out asking for price estimates from several moving companies and checking to see if that company is associated with scams. I have a friend who learned the hard way the importance of checking for scam associations. It took her months and using legal action to get her items back.
A lot of the pricing depends on the metro area you are moving to or from. Some areas are more competitive than others and thus moving is cheaper. Larger cities tend to have hundreds of moving companies and this drives the price way down. If you live in a smaller town or metro the price will probably be higher because companies that have been in business awhile can better monopolize the market for moving services.
One of the greatest article. Well written and up to the point.
This is a really good article about how much moving companies can cost. I didn't know that there was so much to figure out like how much they charge up front, how much for local moves, and for long hauls. I figure should find that out before hiring a company.
It depends on the amount of cubic feets and destination address (amount of miles).
Basically they charge about $1,5 per cubic feet + $ 3 per mile.
For 1 bedroom apartment its around $1000 – approximately.
Great article. I agree with Marc, the prices for moving labor help vary from city to city. Even within the same city I have seen labor rates for movers range from $20 and hour for a mover to $60+ an hour in the same city for a mover (mind you this is just for labor).
With the poplarity of moving help marketplaces, we can see that there is no real average rate – it just a matter of nailing down how much you want to spend and then going online and finding a crew who is willing to do it at that price.
The average honest rate would be around 2 movers 2 hours of labor for $120-$140; although we can see the same company if hired through a moving labor broker go for above $200.
Please do not use Empowerment Moving out of Denver Colorado – they posted this article on their website and I wanted to share our experience
Worst moving company experience ever! Beware! Scheduled 3 movers – only to have two show up, almost an hour late with no response from the owner as to what happened until well Into the afternoon. Was told our furniture would be wrapped of which only a small portion was. Many broken items, one mover stepped into n my vintage wine barrel and busted the tops completely, they put two large mirrors in between our new mattresses without being wrapped and tore all three mattresses. Took the two guys NINE HOURS to load a 26 ft truck of which my husband (who is disabled), our son, our neighbor and myself did most of the work. When I called the owner to voice my concerns about the time it was taking as other companies verified that it should not have taken this amount of time, the owner Jeremiah, assured me (and I had him on speakerphone so I had witnesses) that we would be taken care of. The movers when returning from lunch reeked of marijuana and worked at a snails pace. We also contracted his wife Jayde to clean our townhome for the move out – of which she never showed to do the clean out. Jeremiah told me that because of the inconvenience they would do the cleaning for free. This seemed reasonable so I agreed, Jeremiah confirmed Jayde would be there to do so on the day scheduled then ghosted us. The loading wasn’t even completed we had to finish and then turn around and pay someone else to clean. He then said – there was no contract so you can’t do anything about it. I asked for half my money back and that was his response. Nice. Please do not employ this company – you can find someone who I’ll actually do the work – when we unloaded – took two guys to unload the WHOLE TRUCK AND TRAILER – as well as put the furniture in the correct rooms and set up, a little under two hours. Empowerment Movers charged me 1387.50 for this truck to be loaded and yet they MAYBE DID two -three hours of ACTUAL work. Please do a background check on the people coming into your home as well – check out their Facebook page as well as they don’t seem to really care whom they hire come to find out.