What is the average moving cost?

If your lease is about to expire or you’re approaching the closing day of your new property, you’ve probably asked yourself the question: “What will be my average moving cost?“. And this is perfectly understandable because it’s the price of the upcoming move that almost all soon-to-be movers find great interest in.

You may have heard the quote that money is what makes the world go round, and chances are that you may not particularly like that statement. However, whether you like it or not is largely irrelevant as you will soon realize that whenever you’re facing a new house move, it’s practically the dollar bills that will make the wheels of the truck go round and round until the destination city or town is reached.

And speaking of average relocation costs, I’m positive that after reading this article, you will have a much better understanding about your average moving costs for your local or long distance move. Of course, the first task you need to get done is to decide what moving service type to use, and because there are few options available for you, I’ll try to explain the average cost of moving for each one of them.

The American Moving and Storage Association states that the average cost of an interstate household move is about $4,300 (distance of 1,225 miles) and the average cost of an intrastate move is about $2,300 (4 movers at $200 per hour). Both average moving costs are for 7,400 pounds.

Full Service Movers Average Costs
If you have chosen to use full service moving companies for your relocation, then in most cases that would be the most expensive option to move your belongings. If you are moving state to state, then the relocation cost of your move will be based on the distance between the old and new location, weight and respectively on the amount of stuff you own. For example, if you’re moving from Chicago to Boston, MA and you live in a 4 bedroom house, your average moving cost with a full service moving company can go over $10000. But if you are moving locally within 100 miles from your old place, this cost will be based on an hourly rate and will vary from company to company.

Average moving costs per hour (local moves)
If you happen to be moving across town or locally, then it’s important to understand how the moving price is formed. Here are 3 points you should keep in mind throughout your local move so that you don’t get an unpleasant surprise when it’s time to cover the expenses at the end of the relocation.

1) Local moving costs can vary greatly depending on your exact location (state and city). Yet, our average moving cost example will give you a good idea of how much money you should get ready to pay in the end of your short distance house move.

Finding a perfectly affordable moving company is the key to a perfectly affordable move.
2) As a rule of thumb, local movers charge on an hourly basis regardless of the type of activity they are performing at the moment. That is, the hourly tariff stays unchanged regardless of whether they are packing, carrying your household items outside your home, loading these same household goods into the moving vehicle, driving to your destination, unloading your stuff, or carrying all your furniture pieces, household appliances and cardboard boxes over the threshold of your new apartment or house.

3) If you have no idea what the term “travel fee” means, then you’re likely to learn its meaning soon enough. That fee covers the expenses in terms of fuel and time your local moving company needs to reach your home, and then travel back from your second location. Usually, you will be charged a travel fee that equals 1 hour of standard move related work.

What are the average costs of moving house? 

The average moving price for local moves is $25 per hour per mover. However, that price can be higher depending on your location within the country. Therefore,

Studio apartment: 2 professional movers working for 3-5 hours at an average of $25 each per hour = $150-$250 for completing the entire moving job.
2-bedroom apartment: 3 local movers working for 5-7 hours at an average of $25 each per hour = $375-$525 to get the job done.
3-bedroom house: 4 professional local movers working for 7-10 hours at an average of $25 each per hour = $700-$1000 to complete the house move.
Larger homes: the estimated local moving costs for larger homes (5,000 square feet and up) rise sharply and can reach values around $1500-$2000, and even more.
To elaborate further on the average moving cost for a 4 bedroom house, a reputable moving company charges based on the number of movers and trucks used during your move, so the expense for a 4 bedroom house will be around $150-170 per hour for 4 experienced movers and a big moving van that can fit all of your belongings. On top of this moving cost, most moving companies do not include any additional packing costs.

If you are in a mood to pack your belongings and box every room, your average moving bill will be much lower than if you choose to have professional movers do the packing for you. Based on my experience in the field, packing costs can be similar to the moving cost itself. A 4 bedroom house can take more than 12 hours to move from one town to another. In this case, your average moving costs will be around $1800-$2500 with no packing included.

For an accurate moving estimate calculation, use our fast & easy free moving calculator.

Also, it’s important to be aware of the extra local moving costs that you should expect to be charged whenever applicable.

You can easily request packing and/or unpacking services for $25-$35 per hour, usually with the cost of packing materials included.
Of course, extra charges may be available according to the complexity of your local move. Excessive flight of stairs, long distance to the moving vehicle or an excess of bulky and heavy items may make the final price higher. Discuss in advance the possibility of additional costs with your local moving company.
It’s customary to prepare money in cash in case you are very satisfied with the work of your hired men and you wish to reward their efforts through well-deserved tips. And if that is the case, the average moving service cost will increase by 10-15% of the total move cost. Be mindful that tipping local movers is not mandatory but is always appreciated by each and every hard working crew member.
Average moving cost per mile and pound (cross country moves)

Understand what factors affect the average interstate moving costs and you will be able to save big on your cross country move.
And now that you have a much better idea what the average moving costs for local moves are, let’s take a look at the average moving costs for cross country moves. The first thing to understand here is that the price of long distance relocation is formed and calculated in an entirely different way. For example, you shouldn’t expect to be charged by the hour for using the services of a top rated long distance mover. Rather, the final price will be determined by 3 major factors:

Distance. The longer the distance is between your current home and the residence you’re moving to, the higher the relocation cost will be. And because you won’t be able to exert any control whatsoever over the mileage between the two homes, concentrate on the next two price influential variables.
Shipment weight. It’s easy to guess that the more household items you choose to move to your new home, the more the entire shipment will weigh, and therefore the more money you will be forced to pay in the end. Fortunately, this highly logical relocation price factor will also let you save hundreds of dollars whenever you choose do the smart thing to trim down the number of your belongings to their absolute minimum.
Additional services. The price estimates you receive from reputable long distance movers should include the basic move parameters, plus any additional moving services you have requested, such as packing, unpacking, furniture disassembly and/or re-assembly, and so on. Therefore, be ready to be charged extra for any accessorial service you demand or which may have become necessary for completing the job altogether.
What are the average moving costs when moving across country?

The most important thing to remember here is that the following moving costs are only approximate values that can serve you well to get a general view of what your cross country move will cost you. In practice, exact values are merely impossible to state due to the fact that all final moving prices are calculated on a case-by-case basis.

In other words, even if you and your next-door neighbor were moving to one and the same city in another part of the country, each of you would pay a different sum in the end because 1) you’d have a different number and nature of household goods for transportation; 2) you’d request different extra services depending on your individual needs and preferences, and 3) you’d use the professional services of different long distance movers (most likely).

For the sake of convenience, if we assume that you’re moving to a new city that is exactly 1000 miles away from your starting point, then you have the following moving average price examples:

Studio apartment. On average, all household items found in a studio apartment weigh approximately 1800-2000 pounds, and if you happen to be moving out from one and your new home is conveniently located 1000 miles away, then you should expect to pay no less than around $1500 excluding any extra services.
1-bedroom apartment. On average, the household goods inside a 1-bedroom apartment can weigh between 2500 and 3500 pounds, which means that you’ll be paying within the range of $1800-$2500 for a cross country move without any accessorial moving services.
2-bedroom home. On average, the items found in a 2-bedroom residence weigh something like 5000-6000 pounds, so if you’re moving to a place that is, say 1000 miles away, then you should be charged no less than around $3500-$4200 as a base price with no extra professional relocation services included.