Moving Cost Calculator
Moving cost calculator: price a local or long-distance move from home size and distance, with packing and storage. Free, no sign-up, and it runs in your browser.
Dedicated page: /en/moving-cost-calculator
Sets weight, crew, hours, boxes and truck size.
Peak season runs 15% to 30% higher.
Local moves are billed hourly, typically $25 to $50 per mover, plus a truck fee.
About $150 a month per bedroom equivalent.
About $50 per flight above ground floor.
Rental trucks run $20 to $50 a day plus $0.79 to $1.20 a mile plus fuel.
Planning figures, not quotes: real prices move with season, stairs, access and what you own, usually by 20% to 40%. For interstate moves get a binding-not-to-exceed estimate and check the carrier USDOT number at fmcsa.dot.gov. Estimates only.
Quick answer
A moving cost calculator estimates what a move will cost from home size and distance. Local moves under 50 miles are billed hourly by crew size and hours, long-distance moves are billed by shipment weight and distance, and the estimate adds packing, storage, stairs and season, then compares the total with a DIY rental truck.
About this Moving Cost Calculator
Moving cost calculator: price a local or long-distance move from home size and distance, with packing and storage. It is one of the Home and DIY on ToolUstad, and like every tool here it runs entirely in your browser: nothing you type, paste or open is uploaded to a server, and there is no sign-up or usage limit.
What is a moving cost calculator?
Moving costs follow two very different pricing models, and the distance decides which one applies. Local moves, under 50 miles, are billed hourly: the number of movers times the hours times the hourly rate, plus a truck fee. A 2-bedroom home takes 3 movers for about 6 hours at $50 an hour, plus a $150 truck fee, which is $1,050. Long-distance moves are billed by weight and distance: the shipment weight times a per-pound rate times a distance multiplier. The same 2-bedroom home weighs about 5,000 lb, so 1,000 miles at $0.70 a pound with a 1.2x multiplier is about $4,200.
Both models have a long tail of add-ons that quietly add 20 to 50 percent to the headline price: packing, storage, stairs, long carries, shuttle fees and specialty items. This calculator itemises them, and gives a realistic range of plus or minus 15 percent around the central estimate.
Local moves: crew, hours and the truck
Crew size and hours scale with home size. Hourly rates run $25 to $50 per mover. Full packing adds about 30 percent to the base cost, and a 2-bedroom home has 50 to 80 boxes worth of packing, which is $1,250 to $3,200 if movers pack it, against $200 to $400 in materials if you pack yourself.
Long-distance moves: weight is the price
Weight drives long-distance pricing, and the mover estimated weight from a walkthrough is the number to check. The actual weight is measured at a state-certified weigh station mid-trip, and if it materially exceeds the estimate you can ask to be present for the reweigh. The distance multiplier rises with distance: 1.0x to 500 miles, 1.2x to 1,000 miles, 1.4x to 2,000 miles and 1.7x beyond that.
DIY, season and the quote traps
A rental truck runs $20 to $50 a day plus $0.79 to $1.20 a mile plus fuel. For a local 25-mile move that is about $70, against $1,050 with movers. For a 1,000-mile move the truck alone is $1,500 to $2,200 in rental and fuel. Peak season, May to September, adds 15 to 30 percent, and Saturdays cost 10 to 20 percent more than midweek.
Three quote traps catch people. The long-carry fee, $1 to $2 per foot past 75 to 100 feet from the door. The shuttle fee, $300 to $800, when a full-size trailer cannot fit your street. And the non-binding estimate, which can legally reach 110 percent of the quote at delivery. The single best protection is a binding-not-to-exceed estimate, which caps the final bill at the quoted amount even if the actual weight is higher.
Best practices
- Get three quotes: and ask each one for a binding-not-to-exceed estimate in writing.
- Take full value protection: released value at $0.60 a pound barely covers anything.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Accepting a non-binding estimate and being surprised at delivery when the bill is 110 percent of the quote.
- Forgetting stairs, long carries and specialty items like pianos, which cost $300 to $1,500 to move.
Who is the moving cost calculator for?
Anyone planning a move who wants a sanity check before calling movers, renters comparing a local move with a rental truck, and households budgeting a long-distance relocation.
Learn: how to use the Moving Cost Calculator
- Pick your home size, from a studio to 4+ bedrooms. It sets the weight, crew, hours, boxes and truck size.
- Enter the distance in miles. Under 50 miles the move is billed hourly; over 50 miles it is billed by weight.
- Add packing, storage months, flights of stairs and any specialty items like a piano.
- Pick peak or off-peak season, and check the DIY rental boxes for the self-move cost.
- Read the estimated total, the realistic range, the DIY comparison and the cost table by home size.
Features
- Two pricing models: hourly for local moves, weight-based for long-distance
- Home size presets with weight, crew, hours, boxes and truck size
- Packing, storage, stairs and specialty-item add-ons itemised
- Peak-season surcharge and a realistic plus or minus 15% range
- DIY rental estimate from truck day rate, mileage and fuel
- Cost table for every home size at your distance, plus a boxes count
Worked example
A 2-bedroom home moving 25 miles locally: 3 movers for 6 hours at $50 an hour plus a $150 truck fee is $1,050. The realistic range is $893 to $1,208, and the truck is a 20 ft rental with about 60 boxes. The same 2-bedroom home moving 1,000 miles costs about $4,200, from 5,000 lb at $0.70 a pound with a 1.2x distance multiplier, with a range of $3,570 to $4,830. A DIY rental truck for the local move costs about $70: $35 a day, $25 of mileage and $10 of fuel.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a local move cost?
A 2-bedroom apartment moving 25 miles typically costs $700 to $1,200 with a reputable company. Studios and 1-bedroom homes run $400 to $800, and 3-bedroom homes run $1,500 to $3,000 or more.
How much does a long-distance move cost?
A 2-bedroom home moving 1,000 miles costs about $4,200, and coast to coast about $4,500 to $7,500. Bigger homes run $7,000 to $15,000. Long-distance moves are billed by weight and distance.
What is the cheapest way to move?
A self-move with a rental truck: $1,000 to $2,500 for a typical interstate move, against $4,000 to $7,000 with movers. Portable storage containers run $2,000 to $4,000: you pack, they drive.
When is the most expensive time to move?
Peak season, May to September, especially May, June and August, runs 15 to 30 percent higher. Saturdays cost 10 to 20 percent more than midweek.
Should I tip movers?
Yes, it is customary. Local moves: $20 to $40 per mover for a half day, $40 to $60 for a full day. Long-distance: $50 to $100 per mover at the loading end and the same at unloading.
What does moving insurance actually cover?
Released value is the default: $0.60 per pound, so a $2,000 TV weighing 30 lb gets $18. Full value protection replaces or repairs at current value, typically 1 to 2 percent of declared value.
How do I avoid a moving scam?
For interstate moves, check the carrier USDOT number at fmcsa.dot.gov, get a binding-not-to-exceed estimate, and avoid movers asking for a large deposit over 20 percent upfront or quoting far below everyone else.
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