How Much Does it Cost to Move? | Cheap Cheap Moving Boxes

The time has come, and you must start planning your big move into your new home or apartment. Moving takes a lot of prep work and planning. It can be frustrating and stressful no matter how much time you have until moving day. You may have months, weeks, or just days!

One of the biggest questions everyone has when they are about to move is, how much is it going to cost? This price will vary depending on if you are moving from a one, two, or 3 or more-bedroom house or apartment. You will want to know what you are roughly going to pay.Are you going to hire movers, or are you going to move yourself?

Another key information that will be needed is the distance between your old residence with the new. Is this going to be a local or long-distance move? Long distance moves are going to cost more and will have you reaching into your pocket for money.

Why do average moving costs matter?

First, you may not get all the answers to your questions right away, therefore you are going to want to start budgeting. Start planning your move early and get information about the pricing in advance so that:

Your budget is set and ready to follow
Always make room in the budget for surprise costs
You can reduce the amount of stress knowing that you are financially ready

When it comes to hiring a professional moving company, remember the best way to get an accurate quote on your move is to have them come to your home and give an expert visual inspection of your home. This will be the best way to get a precise quote to include into your budget. Always get quotes from multiple moving companies, and make sure that they are a legit company.

This article will help you approximate and give you a preview at what you moving costs will look like. This preview into the costs can only be used as guidance due to that company rates will vary from the area you live, your city, the moving company, and the distance for your move.

Moving Company Costs on Average

What is a Local Move?

Local moves are when the customer is moving and never leave the state or origin and usually the destination is less than 100 miles. Most local moving companies due charge by the hour. There can be additional charges to this hourly rate which can be packing your belongs before placing them on the truck. Due to time defining the price of your move, here are some factors that will help you decide your price:

The size of your current residence
The amount of time needed for additional services. Are you going to pack everything, or will you be hiring the moving company to do the packing?
How many movers will you need?
The distance to the new address

The average cost per mover is usually around $30 per hour. With taking that into consideration, here are some rough estimates on what different size homes will cost to move and the number of hours needed.

Studio Apartment – It should only take 2 movers about 4-5 hours to finish your move, which is approximately $240-$300. This is not including any additional fees or charges.
2 Bedroom Apartment – Usually this will take 2-3 movers and about 6-7 hours to complete the move. So, this should run about $540-$630. This is not including any additional fees or charges.
3 Bedroom Home – This should take anywhere from 8-9 hours to complete the move using 4 movers. Which would approximately cost you $960-$1,080. Again, this is not including any additional fees or charges.

It is particularly important to keep in mind that with additional fees and charges will change the final price. A lot of times people will choose this do these tasks that may cost more if the moving company did them, to save money. Here are some additional fees that you may run into with a moving company:

Packing Services – this is also based on an hourly charge. This can range anywhere from $25-$50 per hour and may include the price of the packing supplies.
Each additional mover or packer to complete your move can range from $25-$30 per hour.
Travel Fee – this will include the amount of time it takes for the moving crew to reach your new address.
Moving Insurance – This is an important decision to make. We recommend opting in for any type of insurance that a moving company offers. Protect your valuables and other possessions against accidental damage.

Average moving costs for cross country moves

What is a long-distance move?

If you are going to be crossing state borders or exceeding the 100-mile radius, this will be classified as a cross country move. The approximate costs for this type of long-distance move will be calculated differently than your local style moves. There are three basic criteria for this type of move:

Moving Distance
Shipment Weight
Any Additional Services

The cost to moving furniture will be priced by the weight, size, and the nature of your home. Expect there to be an additional charge if you movers are going to need to pack and handle bulky furniture. Other additional charges that may be added to your final bill can be narrow hallways and stairs, smaller doorways, and the number of flight of stairs. If you have furniture that needs to be disassembled for your move, this can incur an additional charge.

Move Distance – This is the distance between your current location and your new address. This is a constant value and will not change from your quoted price.
Shipment Weight – This is the final weight of the truck once it is packed. This will play a big role in your final price. Try to make an effort to get rid of any items that you may not be using or do not want anymore. This may seem like a small amount of weight but can save you a lot of money in the long run.
Extra Services – Make sure to choose only the extras you will need. If you want to save money, pack everything yourself, so that when the movers do show up, all they will need to do is pack your moving boxes and furniture. Purchase all your moving supplies early and have them ready for the movers.

Here are some rough estimates to help you approximate the cost without any additional services.

1 Bedroom Apartment – If you are moving within 500 miles, the average cost is about $1,500. If you are moving to a new address 1000 miles or more, you are looking at paying around $2,000. This is without any additional fees.
2 Bedroom House/Apartment – You are looking on spending $2,000, if it is withing 500 miles, and $2,500 if it is within 1,000 miles. The approximate weight for this type of move is roughly 5,000 pounds.
3 Bedroom House/Apartment – $2,600 (within 500 miles) and $3,500 (within 1,000 miles) The average shipping weight is roughly 7,500 pounds.

Please remember that the above-mentioned costs are solely reference and rough estimates on what moving can cost you. Due to the nature of residential moves other fees prices can change to be more expensive or cheaper than what we have come up with.

Average cost of self- moves

This is usually the most cost-effective moving option, but not always. This is something to investigate but may cost more if not done the right way. There are some key factors you should ask yourself before you select doing a self-move.

Is it a short distance move?
Do you have friends and family that you can rely on to help you move?
Have you ever moved a house or apartment before?
Do you feel that you can organize and follow through with all the stresses and frustrations that may come with the move?
Do you feel comfortable driving a moving truck, no matter the length?

If you have answered yes to all these questions, then a self-move something that you may want to consider. But make sure to look and document all the costs of this style of move and compare it to hiring movers. Here are some of the costs you may encounter with a self-move:

Moving Truck Rental – Depending on the company that you choose, such as U-Haul or Penske, the pricing can vary. You will need to know the size of truck or van you want and for how many days will you be needing it. Prices do also vary on the time of year you are moving. If it is during a peak season, expect to pay more. On average a 14” moving truck will cost you about $20-30 a day. Depending on the truck company they may include some mileage with the rental, but if you do go over that then expect to pay anywhere from $0.70-$1.10 per mile. A 14” moving truck is great to pack up to a 2-bedroom home or apartment. The next popular size of moving trucks is 24”, and these can range between $40 – $70 a day. And again, this is not including any mileage fees that may occur. You will also want to get insurance on the truck, so that if a accident does occur during your move then you will not have to worry about this coming out of your pocket to pay for damages. When talking to the rental truck company make sure to ask if there are any additional fees such as: mileage fees, cleaning fee, fuel surcharge, etc. These additional fees can begin to add up and make your move not as cheap as you thought it to be.
Moving Equipment and supplies – Will you need special equipment to help with your move such as dollies, moving blankets, and furniture pads. This will save you time and effort, instead of lifting everything and the added protection you will need for your move.
Moving Boxes – Since you will be doing a self-move you will need to acquire your own boxes. You can purchase your moving boxes online or most of the time through a truck rental company. We highly recommend not getting free boxes from grocery stores, as you do not know what those boxes contained and what type of condition, they are in. When buying boxes online make sure that you will have them delivered in time for your move. Make sure to purchase moving boxes that are within your budget, due to there are some companies out there that will buy back all of your unused boxes.
Moving Supplies – This entails supplies such as packing paper, bubble wrap, and tape. You will want to protect your valuable possessions during the move. Moving your electronic and packing them correctly is especially important.
Hidden Costs that may occur – With any move, problems and other costs may happen. Some of these can be moving insurance, food and lodging, personal injuries, or property damage. These costs can make your inexpensive move shoot your cost through the roof.

With this, money is not everything, according to some people. But that is not always true. Moving can be a complicated process and we want our customers to have a general idea of what to expect when moving. No mater if you are moving locally or across the country, knowing roughly what to expect in costs is knowing half the battle. The information that we have provided, we hope you find helpful and you consider that these are just rough estimations and not for sure costs, which will help you decide which style of move you will be doing.