Free moving cost calculator. Estimate full-service, container and rental-truck moves by home size and distance, packing, storage and fees included.
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Enter your values and press Calculate.
Enter the driving distance, your home size (the calculator estimates shipment weight from it), and the service type: full-service movers, container, rental truck or labor-only help. Local moves (under 50 miles) are priced by crew hours; long-distance moves by weight × distance. Packing, storage, valuation, heavy items and tips are itemised separately. Results are planning estimates, always collect at least three written quotes before booking.
Every serious moving cost estimator works the same way: base fee + distance charge + weight charge + optional services. The split between local and long-distance moves is the first thing to understand.
Local moves (under about 50 miles) are priced by the hour: typically $25–$50 per mover per hour with a 2-hour minimum, so a 2-bedroom apartment takes 4–6 hours with a 2-person crew. This calculator models that as $110 per 1,000 lbs of estimated shipment weight plus $2 per mile.
Long-distance moves are priced by weight and distance: around $0.50–$1.00 per pound. The calculator uses a per-pound rate that rises with distance, from $0.50 for short regional hops to $1.00 for 2,000+ mile hauls, matching the industry's published ranges.
Optional services sit on top either way: packing, storage, valuation coverage, heavy-item fees and crew tips. Those add-ons are where many online estimates go wrong by leaving them out, so this calculator itemises them separately.
Pick your currency, enter the driving distance in miles, and choose your home size, the calculator estimates the shipment weight for you (a studio averages ~2,000 lbs; a 3-bedroom ~9,000 lbs; a 5-bedroom 15,000+ lbs).
Then pick the service type: full-service movers, a moving container you pack yourself, a rental truck you drive, or labor-only help. Add packing level, months of storage, valuation coverage and any heavy items like pianos or safes.
The results show the total estimate, the base service cost, the add-on total, cost per mile and the estimated shipment weight, so you can compare options on equal terms. These are planning estimates, not binding quotes: always collect at least three written estimates before booking.
Home size drives the shipment weight, and weight drives the price, so knowing the typical bands helps you sanity-check any quote.
Studio / 1-bedroom (~2,000–2,500 lbs): $300–$600 locally; $1,500–$2,500 for a 1,000-mile move. 2-bedroom (~5,000 lbs): $450–$900 locally; $2,500–$4,500 long-distance, whether it is an apartment or a house, weight is what matters. 3-bedroom (~9,000 lbs): $600–$1,200 locally; $4,000–$7,500 long-distance. 4-bedroom (~12,000 lbs): $800–$1,600 locally; $6,000–$10,000 long-distance. 5+ bedrooms (15,000+ lbs): $1,000–$2,500 locally; $8,000–$15,000 long-distance.
Full packing service typically adds $200–$500 locally and $500–$2,000 long-distance, depending on home size. Storage adds roughly $150–$250 per month for a typical unit. Worked example, a 3-bedroom home moving 1,000 miles with a container: base 1,200 + 9,000 × 0.55 = $6,150 before packing, storage or insurance.
Local and long-distance moves use completely different pricing models, which is why comparing them is confusing.
Local: hourly pricing. You pay for crew hours, 2 to 4 movers at $25–$50 each per hour, plus a small travel or mileage fee. A studio takes 2–3 hours; a 3-bedroom takes 6–8 hours with a 3-person crew. Short moves can hit minimum fees (often 2 hours), so studios and 1-bedrooms can cost about the same.
Long-distance: weight times distance. The carrier estimates your shipment's weight from your home size, applies a per-pound rate for the distance band, and adds a fuel surcharge (currently around 8–15% of the base rate). The weight is checked on a weigh-station scale en route, so anything you add after the estimate can change the bill.
This is why the calculator switches models at 50 miles: below it you are buying hours, above it you are buying pounds.
A full-service mover supplies the truck, the labor, the driving and optional packing, and carries liability for your goods. It is the most expensive route ($3,150–$5,100 for a 2-bedroom, 437-mile move in one published comparison) and the most hands-off.
A moving container is dropped at your door; you pack and load it, the company drives and delivers it. It sits in the middle on both cost and effort, about $6,800 for an 8,000 lb shipment in that same comparison, and some companies can store it in transit.
A rental truck you drive, the classic DIY moving option, is the cheapest line on the page ($2,360 for that 8,000 lb example: truck days + mileage + fuel + supplies) and the most work: 20–40 hours of packing, loading, driving and unloading, and you carry the damage risk yourself. One comparison found the truck stays cheapest up to about 3,400 miles.
Labor-only help is the hybrid: you rent the truck or container, and a crew at $45–$75 per mover per hour does the loading and unloading, $350–$1,300 for most apartments and small homes.
The average mover encounters $400–$800 in unexpected fees, and this is where estimates most often understate reality.
Stair carry ($50–$100 per flight), long carry ($75–$150 when the truck cannot park within ~75 feet), elevator fees ($75–$200 for reserved building elevators), and shuttle service ($300–$500 when a large truck cannot reach the street) all attach at access points.
Packing materials and last-minute packing ($100–$400), bulky-item handling for pianos or safes ($75–$300 each), storage-in-transit, and valuation coverage upgrades are the other usual suspects. Add crew tips, $20–$30 per mover for a half-day local move, $40–$60 per mover for a full day, $50–$100 per mover for long-distance, which estimates exclude but most people pay.
Before you book, ask any carrier for these in writing: stairs, long carry, packing, storage, shuttle, and whether the estimate is binding. The calculator includes heavy-item fees and tips so its total is closer to what you will actually hand over.
The cheapest pound to move is the one you never pack: every 1,000 lbs you sell, donate or discard before the move can take roughly $700 off a long-distance full-service estimate. Declutter first, then get the estimate.
Pack non-fragile items yourself, professional packing costs $395–$5,750 by home size, and self-packing is the second biggest lever after downsizing. Skip peak season: May through September, weekends and the last three days of any month run 20–30% above off-peak. Mid-week, mid-month moves are consistently cheaper.
Avoid access fees: reserve the elevator, confirm truck parking within 75 feet, and ground-floor or elevator buildings beat walk-ups. Ask about discounts before you book, 10–25% off for military, seniors, law enforcement and AAA members is common but rarely offered unprompted.
And always get at least three written estimates from carriers offering the same service type, then compare them on this calculator: a full-service quote, a container quote and a truck quote are not comparable until each is priced on the same list of services.
Two quotes are only comparable if they describe the same contract. A binding estimate fixes the price for the services it lists, the mover cannot charge more. A non-binding estimate is a starting point that can be exceeded, though federal rules limit what the mover may demand at delivery on a non-binding estimate, with the balance due later.
Federal law also requires interstate movers to give you a written estimate and the federal rights booklet before you book. Read which kind of estimate you have been given before comparing two quotes on price: a cheap non-binding quote can finish more expensive than a binding one.
Valuation coverage is the related question. Basic coverage (the FMCSA-required minimum of $0.60/lb) is usually included and pays by weight, a destroyed laptop is compensated by its weight in cents per pound. Full-value protection costs about 1–2% of the move and pays far more realistically. Ask for the coverage terms in writing before moving day.
It depends on weight, distance and who does the work. In 2026, local moves run $300–$2,500 and long-distance moves $1,500–$15,000+. A 2-bedroom apartment averages $400–$900 locally or $2,500–$4,500 for 1,000 miles; a 3-bedroom home averages $600–$1,200 locally or $4,000–$7,500 long-distance. Enter your details above for an estimate.
The top factors are: (1) distance, local moves are priced hourly, long-distance by weight and miles; (2) home size and shipment weight; (3) timing, peak season costs 20–30% more; (4) access, stairs, elevators and long carries; and (5) services, packing, storage, insurance and specialty items.
A 2-bedroom home (about 5,000 lbs) costs roughly $450–$900 for a local move with full-service movers, or $2,500–$4,500 for a 1,000-mile move. A rental truck for the same 1,000-mile move costs about $1,000–$3,500 in rental, fuel and supplies, plus 20–40 hours of your time.
Local moves (under ~50 miles) are charged by crew hours: $25–$50 per mover per hour with a 2-hour minimum. Long-distance moves are priced by shipment weight times distance, roughly $0.50–$1.00 per pound, plus a fuel surcharge of 8–15%. This calculator switches models at 50 miles.
A binding estimate is a fixed price for the listed services, the mover cannot charge more. A non-binding estimate can be exceeded, though federal rules cap what the mover may demand at delivery. Always check which kind you have been given before comparing two quotes on price.
Downsize before the estimate, every 1,000 lbs you remove can save ~$700 on a long-distance move. Pack yourself, move mid-week and mid-month outside summer, avoid stairs and long carries, and ask about 10–25% military, senior or AAA discounts. Always compare at least three written estimates.
Tipping is customary but not mandatory. The standard is $20–$30 per mover for a half-day local move, $40–$60 per mover for a full-day move, and $50–$100 per mover for long-distance moves. Tip each mover individually in cash at the end of the job.
Watch for stair carry ($50–$100 per flight), long carry ($75–$150), elevator fees ($75–$200), shuttle service ($300–$500), packing materials ($100–$400), bulky-item handling for pianos or safes ($75–$300 each), storage-in-transit and valuation upgrades. The average mover encounters $400–$800 in unexpected fees.
Basic coverage (the federal minimum of $0.60/lb) is usually included but pays by weight, so a damaged computer is compensated in cents per pound. Full-value protection costs about 1–2% of the move and covers the realistic value. Get the coverage terms in writing before moving day.
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