Moving Costs at a Glance

• Professional movers: $80-$100 per hour
• Three-bedroom house, local move: $560-$1,000
• One-bedroom house, local move: $240-$500
• Long-distance move: $2,000-$8,000+
• Rental truck, local move: $150
• Rental truck, long-distance move: $1,700+
• Moving pod: $110 per month

Moving can be one of the more stressful events in life. It involves uprooting your family and belongings and landing in a new location that might be across town or on the other side of the country — not to mention the potentially high costs involved.

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There are many factors that affect the cost of moving, including the size of your home, the number of items being moved, the distance you’re moving and whether you hire a professional moving company. By taking these factors into account, you can pick the lowest-stress option that still keeps you within your budget. Read on to get an idea of how much it’ll cost to move.

How Much Does It Cost to Move a Three-Bedroom House?

According to Consumer Affairs, the average cost to move a three-bedroom house is between $560 and $1,000. This price is for a local move using professional movers. Moving costs vary based on how much you’re moving and how far you’re going. The more items you need to move, the more it will cost. The cost is also dependent on the size of your home. A one-bedroom residence typically has fewer items than a three-bedroom home, so the cost of the move would be much lower — more like $240 to $500.

Long-distance moving costs are naturally higher. If you are moving more than 100 miles from your current location, the cost creeps up to around $2,000.  Longer moves, like a cross-country move, could send the cost up to as much as $8,000. Simply put, the farther you move, the more it will cost.

How Much Does It Typically Cost to Hire Movers?

For a local move, movers generally charge an hourly rate between $80 and $100 for a team of two. Larger teams will cost more per hour, but they will also get the work done faster. That means fewer hours of work, so costs may equal out.

For long-distance moves, moving companies typically charge a flat rate based on the distance of the move. The greater the distance, the higher the price.

Also, consider how many items you have to move and the weight involved. Fewer and lighter items can be moved quicker, resulting in less moving time and cost. Conversely, heavier items like refrigerators and washing machines take longer for teams to move, which in turn costs you more money.

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Is It Worth It to Hire Movers?

Hiring a moving company costs more money than doing it yourself, but it can also save you time and stress. No need to figure out how to get a large bed down a flight of stairs or safely move your 300-pound refrigerator. That alone may make it worth the expense for many families, especially if there are limitations on physical activity or how much time can be spent moving.

How Much Does It Cost to Move if I Don’t Hire Movers?

If you're considering a do-it-yourself move and think you can handle it, remember that there are still costs involved. If you don’t have a vehicle big enough to transport larger furniture items, you’ll probably need to rent a truck or trailer. While this is cheaper than hiring a moving company, additional costs include mileage, gas refills and insurance liability, not to mention the physical cost of moving everything yourself.

Depending on the size of truck you need, you may be able to pull off a local move for less than $150, according to Move.org. Mileage is a huge factor in rental truck costs, so you may pay upwards of $1,700 if you’re moving across the country.

One popular option is moving pods. With this option, a company delivers an empty container to your house, and you load the container with your items. The company then transports the pod to your new home, where you can unload it at your own pace.

Moving.com says a 12-foot pod costs around $110 dollars a month. Add to that the cost of moving the pod to your new location, which varies depending on the distance. While renting a pod is cheaper than hiring a moving company, you’ll still do all the heavy lifting yourself.

Is It Cheaper to Buy New Furniture or Move It?

All these moving costs may have you thinking … What if you just buy new furniture for your new home rather than messing with moving all the old stuff? It sounds simple, but new furniture can be costly. If you're buying multiple items like new beds and sofas, the costs can easily rise into thousands of dollars, quickly matching or overtaking the cost of hiring movers.

For a local move, it doesn't typically make sense to buy new furniture. For a long-distance move — especially a cross-country or overseas one — it might be cheaper to buy new furniture when you get there. Make sure you weigh all the factors, including the cost of the move, cost of new furniture and how many new items you’d need to buy.