π Moving Cost Estimator
Estimate your move cost for a DIY truck rental or full-service movers, with a full price breakdown.
Your Moving Cost Range
How to Use This Calculator
Moving costs swing wildly with distance, home size, and how much labor you buy. This calculator gives you a realistic range for the two main options, DIY truck rental and full-service movers, with line items so you can see where the money goes.
Enter your Move Distance in miles: the driving distance from your old place to the new one, not as the crow flies. Check a map app for the real number.
Choose your Bedrooms. Full-service pricing scales with home size because bigger homes mean more weight, more labor hours, and a bigger truck.
Pick your Move Type: DIY Truck Rental if you will drive and load yourself, or Full-Service Movers if a crew does everything.
Compare the range and the line items, then use it as a starting point when you request real quotes. If a quote lands far outside the range, ask why.
The Cost Formulas
The DIY math mirrors real rental quotes: a daily rate, a per-mile charge, and fuel at about 10 mpg for a loaded box truck. Rental days grow with distance, roughly one extra day per 400 miles. Full-service local moves are usually quoted flat by home size, since the crew and truck size drive the price more than 30 miles of driving. Long-distance pricing adds a per-mile component because fuel, driver time, and interstate logistics scale with distance. These are rough estimates, not quotes: always get at least three written quotes before booking.
Worked Example
Take a 2-bedroom full-service move of 800 miles. The size factor for 2 bedrooms is 1.0. Miles beyond 100 = 700. Low end: $2,500 x 1.0 + 700 x $0.50 = $2,500 + $350 = $2,850. High end: $5,000 x 1.0 + 700 x $0.80 = $5,000 + $560 = $5,560. So the range is $2,850 to $5,560. Now the same move as DIY: rental days = ceil(800 / 400) = 2 days. Truck = 2 x $40 to $80 = $80 to $160. Mileage = 800 x $0.79 to $0.99 = $632 to $792. Gas = 800 / 10 x $3.50 = $280. Total = $992 to $1,232. Going DIY saves roughly $1,800 to $4,300, at the cost of two days of your own labor.
Ways to Cut Your Moving Bill
Declutter before you get quotes: movers price by weight and volume, so selling or donating heavy furniture you do not love pays you twice. Move mid-month and on a weekday to catch off-peak rates. Pack everything yourself, because full packing service can add 25 percent to a quote. Disassemble beds and tables ahead of time so the crew clock is not ticking while you hunt for the Allen key. Get quotes in writing with a binding or not-to-exceed clause, and never book a mover that demands a large cash deposit up front.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to move locally?
A DIY truck rental for a local move usually runs $75 to $200 for the day once you add mileage and gas. Full-service movers for a local move (under 100 miles) typically charge $800 to $2,500 depending on home size: a studio lands near the low end and a 4-bedroom near the high end. Local movers usually bill by the hour, so being fully packed before they arrive saves real money.
How much does a long-distance move cost?
For a full-service long-distance move, expect roughly $2,500 to $5,000 for a small home before mileage, scaling up with home size. A 2-bedroom going 800 miles typically lands between $2,850 and $5,560. DIY long-distance moves are much cheaper: a truck rental plus mileage and gas for the same 800 miles often totals $1,000 to $2,500, but you do all the labor.
Is it cheaper to rent a truck or hire movers?
Renting a truck is almost always cheaper in dollars: you pay for the truck, mileage, and gas, and you supply the labor. Full-service movers cost 3 to 5 times more but handle loading, driving, and unloading, which matters if you have heavy furniture, a bad back, or a tight schedule. A popular middle ground is renting the truck yourself and hiring hourly labor just for loading and unloading.
What hidden moving costs should I budget for?
Beyond the truck or movers, budget for packing supplies ($150 to $400), insurance or valuation coverage, tips for movers ($20 to $50 per mover), utility deposits and overlap days at both places, cleaning supplies or a cleaning service, and a day or two of takeout while your kitchen is in boxes. A 10 to 15 percent contingency on top of the estimate covers surprises.
When is the cheapest time to move?
Mid-month weekdays in the off-season (October through April) are cheapest, because movers discount slow periods. Summer weekends and the first and last days of the month are peak demand, so prices can run 20 to 30 percent higher. If your dates are flexible, ask movers for their off-peak rates: many will cut the hourly rate rather than sit idle.