Moving Costs,Explained From the Numbers
Every cost figure on this site comes from one published model: distance, home size and service type in, a priced range out. These guides explain what the numbers are, why they behave the way they do, and how to use them to judge a quote.
- 2-bed, 1,000 miles
- $4,500 – $6,000
- full-service, transport only
- 3-bed, cross-country
- $14,490 – $19,320
- 2,800 miles, full-service
- 2-bed local move
- $475 – $775
- 2 movers × 5–7 h at $40–$50, plus $75 travel
- Container vs movers
- 28% less
- same route, you load and unload
Start here
A long-distance move is priced on weight and distance together. Our model expresses that as a rate per mile that rises with home size: a studio works out to $3,750 for 1,000 miles, a three-bedroom house to $5,750, and the published range runs from 10% below that midpoint to 20% above it, because moves overrun far more often than they come in under.
Under about 100 miles the formula changes completely. Local movers bill by the hour per crew member, plus a travel fee, so a five-mile move and a forty-mile move in the same city often cost the same. A two-bedroom apartment is a two-person crew for five to seven hours: $475 – $775 in our model, travel fee included.
The third thing that sets the price is who does the work. A moving container, which you load yourself, prices at 28% below full-service movers at any distance. A freight trailer, where you load a marked-off section of a shared truck, is 52% below. The guides below walk through each of those levers with the actual figures.
Moving Costs guides
8 guides in this section, every figure from the published model.
7 min readNewest
Hidden Moving Costs: 13 Extra Fees Movers Add and Why
Long carry, shuttle, stair and other accessorial fees sit on top of the transport price, which is $4,500–$6,000 for a 2-bedroom, 1,000-mile move in our model.
Sep 24, 2026
7 min read
How to Save Money on a Move: 10 Levers Ranked by Payoff
In our model a 3-bedroom, 1,500-mile move is $7,762–$10,350 with full-service movers; a container saves $2,173–$2,898 and a freight trailer $4,036–$5,382.
Sep 24, 2026
7 min read
How Much Does It Cost to Move a 3-Bedroom House?
Local, 500-mile and cross-country figures for a three-bedroom home, what drives each one, and the four line items that are never in the headline quote.
Sep 23, 2026
7 min read
Moving Cost Breakdown: Where Every Dollar Goes
A line-by-line breakdown of a moving bill — transport, packing, valuation, surcharges — with typical amounts for a 3-bedroom home and what is negotiable.
Sep 23, 2026
6 min read
Moving Cost Per Mile: What Movers Really Charge
Per-mile moving costs by home size and service type, why the rate falls as distance rises, and why 'per mile' is the wrong way to compare two quotes.
Sep 23, 2026
Pages in this section
What to know before you start
The five things that decide most of the outcome in this part of a move, in the order you will meet them.
- 1
Weight and distance, not cubic feet
Interstate moves are priced on the weight of the shipment and the miles between the two addresses. A quote in cubic feet is the easiest number in the business to inflate after loading, and federal rules require weight-based pricing for interstate moves.
- 2
The range is deliberately lopsided
Our published range runs 10% under the midpoint and 20% over it. That asymmetry is the model's honest statement that the inventory usually grows between the survey and the truck, and that access problems add cost more often than they remove it.
- 3
Local moves are sold by the hour
Under about 100 miles, the bill is crew × hours × an hourly rate per mover ($40–$50 for a full-service crew in our model) plus a travel fee. Distance barely matters; hours on site are everything, which is why unpacked boxes and long carries cost real money.
- 4
Service type is the biggest lever you control
For the same route and inventory, a container is 28% cheaper than full-service and a freight trailer 52% cheaper. The saving is the labor you take on, and it is the same percentage at 300 miles and at 3,000.
- 5
Accessorials sit on top of the range
Stairs, long carries, shuttle trucks, bulky items, packing and storage-in-transit are charged separately from transport. A binding estimate should list them; a non-binding one caps what the mover can demand at delivery at 110% of the figure.
Moving Costs: questions people ask
How much does it cost to hire movers?
It depends on distance first and home size second. In our model a two-bedroom home is $475 – $775 for a local move and $4,500 – $6,000 for 1,000 miles with full-service movers. A three-bedroom house moving coast to coast is $14,490 – $19,320. Packing, storage and access charges are extra.
Why do moving quotes vary so much between companies?
Three reasons: different weight estimates for the same home, different service levels bundled into the number, and different accessorial charges. Compare quotes only after each company has surveyed the same inventory, and compare the total for the same service, not the headline figure.
Is it cheaper to move yourself?
Usually, and by a known amount. A moving container is 28% below full-service movers for the same route, and a freight trailer is 52% below. A rental truck is cheaper still on the transport line, but you are adding fuel, lodging, your own days and the risk of loading badly.
What is the average cost of a long-distance move?
Averages hide the thing that matters, which is your home size. At 1,500 miles our model prices a one-bedroom at $6,075 – $8,100 and a four-bedroom at $8,775 – $11,700. Use the calculator with your route rather than a national average.
Do movers charge per mile?
Not directly. Long-distance carriers price on weight and distance together; dividing the result by the miles gives an effective per-mile rate that rises with home size, from about $3.75 for a studio to $7.50 for a five-bedroom house. Local moves are billed by the hour, not the mile.
More guides
All 14 topics →How this section is written. Every cost figure on this page and in these guides is generated from the same published model that powers the calculator, and every carrier figure comes from the federal register with the snapshot date shown. We do not operate trucks, we collect no customer reviews, and no company pays for placement.