Moving Cost Estimator
Itemized moving cost estimate from example rates you can edit, compared across full-service movers, hybrid, a portable container and a DIY rental truck. How it works
Use the Moving Cost Estimator
About the Moving Cost Estimator
With the example rates on the page, a 500-mile move of a two-bedroom home (7,500 lb) comes to $6,525.00: $4,875.00 of transport at $0.65 per lb, $1,125.00 of partial packing, $480.00 for 4 hours of labor at $120 an hour and $45.00 of basic insurance. Every rate in the moving cost estimator is an assumption you can edit, not a quote; type in a mover’s rates to see what they add up to. The same move can be priced as full-service, hybrid (you pack: $5,400.00 here), a portable container or a DIY rental truck, with the container and truck prices typed from your own quotes.
Example estimate for a 500-mile move by home size
| Home size | Weight assumed | Transport | Partial packing | Basic insurance | Labor | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 3,000 lb | $1,950.00 | $450.00 | $18.00 | $480.00 | $2,898.00 |
| 1 Bedroom | 5,000 lb | $3,250.00 | $750.00 | $30.00 | $480.00 | $4,510.00 |
| 2 Bedrooms | 7,500 lb | $4,875.00 | $1,125.00 | $45.00 | $480.00 | $6,525.00 |
| 3 Bedrooms | 10,000 lb | $6,500.00 | $1,500.00 | $60.00 | $480.00 | $8,540.00 |
| 4 Bedrooms | 15,000 lb | $9,750.00 | $2,250.00 | $90.00 | $480.00 | $12,570.00 |
| 5+ Bedrooms | 20,000 lb | $13,000.00 | $3,000.00 | $120.00 | $480.00 | $16,600.00 |
Example rates, not quotes: $0.65 per lb for 500 miles ($0.50 base plus $0.03 per 100 miles), $0.15 per lb partial packing, an example valuation rate of $0.006 per lb for basic insurance and 4 hours of labor at $120. No storage, shuttle or extras.
Example estimate for a two-bedroom move by distance
| Distance | Rate per lb | Transport | Total | Cost per mile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 miles | $0.53 | $3,975.00 | $5,625.00 | $56.25 |
| 300 miles | $0.59 | $4,425.00 | $6,075.00 | $20.25 |
| 500 miles | $0.65 | $4,875.00 | $6,525.00 | $13.05 |
| 1,000 miles | $0.80 | $6,000.00 | $7,650.00 | $7.65 |
| 1,500 miles | $0.95 | $7,125.00 | $8,775.00 | $5.85 |
| 3,000 miles | $1.40 | $10,500.00 | $12,150.00 | $4.05 |
Example rates, not quotes: 7,500 lb, partial packing, basic insurance and 4 hours of labor at $120. The rate per lb is $0.50 plus $0.03 for every 100 miles, so the total rises with the distance while the cost per mile falls.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does it cost to move a 3 bedroom house 500 miles?
- With the example rates, $8,540.00: 10,000 lb assumed, $6,500.00 of transport, $1,500.00 of partial packing, $60.00 of basic insurance and $480.00 of labor. Change the rates to the ones on a quote to see that quote’s total.
- How is a local move priced here?
- Miles × $2 a mile with a $200 minimum, plus packing, labor and insurance by weight. A 20-mile local move of a two-bedroom home is $1,850.00 with partial packing and basic insurance, and $680.00 with neither.
- How do I check a mover’s quote with this estimator?
- Open Assumed rates and type in the quote’s own figures: the per-pound line-haul rate, the packing rate per pound, the valuation rate and the shuttle fee. Enter the weight the mover estimated rather than the home-size default. If your total differs from the quote, the line that differs shows which charge was worked out another way.
- What do a shuttle, storage and insurance add?
- A shuttle is a smaller truck that carries your goods between the moving truck and a home the big truck cannot reach, such as a narrow street or a steep drive. The switch adds a flat example fee of $200. Storage is the larger of $0.01 per lb per day and $50 a day: 30 days for 7,500 lb adds $2,250.00. Insurance is weight × an example valuation rate per pound, $0.006 basic or $0.009 premium, so 7,500 lb costs $45.00 or $67.50; it is priced on weight, not on what your goods are worth, so use the figure on a quote for this line.
- Is a moving container or a rental truck cheaper than movers?
- Compare the methods prices the same move all four ways once you type the prices from your quotes; the tool has no built-in price for a container, a truck, fuel, pianos, pool tables, safes, stairs or a long carry. A container replaces the transport line with containers × price per container and you pack. A DIY truck replaces it with rental days × daily rate + miles × fee per mile + miles ÷ mpg × fuel price, with no shuttle, insurance, specialty or access charge. Hybrid is full-service without the packing line: $5,400.00 for the two-bedroom, 500-mile example against $6,525.00.
- How does distance change a long-distance estimate?
- The example rate per pound is $0.50 plus $0.03 for every 100 miles, at least $500. A two-bedroom move costs $6,075.00 at 300 miles, $6,525.00 at 500 miles and $12,150.00 at 3,000 miles; the total never falls as the distance grows.
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