Moving Cost Estimator

Moving cost estimation combines labor, transportation, packing materials, and ancillary fees. The two dominant factors are distance (local vs. long-distance) and volume/weight of belongings.

Local move cost formula (hourly): Total Cost = (Movers × Hourly Rate × Hours) + Truck Fee + Fuel Surcharge

• Average hourly rate per mover: $25–$50/hour
• Typical truck fee: $50–$150 flat
• Time estimate: 1–2 hours per room for a standard move

Long-distance move cost formula (weight-based): Total Cost = (Weight in lbs × Rate per lb) + Fuel Surcharge + Accessorial Fees

Interstate carriers price the linehaul off a tariff built from weight and distance, and the rate per pound climbs with the miles. As a rough guide, and it is only a guide:

Those bands are what reproduce the benchmark totals further down this page for a typical two or three bedroom load. Under FMCSA rules you can insist on a binding or a not-to-exceed estimate rather than a non-binding one, and you should.

Weight estimates by home size:

• Studio: 1,000–1,500 lbs
• 1-bedroom: 1,500–2,500 lbs
• 2-bedroom: 3,000–4,500 lbs
• 3-bedroom: 5,000–7,500 lbs
• 4-bedroom+: 8,000–12,000 lbs

Packing materials:

• Small box (1.5 cu ft): $1.50–$3.00 each
• Medium box (3.0 cu ft): $2.50–$4.50 each
• Large box (4.5 cu ft): $3.50–$6.00 each
• Wardrobe box: $8–$15 each
• Full packing service: add $300–$1,000+ to move cost

Cost benchmarks, average US move total:

• Local move (under 50 miles): $300–$1,500
• Long-distance (500 miles): $2,000–$5,000
• Cross-country (2,500+ miles): $4,000–$10,000
• International: $10,000–$30,000+

Accessorial fees to watch for:

• Long carry fee (over 75 ft from truck): $50–$150
• Stair carry fee: $50–$100 per flight
• Elevator wait time: $50–$75/hour
• Storage-in-transit: $100–$300/month
• Specialty items (piano, safe): $150–$500 extra

Worked example: Moving a 2-bedroom apartment locally, within 20 miles. The calculator sizes the job at about 4,000 lbs, 56 boxes, a 20 ft truck, 3 movers and roughly 5 hours. Take those numbers to three companies and you might get back:

• Labor: 3 movers × $35/hr × 5 hours = $525
• Truck fee: $100
• Fuel surcharge: $50
• Mover quote: $675
• Boxes and tape, packing yourself: $75
• Tip at 15–20% of the quote: $101 to $135

All in, budget $850 to $900 for a comfortable, well-tipped local move of this size.

Why the calculator asks you for the quote instead of guessing it. Moving rates move constantly. They differ by city, they roughly double between a Tuesday in February and the last Saturday in June, and a price baked into this page would be wrong within a year and wrong for most of the country on the day it was written. What does not go stale is the weight, the box count, the truck size and the crew hours, so that is what the calculator works out. Those are also the numbers a dispatcher will ask you for, and having them ready is what gets you a quote worth comparing.