How much moving company cost

Our choice for top affordable moving company is Allied Van Lines. It depends. But for a local move, you can likely book your movers as close as a week out from your target move date though a month is preferable if possible. Keep in mind that certain days and times of the year tend to be much busier for moving companies. When she's not working, Christin enjoys reading, gardening and hanging out with her husband and four young kids.

She also loves to do small home improvement projects any chance she gets. Samantha is an editor who covers all topics home-related including home improvement and repair. She edited home repair and design content at websites like The Spruce and HomeAdvisor.

She also has hosted videos on DIY home tips and solutions and launched multiple home improvement review boards staffed with licensed pros. Select Region. United States. United Kingdom.

Christin Perry, Samantha Allen. Contributor, Editor. Editorial Note: Forbes Advisor may earn a commission on sales made from partner links on this page, but that doesn't affect our editors' opinions or evaluations. Find a Moving Company. Was this article helpful? Share your feedback. Send feedback to the editorial team. Rate this Article. Thank You for your feedback! Something went wrong.

They'll also drive your belongings across town and unload them for you in your new place. Standard local moves are attractive for the price savings they offer, as well as providing more control for people who want their items packed in a specific way. Here are examples of average costs for a standard move and a full-service move from Texas Elite Moving:. This cost includes three people packing for approximately four hours and five or six hours of loading, moving and unloading time.

This cost includes three people and five or six hours of loading, moving and unloading time. Delicate and oversize items, like your pool table or baby grand piano, require special handling. There may be an additional charge for moving these items, as technical expertise is important for safely transporting them without damage. If you have lots of unusual items, you may require special assistance in moving them to ensure their safety and want a moving quote that covers those items.

Specifically, if you have a pool table or baby grand piano, improper moving can do real damage to their delicate components. Unless your local moving company is specially trained to move pool tables or baby grand pianos, it may be wise to hire a specialist.

In addition to specialty items, some companies may have additional charges beyond their hourly rate for disassembling and reassembling furniture or moving extremely heavy items.

Keep in mind that auxiliary tasks that require extra work may increase costs and ask for these to be itemized in your moving estimate. If you choose to store your belongings with a self-storage company, your costs might be cheaper or more expensive than storing your items with a moving company.

However, your moving company may offer storage at reduced rates if you bundle their storage services and moving services at the same time. Before hiring a mover, keep these moving cost factors in mind — they could affect how much you'll pay for movers. Most often, movers charge by the hour.

However, you might find flat-rate movers in your area. It's often recommended that you hire flat-rate movers if:. If you decide to hire a flat-rate movers, it's important to ask if the rate is truly flat — or if you will have to pay additional fees for things like moving furniture up the stairs or transporting specialty items e.

The cost to hire professional local movers is often calculated on an hourly rate, which can increase as more movers or moving trucks are needed. Your geographic location will also affect your hourly rate. Often, cities with a higher cost of living have higher local moving rates than smaller cities with a lower cost of living, which accounts for higher costs of doing business, such as workers' comp, insurance and labor.

Texas Elite Moving, based in Dripping Springs, Texas, has estimated hourly rates that vary based on the number of movers and trucks. Its hourly rates also account for furniture assembly and disassembly as needed. The company's trucks arrive with premium quilted moving pads and shrink-wrap to protect items, and the movers use equipment and dollies to maximize efficiency. Individual job prices will always depend on your circumstances, so for exact quotes, it's important to communicate directly with the moving company you plan to hire.

Here are the average estimated base hourly moving rates for Texas Elite Moving:. In general, the larger the house, the higher the moving cost. Seasoned movers often can provide a ballpark number for moving costs based on the number and type of rooms in a house. However, your home might be different, and that's why most moving companies will need to do a site visit to provide you with a true estimate for services.

Home size is not always an indicator of how many belongings a person has. For example, you and your partner may have more items in your two-bedroom apartment than a single person has in a three-bedroom home. Other factors that may affect your hourly rate are logistical challenges such as stairs or steep driveways, or having many fragile items that require extremely delicate handling.

Anything that makes the move take longer or that demands more physical exertion on the part of the movers can increase the cost. Stairs at the initial move site or the new destination can increase moving costs because they require more work for movers and present more risk of injury or damage.

Narrow passageways, steep driveways, lack of parking out front, and the presence or absence of elevators are other factors that can influence your local moving costs.

How movers charge for obstacles may depend on the company. During your initial call with the movers, it's important to provide as many details as possible. This allows them to provide you with the most accurate estimate and to ensure the safest and most efficient move for your belongings.

They'll be able to bring any special necessary equipment needed to navigate the obstacles or maneuver furniture in tight places. Travel may affect the price of local moving costs.

Some companies don't charge mileage unless the distance is over 50 miles, while others do. Beyond 50 miles, however, a mileage fee applies. Your moving date could also affect travel costs with moves over the holidays or during peak season typically summer in most areas costing more.

Companies have to take distance into account to ensure they're meeting their costs for the time that driving can require, the cost of fuel for large moving trucks, and the cost of upkeep on their moving trucks. Confirm how distance is handled in the contract before signing. An easy rule of thumb for local moves is to tip your movers 5 to 10 percent of the total bill. Tipping 5 percent is reasonable for standard local moves where the pros are in and out in a half-day.

Tipping 10 percent can be appropriate when the movers are also packing your boxes and had a long workday. Tips can be split up among all the movers, but many companies recommend you give the tip directly to each worker — not only to recognize their effort but also to ensure that each one receives their share.

However, you're not required to provide a tip. But remember: It is a much-appreciated gesture for a job well done. Packing all boxes ahead of time is a big cost saver. Having all your boxes well organized and labeled on all sides of the box also make packing and unpacking easier. And if you're paying by the hour, this saves you cash.

When gathering boxes to pack for your move, be sure to find ones strong enough for the task. Moving boxes provided by moving companies have double walls that can support the weight of other boxes and furniture stacked on top of them. If you use single-wall boxes, the sides could crumble, damaging your goods inside. Disassembling furniture is another way to save money. Pro movers will usually disassemble furniture for you, but if you're able to take things apart yourself, it can cut back on the number of labor hours you pay for.

Moving can be stressful, and it's easy to make mistakes. Unfortunately, these mistakes can end up costing you money or wasting your precious time. The experts at Texas Elite Moving have tips for you to have the most successful move possible. They've moved thousands of families, and these are the most common mistakes they encounter:. To help ensure a smooth move, follow this start-to-finish moving checklist.

Hiring a trustworthy team that will get the job done safely and efficiently is no easy task. But if you follow these steps, you'll likely have an easier time finding a reputable moving company:.

Be sure you have a written contract and a non-binding estimate before hiring movers. Joy Hall of Joyful Movers in Cary, North Carolina explains that you'll fill out a bill of lading BOL before the move takes place, which will outline all the charges and fees associated with your move and the valuation of your belongings on the BOL.

If there is any uncertainty about pricing, clarify before signing the BOL. For more guidelines on how to hire the best movers for your move, check out Thumbtack's tips for smart hiring. No matter how big or small your upcoming move is, there are plenty of pros who can help.

Start your search on Thumbtack to compare the best movers near you. So, we determine the hourly rate based off of the size of the home [and] how many boxes that they're looking to move. Things that do cost extra when hiring movers [are] covers for your beds -- that often won't occur an extra cost -- as well as boxes.

If you require boxes for your move and packing services, we often ask individuals to purchase those things just because they'll save them a lot more money. We've done enough moves to understand how long a move will typically take If you have a five- or seven-bedroom home, you'll save more money and time -- mostly time -- going with more movers than less movers.

Because two movers to move a five-bedroom house will take probably two days, whereas if you had a six- or seven-man crew -- very solid crew, enough equipment and trucks -- you can have them knocked out in one day within five to eight hours. Millions of people ask Thumbtack for help with their projects every year. We track the estimates they get from local professionals, then we share those prices with you.

Browse profiles, see prices and use filters to find pros who match your project. Check out our list of the best long distance moving companies to get quotes from different moving services. Pricing and availability have been affected by the COVID pandemic and may not be reflected in these estimates. The actual cost of your move will vary. The best way to get accurate pricing is to request a free quote from a professional moving company.

You may also have to add on additional charges for things like Travel Time , Packing Materials , and Tips for the movers if you so choose. Estimating the cost of moving long distance to a new home is harder to calculate.

We recommend using the moving calculator at the top of the page as a starting point. Here are some major cost factors for intersate moves. Moving companies have a lot of additional fees that can come up depending on the details of your move.

Below is a list of the biggest costs to consider when estimating the cost of a move. Check out our article on how to save money when moving for more cost saving tips. Yes, you can definitely negotiate with moving companies.

Moving companies usually have some discounts or options to lower your quote. You can also use the moving cost calculator at the top of this page to get an idea on what your move should cost. Ask your sales rep for advice on how to further reduce your costs. Examples, such as being flexible with your move dates or ditching high-cost items like pool tables or heavy safes can help reduce overall moving expenses. The distance, type of car, and whether you want an open or enclosed trailer are the biggest factors that determine car shipping cost.

For more accurate vehicle shipping quotes check out our best car shipping companies page. The table below lays out some average costs for different distances.

The cost of moving insurance will depend on which type of insurance you elect to get and how valuable you declare your items to be. Moving companies are expensive. Luckily, we have an article that lists a ton of cheap ways to move out of state. To give you a few ideas:. Better options for shipping single items include LTL carriers or shipment marketplaces. Check out our list of the best moving companies for single item moves.

Storing your furniture with a moving company is a great way to avoid the hassle of moving everything in and out of storage. The monthly cost to store with a mover will depend on the size of your move. Packing costs are calculated based on the size of the move. Specialty items like chandeliers or expensive art can significantly increase packing costs. One major benefit of having a mover pack all your items for you is insurance.

But if the mover packs the boxes for you, then the mover will be liable for any damages. Many people forget to include the cost of tipping your movers when calculating their move budget. The general rule is to tip movers about five dollars per person for every hour the move takes.

And if the movers do a bad job by all means do not tip.