Moving & housing
Moving cost calculator
Estimate what your move will really cost — local or long-distance, studio to 4-bedroom — and compare a DIY truck rental, a hybrid move with hired loaders, and full-service movers side by side. Built on cited 2026 rates. Free, instant, no signup.
Last updated: July 2026
Your move
Home size
Typical truck for this size: 20-ft truck (~10 MPG).
Under 100 miles is priced as a local move; anything longer uses long-distance rates. Default gas price is the AAA national average.
Moving method
Planning estimate from published national rates — not a quote. Taxes, insurance, stairs, and specialty items are extra.
Estimated cost
Local move · Full-service movers
$600–$1,620
- Typical crew
- 3 movers · 4–6 hrs
- Crew rate
- $150–$270/hr
- Published national average
- $725
Plan a tip of $20–$60 per mover on top.
All three methods compared
- DIY truck rentalcheapest
- $95–$111
- Hybrid: truck + hired loaders
- $695–$1,371
- Full-service movers
- $600–$1,620
The cheapest thing to move is nothing
Every extra trip and every extra hour of labor is stuff you could have sold. Price your furniture before the truck shows up.
How much does it cost to move in 2026?
Hiring professional movers for a local move costs about $340 for a studio up to about $1,860 for a 4-bedroom house, billed hourly by crew size. Long-distance full-service moves run from about $1,165 (studio, 150–250 miles) to over $10,000 (4 bedrooms, cross-country). Renting a truck yourself starts at $19.95–$39.95 per day plus roughly $0.99–$1.39 per mile locally, or $500–$2,500+ one-way for long hauls — plus fuel, since box trucks get about 10–12 MPG at a national-average $3.89/gallon.
Local move cost by home size (full-service movers)
Local moves — under about 100 miles — are billed hourly: crew rate × hours, plus a travel fee. Published national figures for 2026:
| Home size | Typical crew | Hours | Crew rate | Average total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 2 movers | 2–3 | $100–$150 | $340 |
| 1 bedroom | 2 movers | 3–4 | $100–$150 | $460 |
| 2 bedrooms | 3 movers | 4–6 | $150–$270 | $725 |
| 3 bedrooms | 3–4 movers | 6–8 | $180–$320 | $1,625 |
| 4 bedrooms | 4 movers | 7–10 | $200–$400 | $1,860 |
Long-distance move cost by home size and distance
Long-distance (interstate) moves are priced by shipment weight plus mileage, then adjusted for service level. Published full-service ranges for 2026:
| Distance | Studio / 1 BR | 2–3 bedrooms | 4 bedrooms |
|---|---|---|---|
| 150–250 miles | $1,165–$2,650 | $2,650–$4,385 | $2,860–$6,230 |
| 250–500 miles | $1,380–$3,085 | $2,778–$4,669 | $3,088–$6,545 |
| 500–1,000 miles | $1,845–$4,020 | $3,060–$5,280 | $3,580–$7,220 |
| 1,000–1,500 miles | $2,200–$4,695 | $3,525–$5,955 | $4,305–$8,270 |
| 1,500–2,500 miles | $2,335–$4,860 | $4,375–$6,750 | $5,500–$10,070 |
Sources: local and long-distance mover tables from the moveBuddha 2026 cost data (updated June 2026); truck day rates, mileage fees, and one-way samples from HireAHelper's U-Haul cost study (January 2026) and Move.org's U-Haul review; gas price from the AAA national average (July 15, 2026). Estimates, not quotes — your market, dates, and route change the numbers.
DIY truck vs hybrid vs full-service
A DIY truck rental is the cheapest option in cash: day rates run $19.95 (10-ft) to $39.95 (26-ft) in town plus a per-mile fee, and one-way long-distance rentals are flat quotes that work out to roughly $0.85–$2.30 per mile depending on truck size and route demand. The hybrid move keeps the cheap truck but hires an hourly crew — typically $80–$120/hr for two movers — to load and unload, which is where most DIY moves go wrong (and where backs get hurt). Full-service movers cost the most but handle the truck, the driving, and every stick of furniture; plan a tip of $20–$60 per mover on top.
Renting and moving out? Two housekeeping steps protect your deposit and your wallet: send proper written notice with the notice to vacate letter generator before you book a truck, and check what a mid-month move-out should cost you with the prorated rent calculator.
The cheapest pound to move is the one you sell
Full-service long-distance moves work out to roughly $0.50–$0.80 per pound, so a 280-lb sofa costs about $140–$224 just to ship — often more than it would sell for used. Before you book anything, run your big pieces through the used furniture value calculator to see which ones are worth hauling, and price the rest for a quick pre-move sale with the garage sale pricing calculator. A smaller truck, a shorter crew day, and cash in your pocket beat paying to move furniture you will replace anyway.
Moving cost FAQ
How much do movers cost for a local move?
Published 2026 national figures put a local full-service move at about $340 for a studio (2 movers, 2–3 hours) up to about $1,860 for a 4-bedroom house (4 movers, 7–10 hours). Crews bill by the hour — roughly $100–$150/hr for a 2-mover crew and $200–$400/hr for a 4-mover crew — plus travel fees, so decluttering before moving day directly cuts the bill.
How much does a long-distance move cost in 2026?
Long-distance full-service moves are priced by shipment weight plus mileage. Published 2026 ranges run from about $1,165 for a studio moving 150–250 miles up to $10,070 for a 4-bedroom home moving 1,500–2,500 miles. A 2–3 bedroom move of 500–1,000 miles typically lands between $3,060 and $5,280.
Is it cheaper to rent a truck or hire movers?
Renting a truck is almost always cheaper in cash: a roughly 1,200-mile DIY move runs about $1,900–$3,300 all-in (one-way rental plus fuel at ~10 MPG), versus $3,525–$5,955 published for a 2–3 bedroom full-service move at that distance. You pay the difference in driving a large truck and doing every bit of lifting — the hybrid option (you drive, hired crews load and unload) splits the gap.
How much should I tip movers?
A common 2026 guideline is $20–$60 per mover for a job well done, toward the high end for long days, stairs, or heavy specialty items. Tips are not included in the quoted price, so budget them on top of the estimate.
What is the cheapest way to move?
Move less stuff, and move it yourself. Truck day rates start at $19.95 plus roughly $0.99–$1.39 per mile locally, and weekday rentals are observed to cost less than weekends. Moving containers ($900–$4,500 long-distance) split the difference if you cannot drive a truck. Since full-service long hauls cost roughly $0.50–$0.80 per pound, selling heavy furniture before you go and rebuying used on arrival often beats shipping it.
Next step
Lighten the load before moving day
Everything you sell is a pound you do not pay to move. List furniture, appliances, and everything you are leaving behind on Brixaz free — $0 fees, no commissions, local buyers who pick it up themselves.