cost of moving in 2022

[STATscans]

What is the average cost to move about 500 miles from one state to another by a professional company?

We have a 3100 sf home with 4 bedrooms and average furniture - nothing fancy or heavy outside of the usual beds and standard dressers. Got a quote for like 16k without packing, that’s just to move it. Another $3500 to pack.

Seems a lot. I remember making like $12 an hour as a college mover. But maybe I’m out of touch with reality. Are these the norms?

[Tangler]

It is expensive. Also, if you go cheap you can end up with all kinds of broken stuff or missing stuff. 10-15k for 3 bedroom in 2019.

Moving sucks

[CordMcNally]

3100sf is quite a bit of stuff. You probably won’t want people making $12/hr packing up and moving your stuff. You could do it yourself for probably about $1k. Last time we moved 7 years ago I swore I’d never do the moving myself again.

[Lordosis]

Our last move was 1/2 a mile and we packed ourselves and they just hauled cubes into and out of a truck. It cost 2K. I could have rented a truck or borrowed a pickup and done it much cheaper but we had a short window of time and 3 kids under 4. Money well spent. Plus no one wants to ask family or friends to help them move...

The move before that was 200Miles and only cost us 5K. Again we did the packing.


If you have the time do the packing yourself because;
less chance things go missing
you will do a better job
You will know where everything is
You will throw away (or donate) a lot of junk

[Path Guy FI]

In June of 2021 we moved interstate (about 900 miles) and paid just under $12k for a moving company. House was ~2k sqft which didn't include the very full unfinished basement we utilized as storage. This included a "partial pack" (just the kitchen) which was a huge time saver for us.

My unsolicited moving advice:

• USE A REPUTABLE MOVING COMPANY.
• Expect it to be a major PITA
• Review the quotes/estimates to make sure they are accurate and include EVERYTHING. I would normally suggest not entertaining quotes from a company who won't come out in person, but COVID has changed things. You can easily get stuck paying much more than the estimate if they are wrong and not much you can do when 80% of your stuff is in their possession and you're on a time crunch.
• Pack as much as you can yourself
• Color code or otherwise mark boxes so their designated location is obvious when unloading. Otherwise you'll be asked non-stop where things go or stuff will be put anywhere and you'll be shuffling it around for weeks.
• Expect delays in delivery of your stuff
• Make sure to declare any "high value" items--anything that exceeds the ~$6/lb insurance coverage. Typical things like electronics/computers/etc are obvious but what if your really nice mattress gets screwed up because it is stored improperly for an extended period of time? You'll get $600-700 for that if you don't mark it as a higher value item.
• Tip your loading/unloading crew
• Offer to get lunch and have plenty of cold water bottles available for the crew
• Review the manifest on loading day. If it isn't documented on that list and doesn't arrive on the other end, good luck making a claim.
• Take photos of any damage to boxes/contents, items (include the item stickers), or to your house (walls, floors, etc).
• When you do make a claim the company will sometimes make an offer to "settle" up front. Don't accept this--it's always a low ball in my experience. Make them send an adjuster out to review the damage.

Good luck.

[eyecandy]

I'd say your quote is about right for 2022. I moved approx 500 miles interstate and all in (including packing) was about $14,000 for a 3 bedroom 1500 SFT home. I packed nothing except a few suitcases to live out of. The packers were very professional and nothing broken. I'm sure there were cheaper options out there but I went with well reviewed/regarded company in my area.

[FIREshrink]

Five years ago we paid $30k to move a 5000 sf home (not ours) to two states across the country. Included packing.

[GIMD]

Sounds about right with inflation. We relocated to another state approximately 500 miles away last year and received quotes ranging from $12-$15K with packing for a 3,400 sqft house with light furniture. If you are busy, I highly recommend paying for packing - not worth the time and stress to save a few thousands $, particularly, if your company is paying for it.

[Tim]

"USE A REPUTABLE MOVING COMPANY."
This. Interstate moves require an on sight inspection if they have an office within 50 miles. The loading company is not the company that delivers and the truck can be independent as well. The move is by the pound. Insure your goods for value. The advantage of a reputable moving company is that the "corporate office" steps in if there is any problems.

https://www.move.org/author/asha-kennedy/

You can hire local people for packing, loading and unloading using the Uhaul website if you decide to rent and drive a truck. Four br's sounds like a lot for a self move.

[Rimram]

It's hard to say since there's a lot of variables. I have heard that local movers are hourly and it's more based on weight and distance for longer moves. I think the $12/hr college job is more in line with the local rates. This article about moving costs https://threemovers.com/how-much-doe...o-move-states/ says it's a little over $4,000 to move 1,200 miles but that seems low to me quite frankly, but I don't know how much stuff adds up 7,400 pounds. Your best bet may be to contact a couple options and see what they quote you. I'd recommend using an alternate ph# & email though - I got bombarded by calls last time I tried that when I moved.

[Sigrid]

We are in the process of getting quotes for moving a 2,800 sq ft house worth of stuff about 1,000 miles. The going rate seems to be about $15k. Four years ago we moved locally and it was $1k, but local moves and interstate moves are, as we are discovering, VERY different.

[Timparsons952]

In process of move 1700mi.

moving company quotes were insane and frankly hard to find companies that do inter state.

2bedroom 2000sq ft house. Not a lot of stuff.

packed ourselves- $700 supplies
uhaul rental plus tow car- 2000
movers to load uhaul- $225/hr for 3 guys, 4hr minimum. They will pack anything we don’t have done.
movers to unload uhaul- 150/hr 2 guys 4 hr minimum.

gas, Airbnb, my sanity…$$$$

same exact stuff moved 2019 by professional company for <10k about same distance. 2021 by startup local guys who haul junk type company for 12k about same distance. Now wanting >20k and huge window on when it gets delivered I said forget it

[GeneDen]

Just completed interstate move of approx. 700miles and used a budget local movers which worked out fine. This was for a 3bed and 2 bath apartment with some light living room furnitures and heavier bedroom sets. Overall cost about ~$5000 for packing,unpacking and few furniture disassembly & assembley. It's somewhat risky to use low budget movers but lucked out. Some furnitures have sustatined dents, minor cracks and chipped paints. The great benift of small movers is shorter turnaround time: shorter loading and delivery time.

I have had multiple interstate moves over the past 5 years but self packed and used UHaul verified labour for loading and unloading and this was by far the most cost sensitive, safe and gave me a great peace of mind knowing i've some sort of control. I opted this time for full packing and moving since my work offered relocation assistance.

1- Pack and lable as much as you can. Movers are less likely to do a strategic packing than yourself. This will ensure seamless transition into new house and should prevent unwarranted breakage or damage.
2- I second everything PathGuy FI mentioned above.
3- For small/local movers, verify their credentials from https://safer.fmcsa.dot.gov/CompanySnapshot.aspx (ask DOT #)
4- Plan ahead and get rid of some items & junk.

[Teiresius]

We just paid 8-9K for a similar move, all inclusive. Nothing broken. One day full-team packing, the second day two trucks moving and unloading, no unpacking.

I hand carried one carload of delicate, valuable and awkward stuff.

company paid, If i were negotiating again, I would ask for 15k for move costs instead of 10K...