Moving Cost Calculator
While moving into a new home means purging old belongings, mountains of brown boxes, and organizing your entire household, long distance moving doesn’t have to feel like a chaotic, headache-inducing experience.
Sure, the process of moving can sometimes feel complicated and stressful, but moving also represents an exciting new chapter in your life. Whether you’re relocating across town, doing a long distance move within the country, or making the trek internationally, transporting your belongings from your current residence to your new humble abode will encompass relocation costs. From hiring a moving company or renting a moving container, there are several costs you will need to estimate with a moving cost calculator.
Long distance movers say, there’s a multitude of factors that determine a moving cost estimate. At North Dallas Moving and Storage (NDMS), we’ve invested countless hours in developing an effective algorithm to create a cost of moving calculator and predict your moving estimate. You can use our moving cost calculator to get a general idea of how much you can expect to spend on your move.
To maintain an organized financial picture, we’ve assembled the framework necessary for calculating your average moving costs, making cost-effective decisions, and identifying the characteristics of a reputable and reliable professional moving company.
Here’s how to make a seamless move without breaking the bank or your fragile belongings. Also, read more about how much does it cost to move across country.
Advantages of Using a Moving Calculator for Your Move
As you begin navigating the moving process, if you don’t plan accordingly, your budget for moving, storage, and packing can spiral out of control, and you’ll spend more on your move than you were expecting. Preparing for moving costs beforehand will help you remain financially responsible. With our moving cost calculator, you’ll be able to gain a firm understanding of what you can expect to spend on your distance or local move when all is said and done.
With this moving information in hand, you can make the necessary preparations to stay within your moving cost budget before you even grab hold of a moving box. Additionally, knowing the ball-park range of what you will be spending on your move will allow you to formulate a plan to cut costs in other areas if necessary.
How to Calculate Relocation Moving Costs
When moving locally, the average moving cost is around $1,250. Using a 1,000 mile span for a long distance move, you can anticipate an average price of $4,890. These estimates are calculated based on moving a 2 to 3 bedroom home with belongings that weigh approximately 7,500 pounds.
Many ingredients get factored into pricing out the cost of a move. You need to consider the cost of hiring a moving company, packing, moving boxes, storage, labor, weight of items, the rental truck, distance, and more. While obtaining a reliable cost estimate can be tricky, NDMS is here to help you secure a rough estimate on the cost of your move. As a best practice during a move, it’s always beneficial to give your moving company a call to ensure your quote is as close to an accurate cost estimate as possible. While variables, like the size of your home, will influence moving costs, the table below provides a rough outline of what you can expect to spend when working with a moving company based on historical pricing data. You can also use a moving cost calculator to get a rough estimate for your exact situation.
| 1 Bedroom | 2 – 3 Bedrooms | 4 – 5 Bedrooms | |
|---|---|---|---|
| <50 miles | $300 – $650 | $750 – $1,300 | $1,350 – $2,900 |
| 250 miles | $850 – $1,900 | $1,700 – $3,500 | $2,000 – $4,500 |
| 1000 miles+ | $900 – $2,700 | $2,100 – $6,900 | $5,500 – $7,900 |
| 2500 miles+ | $1,500 – $3,500 | $3,900 – $7,000 | $8,500+ |
Factors That Affect Your Cost of Moving Services
Weight of All Items:
Your moving company will draw up a cost estimate that takes into consideration the weight of all the items that will be transported to your new residence. This includes everything from your furniture to your Sony PlayStation console. While there’s no one-size-fits-all solution for deciding your moving rate, the heavier your household items are, the costlier the moving company service will be because most moving companies charge by weight.
Moving Heavy Items:
Rather than throwing out your back attempting to move your breathtaking grand piano, your professional moving services have the manpower and resources to transport your piano with care. Heavy items like this, or the pool table in your game room, will ultimately influence the overall cost of your local or long distance move.
Size of Your Move:
Just realized how much stuff you’ve accumulated over the years? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. However, the more items you have, the longer the loading and unloading the truck process will take. It also means racking up a heavier shipment load in the truck or container, increasing your cost of moving. You can reduce your moving expenses by getting rid of any unwanted items.
Packing Services:
Shouldering the burden of packing up all your items requires a lot of organization and planning. As a result, many homeowners hand the responsibility of packing over to their moving company. While this packing service is convenient and will certainly minimize stress, packing services will add a couple hundred bucks to your costs of the move.
Storage:
Because all distance and local moves were not created equal, you may be dealing with a situation where your move in and move out dates don’t coincide with one another. Should you encounter this circumstance, you can elect to have your moving company store your belongings until you’re prepared to move into your new home. The duration and amount of items you have will affect the cost associated with these storage services.
Moving Supplies:
Unless you have a secret arsenal of moving materials stockpiled in your basement, you’ll likely need to purchase moving supplies. For packing your personal items, you’ll need bubble wrap, cardboard boxes, packing paper, plastic bins, and similar supplies to ensure your belongings are safely packed for transportation. These moving supplies can quickly add up, and you can easily spend more money than you anticipated.
Moving Dates:
Another consideration to keep in mind is when you plan on moving. Most people don’t realize that the date of their move can dramatically impact the price. A weekend move, for example, tends to be more expensive than a weekday, since professional moving companies and container rental services tend to be busier. Time of year is also factored into the cost equation. Peak season, which usually encompasses spring and summer, holds a higher price tag than the off-season in fall and winter. If you are trying to reduce the cost of your move, you may want to consider moving when companies are less busy.
Additional Fees to Consider When Moving
Furniture & Appliance Moving Services:
If you need your mover to handle major furniture or appliances during the moving process, it will require an extra labor cost. This typically includes disconnecting and reconnecting appliances like refrigerators, dishwashers, washers, and dryers. The same applies to disassembling and reassembling items like couches, bed frames, dressers, or entertainment systems.
Care of Fragile Items:
Should you need to transport delicate items, such as artwork, antiques, glass, or other fragile belongings, they will need to be packaged in custom crates to ensure they’re out of harm’s way when packed in the moving container or storage. Pricing for specialty items will be contingent upon factors such as size, packaging, weight, and other variables, like whether you or the movers do the packing.
Long Carry Distances:
Long carry charges are applied when long distance movers must travel a considerable distance to cart your items from your home to the moving truck and vice versa. Similarly, you could also encounter an auxiliary service charge should your home be located in an area that is not accessible by the moving truck. In these instances, your mover will use a van or smaller truck to transfer your goods out of your home.
Stairs:
If your new home or apartment is located in a building with no elevator, you will incur additional fees to compensate for the movers transporting your items via the stairway.
Stressing Out About The Cost of Moving?
Keep your move on track with our moving checklist!
Tips for Minimizing Your Moving Costs
You’re moving into a new home, which means your wallet probably feels like a tumbleweed blowing through the desert. After all, you forked over a down payment, paid broker fees and closing costs, and maybe even picked up some new items to decorate your home with. So, you’re probably looking for ways to minimize your moving costs as much as possible. Here are a few tips for packing up and moving on a low cost budget.
#1. Take Packing into Your Own Hands
Handling a part of the moving process on your own, like packing yourself, will help cut moving costs. Stay organized during the move by creating a packing list for yourself and tackling one room or area of the house at a time. Rally the troops and invite your friends over for a little packing party. They can assist with any heavy lifting over an afternoon of reminiscing about fond memories. Simply packing the bedroom or living on your own can cut down costs since you won’t need to hire professional packing services or movers.
#2. Declutter & Get Rid of Things You Don’t Need
The overflowing junk drawer or storage closet full of things you didn’t even know existed are extra items you don’t need to move to your new home. Yes, we mean the massive collection of CD’s accumulating dust or that 90’s NordicTrack Skier that now serves as a drying rack for your clothes. Rather than paying a moving company to haul items you don’t need to your new home, declutter your space and hold a garage sale or donate the items to charity.
#3. Disassemble Appliances/Furniture Yourself
Rather than paying extra fees for movers to disconnect and take apart your dishwasher or bed frame, disassemble these items yourself. This will save you money on professional movers and labor costs.
#4. Your Car = Your Personal Moving Truck
Leverage your car to transport as many of your items as possible for a local move. Whether it’s boxes of clothes, electronics, or fragile family heirlooms, moving some items on your own will eliminate weight and extra fees. Most professional moving companies charge based on the weight or number of feet you take up in the container, so using less space will cut down costs.
#5. Gather Free Boxes and Moving Supplies
Spend an afternoon stopping by your local grocery store, recycling drop-off spots, offices, and large chain stores to seek out boxes and other moving supplies. Lots of stores will allow you to pick up their empty shipping boxes free of charge. You can also hit the internet and use Craigslist or Facebook to find and request moving materials from neighbors and local residents. This is a simple, cost-effective way to conserve dollars that you’d otherwise allocate towards moving supplies.
#6. “Recycle” Your Move
There’s a little-known secret that can help slash moving costs – substituting traditional moving supplies with items found around the house when packing. Breakable kitchen items like glassware and dishes can be packed up using t-shirts, blankets, or bedding. Have enough books to fill a library? Tie stacks of books together using a bungee cord or rope instead of wasting precious box space. For bedroom dressers, instead of taking all your clothing out and packing it up, keep your apparel neatly folded, place them inside a garbage or grocery store bag and place them back inside their respective drawers.
You also may want to consider swapping cardboard boxes for reusable containers and crates. Simply contact your local storage or moving company to discuss rental options. Not only is this a cheaper alternative to purchasing new cardboard boxes, but it’s also an eco-friendly option for your move that’ll be sure to please Mother Nature.
To protect scratchable furniture, make use of old towels and blankets that would otherwise be thrown in the trash during the declutter process. Similarly, to save on costs of packing tape, you may want to consider solely using the tape to secure the bottom of your boxes and just fold the tops close. Transporting liquids, as detergent, shampoo or body wash, can be a nightmare if they fall over and leak. Soggy messes need not apply. Instead, use one of your open-top boxes to keep an eye on liquids during the transportation process to avoid any unwanted spills.
Don’t forget to take advantage of gym bags, suitcases, reusable cloth bags, and plastic bins around your home to pack up your belongings. Garbage bags can also be used to cart towels, blankets, clothes, and other light-weight items to your new home.
#7. Your Donations and Moving Expenses May be Tax Deductible
Don’t throw away your receipts for moving expenses! Belongings donated to local charities may be eligible for a tax deduction. Additionally, individuals who are relocating for an employment opportunity may be able to write off some of their moving expenses when the tax season rolls around.
Don’t Get Jipped: What to Look for in a Professional Moving Company
While most moves are smooth sailing, scams and shady moving companies do exist out there. In searching for a reputable moving company, the first thing you want is to find a mover that exercises transparency. When you’re discussing moving services, the company will supply you with an estimated rate based on several factors, such as mileage, number of movers needed, space used in the truck, and the size of your home. A quality moving service will be completely forthcoming about additional costs you may incur due to heavy objects or a longer move time than anticipated. Trustworthy and professional movers will also be open about what constitutes an extra fee or related add-ons you could encounter during the move.
A reputable moving service will provide you with a documented agreement and quote before your scheduled move date. The Household Goods Carrier Bureau has a standardized rate sheet, known as Tariff 400-N, that has regulated guidelines surrounding the two types of quotes you can expect to be presented with for your move. The first is an industry standard non-binding estimate, which furnishes you with an approximate cost for transporting your belongings. Remember, this is an estimated amount and may be modified once your move is complete. The second type of quote is known as a not-to-exceed agreement. In other words, you will be supplied with a maximum cost you can expect to incur that your moving company will not exceed.
Always partner with a moving service that documents everything in writing. This will ensure you aren’t overcharged or scammed into paying for fees that were never originally disclosed to you by the company. If you’re provided with a weight-based quote, you are legally entitled to be present at the reweigh to ensure the company isn’t manipulating numbers or wrongfully adding extra pounds to your belongings.
Other important areas to consider are referrals from people you trust and perusing online reviews to assess whether or not the company has good ratings and is professional. Always look for evidence of a good track record, such as maintaining fair moving rates, protecting their customers’ personal possessions from damage, and showing up to the move on time.
NDMS FAQs
How Much Does It Cost to Move?
The cost of a local move typically averages around $1,250, while a long-distance move (over 1000 miles) can cost up to an average of $4,980.
The cost of your move depends on the size and distance of the move, as well as any additional services you may require. For example, if you have more than the average amount of furniture, a large home, or require additional services such as packing and unpacking, your cost may go up. Factors such as storage and truck rental should also be considered when using a cost calculator.
You can use the moving cost calculator on our website to get a personalized estimate for your specific move. Our moving cost calculator can help you know what to expect and budget for your move accordingly. You can also contact NDMS directly to speak with an experienced member of our professional team–we will be happy to provide you with a free cost estimate for working with our local or distance moving services.
How Are Moving Costs Calculated?
The cost of your move will be determined by the size and weight of your items, as well as the distance of the move. Additional services such as packing and unpacking, furniture assembly/disassembly, or storage are usually also factored into the price charged by moving companies.
Another factor that can significantly affect the cost of your move is its timing. Choosing the right moving dates can make a big difference in how much you pay. Generally, moving during peak season (May-September) is more expensive than moving in the off-season (October-April).
How Much Does a DIY Move Cost?
DIY moves are generally much more affordable than full-service moves. The companies charge anywhere from $150 for local moves to $1500 for long-distance ones.
This is because you’re responsible for all of the packing, loading, and unloading yourself, meaning that the only costs incurred are those associated with renting a truck, fuel, tolls, and any necessary packing materials.
So, if you’re looking for a cost-effective way to move, a DIY move could be the right option for you. However, if you don’t have the muscle or time to do it, you may want to consider hiring professional movers.
Are Moving Costs Tax Deductible?
In order to qualify for tax deductible moving expenses, you must meet two important criteria: firstly, your move must take place within thirty-nine weeks (or eight months) of starting a new job. And secondly, the distance between your home and your new job must be fifty miles or more than that from the location of your old job.
Additionally, it is important to note that you can only claim moving expenses on your taxes if you personally paid for it; if the moving expenses are instead paid by your employer, then they cannot be claimed.
Keep in mind that these conditions apply only if your state law allows for tax deductions, which varies by state. When it comes to federal tax returns, civilians are no longer allowed to deduct moving costs, while military personnel are.
How Much Does Valuation Coverage Cost?
Valuation coverage comes in two forms. A released valuation costs nothing and provides $0.60 per pound of coverage per article. On the other hand, a full replacement value plan costs around 5% to 6% of the total weight of goods you are moving.