Moving cost calculator

Choose where you are moving from and to, and see what it could cost with local movers, long-distance movers or a rental truck you drive yourself.

Moving from

State Town

Moving to

State Town

Your move

Driving distance (miles) Filled in from the two towns. Change it if you know the route. Size of home When you move Stairs at either end Specialty items Piano, safe, hot tub, gun safe. Storage (months) A unit sized to your home.

Hiring movers

How the movers charge Packing Boxes and materials (% of the move) Hired movers only. Set 0 if you buy supplies separately. Tip (% of the move) Optional. Customary for local crews. Full-value protection ($ of belongings) 0 keeps the basic cover that is included.

Driving a rental truck

Fuel price ($ a gallon) Example. Use your local price. Hired loading helpers (people) 0 if friends and family help. Lodging and meals ($ a night on the road) Only for trips of more than a day of driving.

Results are estimates for planning, not financial advice or a loan offer. Starting figures marked as examples are placeholders: replace them with your own quotes. See the disclaimer and terms.

How it works

Hired movers price a job in one of two ways. A local move, up to about 100 miles, is billed by the hour for a crew and a truck, so the cost follows the size of the home and the drive. A long-distance move is billed by the weight of your belongings and the distance, plus handling at each end. The calculator uses typical weights for each home size and applies the method that fits your distance, which you can switch.

A rental truck is the truck's daily fee, a charge for each mile, fuel, a damage waiver and equipment, plus any helpers you hire and lodging on a long trip. The truck size follows the home size.

The range

Every figure is a planning rate based on typical market levels, not a quote. The range around the middle estimate is wider for movers than for a truck because movers' prices vary more between companies. Real quotes also depend on an in-home survey, the day you book and what a company has room for.

What it leaves out

Shipping a car, tolls, parking permits, utility connection fees, cleaning, deposits and the cost of boxes when you rent a truck are not included. Interstate movers must give a written estimate, so treat this as a way to check one, not replace it. The distance is the straight line between the two towns, increased by 20 percent for the roads.