How much are movers?

How much does mover cost?

Saying that moving is stressful would be the understatement of the decade. It's a process that not only asks for a ton of planning and determination but also soaks up a bunch of your time as well.

The worst part?. There's no knowing even if you'll get good results after weeks of preparation and planning.

Pro-tip: You can save yourself a fair bit of cash by manually moving all your moving boxes and light furniture with family and friend but it could be a strenuous process depending on the size of your home.

Cost to hire movers ?

Hiring a moving company can save you a ton of time. All you need to do is point fingers in the right direction, and they'll get the job done for you. The company will cover everything from packing to loading and driving over to the new place and unloading there which is a full moving service.

However, how can you determine the price of those movers? We all have heard that they're fairly expensive, so knowing how much movers cost is very important. But, how can we get an estimate for their moving costs? If you're wondering the same thing, you're at just the right place.

Here is all you need to know about movers and how much they cost. 

Number of Professional Movers

A moving company will send a team of movers consisting of 2-3 movers depending on how big or small is your move within the localities of your State. In contrast, a long-distance move, you can expect to have 4-5 crew member in a team of movers, that will come in to service your move.

However, if you’re looking to save time instead of money, hiring extra professional movers will get the job done faster. This speeds up the loading and unloading tremendously as well. Talk to your moving company beforehand about the number of movers that will be sent to do the job. They might have to move things around due to availability. 

Additional Mover

Some jobs might need more than the standard manpower the moving company provides. On average, a local move will have two men and a truck.

A long-distance move may have had four movers and a truck depending on the size of your home. However, you can request the moving company to send more men at a certain price. Usually, the price to increase by a mover is anywhere from $60-$75 per hour per mover, depending on the moving company you are working with.

The Type of Move

The next factor you need to think about is the type of move you're going to need. Moving services are of several types. Do you need local movers or long-distance moving companies? The most common one is a full-service move where the movers will come in, pack your household goods, load them onto a moving truck and unload it in the new house.

The cost of this move will be extra since loading and unloading takes a fair bit of time on their own. Alternatively, if you're trying to save some money, you could try packing and unpacking yourself.

Pro-tip: You will be able to save a few hundred dollars if you decide to go for the DIY move approach and take the packing and unpacking on yourself.

Here are the most common types of move:

• Local moving

A full service moving includes everything from packing and unpacking, loading and unloading especially for local moves. Professional full service movers can handle all the tasks associated with your move so that you can sit back, relax, and watch your to-do list dwindle down without having to lift a finger.

• Long distance moving

A lot of planning goes into preparing for a long distance move. If you are using movers then it be ideal to gather a list of reputable long distance movers to contact for a free binding estimate. Beside wondering how much are movers? you will have to think beyond boxes for most cross country moves. You’ll need to take care of the following tasks: schools, utilities, and medical records. 

• Packing services

This is an added-on service that definitely affects the cost of how much do movers cost? Nonetheless, hiring professional movers to pack your household goods or couple of items will help reduce the stress and get you closer to being fully ready before your move date. Keep in mind, organization is key to help with professional moving as the movers charge hourly rate or a flat rate with or without packing materials.

• Loading and unloading

This is the DIY move for the most part. You rent a moving truck and hire movers for labor-only services. A lot of people actually go with this option to save money. Renting a moving truck from U-HAUL, BUDGET, PENSKE, AND RYDER will provide the transportation needed if moving to a new home.

Distance of the Move

The average cost of moving fluctuates so the first factor that you need to think about is the distance of your move. A move within your city is considered to be a local move. A move that goes cross-border or even crosses a country is called a long-distance move.

Fairly simple, right? Well, we can all guess which of the two would cost more. Wrong.

Anyone can make a simple guess thinking that long-distance moves will cost more and local ones would be cheaper. While that is true to some extent, the sheer kilometer distance isn't the only number at play here. Relocation trends is also a huge factor when it comes to determining the cost to hire movers.



According to basic human logic, a move between San Francisco and Austin should cost the same, right? Well, since a lot of people are moving from San Francisco to Austin, the opposite isn't true. 

The demand for certain relocations has a huge effect on determining on how much does it cost to move. If a lot of people from your locality are moving to your destination, you will be paying extra because of the high demand. However, things aren't that complicated all the time. In most scenarios, you'll just be paying extra for a long-distance move and less for a local move. When you're moving locally, the company will charge you by the hour.

This means that you will be charged from the moment the truck comes into the driveway of your old home to the moment it unpacks the last box in your new home. On the other hand, long-distance moving will cost you depending on the weight of the cargo being transported.

You should also factor in the expense of a tip! It is always a good idea to keep some cash on hand. If you think that your movers did a good job and they deserve some sort of compensation for their hard work, feel free to tip them! It's not necessary, but it's recommended for a job well done.

The tip should be anywhere between 5-10% of the total cost of the move. For long-distance moves that take a day or more, you can tip them 15-20% of the moving cost.

Moving Storage Cost

If you're going to need the moving company to store the cargo for a certain amount of time before you can collect it, you'll need to pay extra for the storage solution as well. Storage is necessary for most folks, but it's not something that every mover provides.

Do make sure that you ask your moving company if they have a warehouse or a moving container to store cargo for a little while. Even if your company does not, most folks work with local storage companies to hold their customer's stuff before it's ready to be moved into their new home. This is something that a lot of moving companies probably won’t mention.

There are few options to consider for moving storage:

1. Storage vault - 7' x 5' x 7' (store within moving company warehouse) $55 - $75 per vault per month
2. Uhaul U-box
3. PODS - 16'x8'x8'
4. Dart portable storage container - 8'x20'

Move Date

There are certain dates and times of the year that will affect the answer to the frequently asked question of " how much are movers?". Moving companies will charge extra during Christmas holidays, public holidays, weekends and especially during summer months which is the peak moving season.

If you want to avoid those costs, you can schedule your move to avoid these days or season and end up paying a lot less.

Read more: Moving Company Cost and Moving Insurance

Closing Thoughts

Moving your house/apartment is, by no means, a cheap job. It takes a fair amount of time and money to complete a move. The key to making sure you're paying the right amount of money is to ask a lot of questions to get answers to how much are movers?.

Go into details about every individual aspect of your move and try to figure out if there's a way to save some extra money anywhere. While in the process of hiring a moving company and if you can figure out certain loopholes to workaround, you will be able to save money on your move.