Moving Company Cost

There are few factors that affect moving company cost. They are location, move size, weight, and move date.

You might find yourself wondering about some of these things when you start to move.

One of the foremost questions may be how much does local moving companies charge?

You will have to think about things that involve hiring a full service moving company like the movers charge, travel cost, cost of storage for your items, etc.

Most people try to do these calculations on their own, which requires doing research and contacting several companies to get to an estimated cost to hire movers. Doing all these things can be a very tedious task. A moving cost calculator helps with all these tasks and more.

Moving cost calculators can be used to help get an estimated cost on how much do movers cost. Moving cost calculators can help you find the estimated cost of moving from between different neighborhoods, to between different countries.

These calculators take into account different factors like distance, storage, moving dates, and more. All these factors are taken into consideration to reach an estimate of the money you might need to spend on your movers' cost.

Why Hire a Moving Company?

Most people do not consider hiring moving companies, thinking that they will cost them extra and will add to the moving costs.

In reality, hiring a moving company is not that expensive. Most importantly, it can save you a great deal of time and headaches.

For one, a moving company will do all the tedious, time-consuming tasks of moving for you.

 This includes full-service movers taking care of packing, loading trucks, unloading trucks, driving the shipment, etc. all these things can take up weeks of your time, but with the help of hiring professional movers, you can get these finished in a matter of days.

Another thing to take into consideration is that moving large amounts of shipments requires skill. Professional movers have experienced, and they know how to do it efficiently and how to do it right.

Cost to Hire Movers?

Moving companies have different criteria and rates when it comes to full-service moving. They use different standards when presenting the estimated cost of moving.

Despite the differences, some of the most common factors taken into account depending on the size are availability, men and a truck, and distances between origin and destination, etc.



Whether the move is a local or long-distance move also matters. Keep in mind, some companies only service local moves and major determinants are the number of items being moved.

Local Moves

Let’s face it: the estimated cost to hire movers will help you make all the right decisions during your local move.

Local moves are the ones that happen within 50-100 miles of the original location. The rates of these moves are typically based on the number of professional movers per hour depending on the size of your home and the time it will take to start and finish the job.

The hourly rate for this is usually fixed. You might be charged extra for supplies, heavy item(s)/specialty items, and the fuel of the moving vehicle from origin to destination.

Pro-tip: Non binding estimate is the common with local moves.

Long Distance Moves 

Moves that are over 100 miles or between different states are called long-distance moves. When it comes to long-distance moving, you might be charged based on the weight of the shipment or the calculated mileage between origin and destination by long distance moving companies.

The main basis for charging depends on the moving company. Some moving companies might charge based on the cubic feet that the shipment takes up or the overall shipment weight.

Pro-tip: Binding estimate is very common for cross country moves.

Other Moving Factors to Take into Account

The cost to move can be affected by what all it will take to successfully get you moved to your new home.



Professional moving company will take everything into consideration with your input which will help tailor the moving service that will be delivered to you, so transparency on both sides is vital.

Make sure when moving, and if you are on a tight moving budget, it is important to consider all the different factors that might affect the overall cost of the move than just the average cost. Some of these factors are as follows:

Moving Storage

One of the biggest contributors to the cost of moving is storage. A customer household goods can be held overnight in a moving truck temporarily or for a longer time period in moving container/storage vault at the moving company warehouse.

If your shipment takes extra space, you will be charged for that. To avoid last-minute charges, always double-check the size/weight of your shipment and moving companies' storage charges.

Lots of moving companies don’t have their own storage containers/storage vaults. However, they have agreements in place with third-party storage companies to hold your items temporarily. Storage solutions will cost you a daily fee depending on the amount of cargo you have.

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'

Packing Materials and Services

To save time, you might want professional packing and unpacking for your household goods. It should be kept in mind that professional packing costs extra.

Furthermore, depending on the moving company, you can also be charged for the materials used for packing the shipment.

Delicate and Specialty Items

Specialty items and delicate items include shipments that would require extra care.

For such items, you might need to get protection blankets, wrapping paper, bubble wraps, and moving boxes to keep them safe from small damages. You will be charged extra for these protection supplies.

Items like delicate furniture or family heirlooms also fall under this category. Items that are too bulky for standard moving trucks also fall under this category. Some moving companies specialize in the moving of such items.

Moving such items requires a lot of preparation and considering many safety steps. You might have to contact one of these special moving companies for the shipment of special items.

This will add to your total moving costs, as these companies tend to have higher rates.

Minor Inconveniences

Minor inconveniences are commonplace in the process of moving, whether local moving or a long-distance move; it is impossible to avoid them. The best that you can do is be prepared.

For instance, narrow hallways and doorways make the moving of big items harder which can take longer to maneuver. Or an out-of-order elevator in an apartment building can be the source of extra labor and effort for the movers.

If your moving job demands extra work and time from the movers than what was initially decided, you can be charged extra for the unique circumstance(s).

Therefore, it is always smart to double-check these things so you will be prepared to deal with the inconveniences thrown your way.

Time and Date of Moving

 This might not be a factor many consider while planning their move transitioning into their new home. Some days and seasons are more popular for moving.

The rates of moving companies tend to rise during this time due to extra demand. Summer, the weekend and holidays are the most in-demand times of moving.

If you plan on hiring a moving company during a similar time, then you should be ready to pay extra.

Read more: How Much Does Movers Cost? and  Moving Insurance

Conclusion

Many different factors can increase a moving company cost. Things like the distance between origin and destination, the amount of storage needed, about needed and minor inconveniences can add to the overall cost of the move.

Calculating all these factors on your own can be time-consuming, tiring and you can still end up making major errors. To save yourself time and reduce the chances of error, you can use a moving cost calculator.



These special calculators take into account all the factors that add to your total moving cost and give you an estimate. Using a moving cost calculator saves you time, money, and peace of mind.