Moving to new places can seem daunting, especially when doing it alone. Hiring professional movers is a great way to save time, hassle, and worry during the move. A multitude of other factors goes into determining costs like the size of your home, location, weight, type of movers you need, and other add-ons. These factors can keep your moving costs low, or cost more for greater protection and services. Here’s what you should know when calculating the cost of hiring movers.
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Local Moves
When hiring movers for local moves, moving costs average around $90-100 per hour for two movers. Depending on the size of the home, more movers may be needed, adding additional costs. Hiring more movers can cut down the number of hours you are paying for but cost more per hour for the extra labor. Estimates from companies will be able to help determine if hiring more movers would be the most cost-efficient choice.
For example, with UniMovers, moving a three-bedroom home (loading and unloading) locally will typically require three movers and take an average of six hours, meaning you should expect to pay around $800 for that move.
Out of State Moves
When planning a long-distance move, you will be looking at paying movers for loading/unloading labor as well as a travel fee. This means you may be better off booking with a full-service moving company that can meet all your needs and keep costs lower than hiring multiple moving companies along the way. Depending on certain factors, you might find costs anywhere between $1,200 and $5,000 for movers.
Factors That Affect Costs
Size
One factor to consider when thinking about how much movers cost is the size of your home. You will need to provide movers with the square footage and number of bedrooms.
Also, you may find that to get a proper estimate your movers may require a walk-through. In this case, you also should factor in the location of the starting and ending points. If you live in a building with a lot of stairs or limited parking, it may cost more for the extra amount of labor effort. Other factors such as packing services, extra stops, storage, and heavy/bulky specialty items may incur extra costs as well.
For example, at UniMovers, we may apply a travel rate for longer distances, however, we guarantee no hidden fees such as assembly, stairs, or parking.
Moving Insurance
Moving insurance also plays a factor in the cost of any move. The average cost of moving insurance is around one to five percent of the value of the insured goods. If moving $5,000 of insured goods, your insurance could be between $50 to $250 depending on the company you hire.
Services Needed
You should also consider the services you require throughout your moving journey. While there are different types of moving companies out there you need to check which services they offer and which of these services are best for you.
For example, if you are planning on moving across the country and are able and willing to drive your moving vehicle, you may consider renting a larger moving truck and a crew to help you load/unload. In another scenario, you may need help with packing boxes and the assembly/disassembly of certain items. In this case, check with a local moving company to see if they offer these services in both your old home and the new one and how much they cost.
Looking to move soon?
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Time to Crunch the Numbers
Each move is different and thus, the company you use needs to meet all your needs. Take the time before your move to determine which company and services are best for you and land within your budget.
If you have questions about the services ahead of time, never be afraid to call and ask a company! Remember you may not always need a full-service moving company and labor-only movers can help reduce your costs by 30% to 50%!
Ashlyn is a homegrown Iowan (go Cyclones!). She graduated from Coe College in Cedar Rapids, Iowa in 2023 with a degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Public Relations, and Communications. Now, she serves as UniMovers' Community Outreach Manager. In her free time, she loves to try new restaurants, travel, watch baseball, and spend time with her dog!
To get in contact with her regarding blog partnerships at UniMovers please email blog@unimovers.com.
