How to actually compare 'cheap'
The sticker price is only one part of an out-of-state move. A truck rental quietly grows once you add fuel, the one-way drop fee, insurance, lodging, food on the road, and the value of your own time spent driving.
The honest comparison is total landed cost. For full-service carriers we can give you modelled figures; for rental and container operators we cannot, and the section below says so rather than inventing a number.
Five real options, ranked by 'all-in' cost for a 1-bedroom move
The structural point survives the missing numbers: for a small load the gap between the cheapest self-move and a full-service carrier is narrower than people assume, and it widens as the home gets bigger, because crew labour scales faster than container space.
| Home size | Approximate weight | Full-service interstate |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | ≤500 sq ft, ~2,000 lb | $1,650–$4,200 |
| 1 Bedroom | 500–800 sq ft, ~3,500 lb | $2,250–$5,460 |
| 2 Bedroom | 800–1,200 sq ft, ~5,500 lb | $3,000–$7,000 |
| 3 Bedroom | 1,200–1,800 sq ft, ~8,500 lb | $4,350–$10,850 |
| 4 Bedroom | 1,800+ sq ft, ~12,000 lb | $5,850–$15,050 |
| 5+ Bedroom | 2,600+ sq ft, ~16,000 lb | $7,200–$18,900 |
We do not publish prices for rental trucks, portable containers, or freight trailers. Those are vendor quotes that change by lane, date, and equipment availability, and we hold no stored dataset for them — a number here would be a guess with a dollar sign on it. Price the option you are considering directly, on your own dates, and compare it against the full-service figures above.
Option 1: Portable container (typically the cheapest for medium loads)
Companies like U-Pack, PODS, and 1-800-PACK-RAT drop a container at your home, you load it on your schedule, they truck it to your new address.
These providers differ in equipment format and in what the price is measured against — space used inside a trailer in one case, a container size in another — so quotes are not directly comparable line for line. We hold no rates for any of them, so rank them on your own quotes for your own dates rather than on a general claim about which is cheapest.
- Best for 1–2 bedroom moves under 1,500 miles
- You do the loading and unloading (or hire labor crews separately)
- Storage built in if your delivery date slips
- Watch the surcharges: long carries, extra storage days, container redelivery
Option 2: DIY truck rental (cheapest if you can drive it)
U-Haul, Penske and Budget all offer one-way truck rentals between states. The headline rental rate is only part of the total: fuel, any overnight stops, and the loading help you hire all sit on top of it, and none of those are quoted by the rental company. Build the all-in figure yourself before comparing it with a full-service estimate.
A 26-foot truck returns single-digit miles per gallon, so fuel on a long lane is a real line item rather than a rounding error — price it at the pump rate on your dates, then add the hotel nights and meals the drive forces. That total is what belongs next to a full-service quote.
- Best for moves under 800 miles or households moving for the second or third time (driving a 26' truck takes practice)
- Insurance from the rental company is markup; check your auto policy and credit cards first
- One-way drop fees vary wildly by route — quote both directions if you have flexibility
- Add a few hundred dollars for labor-only loaders/unloaders at each end if your back is tired of stairs
Option 3: Hybrid, container + hired labor
Many shippers split the difference, order a container for the drive, then hire two or three movers for a couple of hours at each end to load and unload. Labour-only crews quote by the hour and by crew size; get that rate in writing when you book, since we hold no stored dataset of local labour rates.
This is often the best value for a 2-bedroom apartment with stairs, where DIY loading risks injury and full service is over budget.
Option 4: Full-service movers (when it actually wins)
Full-service is rarely the absolute cheapest, but it can be the best total value when:
- You are moving a 3+ bedroom home with heavy furniture across more than 1,500 miles
- You cannot take a week off to drive and unload
- You have valuable items that benefit from full-value protection
- You are moving for work and reimbursement covers the difference
Always verify the carrier's USDOT number and confirm whether you are talking to a carrier or a broker. The cheapest full-service quote is meaningless if it is from a broker that re-sells the move.
Five free ways to lower whichever option you pick
- Move mid-month, mid-week, October–April — carriers price summer and month-end demand higher, so the same load costs less outside those windows
- Cut weight: interstate pricing is weight-driven, so every box you do not ship comes straight off the bill
- Pack yourself; a full pack-out is a separately priced service on the estimate, not part of the transport charge
- Get three written quotes — the cheapest is rarely the first one
- Use a credit card for chargeback protection; refuse cash-only deals