How to estimate moving costs
Researched and written by Daniel Novak · Reviewed by Brittany Evans · Last reviewed August 2026
The point of estimating your own move is not to predict the invoice. It is to have a number in your head before a salesperson gives you one, so that a quote far below the range tells you as much as a quote far above it.
This page states figures rather than pointing at a tool. Every one comes from our pricing model and carries the estimate label.
Step one: fix the home size
Home size is the strongest single driver, because it stands in for weight. Our model treats a studio as ≤500 sq ft, ~2,000 lb, a two-bedroom as 800–1,200 sq ft, ~5,500 lb, and a five-bedroom household as 2,600+ sq ft, ~16,000 lb. Count rooms you will actually empty, including a garage or a basement, which is where most underestimates come from.
Step two: decide whether it is local or long distance
Local means the move stays inside one state, generally under fifty miles, and is billed by the hour. Long distance means weight and mileage. The two are not variations of one price, they are different products with different paperwork, so estimate the one you are actually buying.
Step three: take the range for that combination
Local estimates from our model: a studio at $315–$775, a one-bedroom at $420–$930, a two-bedroom at $630–$1,395, a three-bedroom at $840–$1,860, a four-bedroom at $1,155–$2,480 and a five-bedroom at $1,470–$3,100.
Interstate estimates for a full-service move on a lane of roughly a thousand miles: a studio at $1,650–$4,200, a one-bedroom at $2,250–$5,460, a two-bedroom at $3,000–$7,000, a three-bedroom at $4,350–$10,850, a four-bedroom at $5,850–$15,050 and a five-bedroom at $7,200–$18,900. Across the whole ladder that is $1,650–$18,900.
Figures on this page come from our pricing model. Editorial estimate, not a measured transaction price. Reviewed May 2026. They describe a full-service move on a national basis, not a quote, and they are not measured transaction prices.
Step four: add the services you have not counted
The ranges above are transport. Full packing, packing materials, valuation above the federal default, storage between pickup and delivery, a shuttle where a full-size truck cannot reach the door, and long carries are priced separately by each carrier under its own tariff. We hold no sourced figure for those items and this page prints none. Ask for each as a named line on the written estimate rather than as a contingency.
Step five: test the quotes against your figure
An interstate household-goods carrier must give the shipper a written estimate of charges before the move. (49 CFR 375.401), so on an interstate move you are entitled to compare on paper rather than from memory of a phone call. A quote well under the range is not a bargain by default; on a non-binding estimate the amount collectible at delivery is capped at 110% of the estimate (49 CFR 375.407), which means a low estimate also lowers the number you can be held to at the door and leaves the balance to be billed within 30 days.
How to estimate moving weight
Weight follows from the home size band above rather than from adding up items, and the carrier's own survey is the figure that matters. If you want to test it, ask the surveyor what weight the estimate assumes. On an interstate move you can also require a re-weigh before charges are computed (49 CFR 375.519), which is the only way to settle a weight argument with a measurement.
Official sources
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Frequently asked questions
How much should I budget for a long-distance move?
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