How Much Does It Cost to Move Long Distance?

In this guide

Long Distance Moving Costs by Pound

Most companies charge $0.50 to $0.80 per pound, which means the moving cost will depend on the weight of the load they will be moving. Companies charge by the pound as moving trucks can take a specific weight or load volume. The weight gives them an idea of the number of items. Long-distance moving is transporting personal belongings a distance of over 1,000 miles, regardless if the move is intrastate or across state lines.

Long Distance Moving Cost by Type of Move

Long-distance moving a two-bedroom house costs from $2,000 to $12,000, depending on the type of move. The two main move types moving companies offer are moving across country and moving interstate. The chart below highlights the two main types and their respective costs, followed by a subsection explaining each type.

Average Cost of Moving Interstate

The cost of interstate movers depends on the distance between the two states but is typically $2,000 to $6,000 to move a two-bedroom home 1,000 miles. Moving interstate means moving your things from one state to another. The cost to move to another state depends on the weight and number of items you need to move, their uniqueness, and any additional charges. When moving long distances, keep in mind the travel company’s route and the travel fees incurred. Most times, the companies will only travel on land and charge fuel costs. When transporting your belongings from one state to another, you will likely have to purchase liability coverage. Companies usually provide basic coverage per pound of cargo or full value protection that protects the full value of the items transported.

Average Cost of Moving Across Country

The average cost to move across the country is $4,000 to $12,000 to move a two-bedroom home 2,000 miles from one side of the country to the other. The cost varies depending on the distance you move the items, the total weight, and whether you pack the items yourself. Moving across country means moving your belongings from one state to another, without leaving the country. If you’re moving across the entire country, the distance you will move is approximately 2,800 miles. Sometimes, the cost of moving from the east coast to the west coast can be greater than the cost to move interstate because of the greater distance between your old and new home. However, there are also cases when the companies will consider a move local, even if it's in a different state. This occurs when you’re moving to a neighboring state, and the mileage is less than the typical long-distance move or when you’re using an across the country moving truck rental.

Long Distance Movers Cost by Home Size

Movers typically charge $0.50 to $0.80 per pound to move your belongings, which means you can pay as low as $900 to move a studio apartment 1,000 miles to as high as $9,600 to move a three or more bedroom home 1,000 miles. Most homes have a similar number of items, so the cost to move a one-bedroom apartment 1,000 miles will be similar regardless of where you’re located. Below is a table with information about how much you can expect to pay for different sized homes.

Long Distance Movers Cost by Type

Depending on whether you will use labor-only movers or full-service movers, you can expect to pay $540 to $6,000 to move a two-bedroom home. As their name suggests, labor-only workers will only load and unload your belongings. At the same time, full service involves picking up the belongings, packing and unpacking them, furniture disassembly and reassembly, truck loading and unloading, and providing the packing materials.

Cost to Hire Movers to Load Truck

Labor-only movers cost $540 to $2,400 in most moving projects. They typically charge $60 to $80 per hour to load your furniture and boxes and unload them at your new location. Moving an average-sized two-bedroom home will require three to six hours to relocate the home if three to five movers are hired. You are responsible for getting your belongings from point A to point B, whether by driving them yourself in a truck or sending them in a shipping container. This can cost less than hiring freight trailer moving companies for the whole process, but you have to put a lot more time and effort into the move, which isn’t always an option.

Full-Service Movers Cost

Full-service moving is the most expensive option that costs between $2,000 to $6,000 or more for a two-bedroom house, depending on the items you need to move. The full-service moving involves several components. The first component is providing packing materials and packing your belongings (including furniture disassembly). Second, full-service movers will load and move your items to your new location. They will also unpack at your new home and dispose of packing materials. Some full-service moving companies will also make arrangements to move vehicles and specialty items such as boats.

Long Distance Moving Companies Prices

Several companies offer moving services for $2,000 to $6,000 for a two-bedroom home 1,000 miles. The prices depend on the services each company offers, the type of insurance, and whether it’s a local or long-distance move. Some of the most popular companies in the U.S. are Allied Movers, Atlas Moving, and North American Moving Services. The services they offer, and the respective costs are presented below.

North American Moving Services

Moving a two-bedroom home with North American Moving Services will cost between $2,000 and $4,000 on average. They have been in business since 1933 and currently serve all 50 states. North American Moving Services provides a variety of add-on services besides the regular moving ones so everyone can customize their long-distance move. One of their most popular add-ons is the convenient “Binding not-to-exceed” estimate which guarantees that the moving cost won’t surpass a certain limit. The coverage they offer is basic liability coverage at no cost or full coverage that costs $8 for every $1,000 in value.

Allied Movers Cost

The cost of a long-distance move with Allied Movers is $2,000 to $5,000 for a two-bedroom home with a weight of 6,000 lbs. and a traveling distance of 1,000 miles. Allied has over 85 years of experience providing moving services, including packing, loading, transporting, and unpacking belongings. They provide basic insurance coverage at no additional charge and extra protection based on the value of the item, which is around $0.8 per every $100 worth.

Atlas Moving Cost

The cost of a long-distance move of a two-bedroom home with Atlas will cost $3,000 to $6,000. Atlas is a moving company founded in 1948 that provides customizable moving services in the U.S. and Canada. They currently offer several moves: local moves, long-distance moves, international moves, military moves, and corporate moves. All items transported by Atlas can be protected with minimal coverage at $0.60 per pound for anything lost or damaged, or full-value protection, which covers $6 multiplied by the total item weight. Atlas will replace the full current market value of any lost or damaged item through the full coverage.

Cost to Ship Furniture Across Country

Long-distance shipping companies typically charge between $300 and $800 to move one piece of furniture. Shipping may involve the U.S. Postal Service or a shipping company. The exact cost to ship boxes across the country depends on the weight of the item and its fragility. Moving items like antiques and collectibles add to the overall moving cost as the movers have to be extra careful with the items during transportation. The workers can also disassemble and reassemble larger, heavier pieces of furniture for an additional charge.

Long Distance Moving Cost by Rental Service

Long-distance moving costs run from $620 to $5,500, depending on the rental service you will be using. There is no need to take the full DIY approach or hire a full moving company service for a high cost. Different companies offer rental services according to the needs of the homeowner, so you can include as little or as many moving services as you will need to adjust everything to your budget. Some of the most popular rental services offered by moving companies are rental trucks, rental shipping containers, relocubes, and more.

Shipping Container Moving Price

The shipping container moving cost is typically between $620 and $2,900 depending on the size of the home and the distance that needs to be covered. They are often referred to as portable-on-demand storage and are a more affordable option than hiring a moving company. When you hire shipping container moving companies, they typically come and drop a portable storage unit (a POD) at the specified location and let you pack it on your own. The storage boxes are typically 7, 12, or 16-foot steel crates with roll up, keyed, ground level access, and weather and impact-resistant siding. Once you’ve packed the storage containers, the moving company will pick them up and transport them to the specified destination. Here is a table with the average cost to move 1,000 miles with different shipping containers:

Long Distance Moving Truck Rental

The average cost to rent a moving truck for five days is between $700 and $2,500 for a 10’ truck. Renting a truck is the most common option when someone wants to take the DIY moving approach. Truck rental is an inexpensive alternative that is easy to find and quick to get but is time and labor intensive as you will have to do the heavy lifting on your own. The exact cost of the rental depends on the size of the truck you will choose and the distance you will be moving. Here is how different truck rental companies compare and how much you can expect to pay to rent a truck for five days and 1,000 miles:

Freight Moving Cost

Freight trailer moving companies will move your belongings for an average cost of $1,000 to $5,500, depending on how much space you will rent. Freight means renting a space in a trailer, van, shipping container, or boat and paying just for the space you rent instead of having to rent the whole unit. Below are some of the major freight trailer service companies and the typical cost they charge for freight moving services.

Packing Service Cost

You can hire the moving company to pack your belongings for $170 and $2,200 for a two-bedroom home. The moving packing service cost consists of the labor and materials for packing and unpacking without loading and unloading the items. When you hire a full packing service, movers will do everything for you. This typically means them coming to your home to pack everything, hand-wrap fragile items, hang up your clothes in wardrobe cartons, and use special crates and boxes for unique items and antiques. If you do the packing on your own, the company will typically come and drop a portable storage unit for you to pack and then pick it up on a specific date to deliver it to your new destination for you to unpack.

Unpacking and Organizing Service Cost

Unpacking and organizing your belongings is one of the most expensive parts of the whole moving cost, costing $250 to $1,500 for a two-bedroom home. This is one of the most expensive parts of moving as it’s both time and labor intensive. The packers will disassemble and reassemble basic furniture pieces and bigger, more complex items and set them in the appropriate place in your home.

Average Cost of Moving Boxes

Depending on the size of your home, you can expect to pay anywhere between $150 and $800 for packing materials. Typically, supplies for a two-bedroom home will cost $350 to $620, although it can be lower or higher depending on the type of items you have in your home. When calculating the cost of moving materials, you need to consider the cost of boxes (and their size), bubble wraps, stretch wrapping paper, book boxes, glassware boxes, dish boxes, TV/picture boxes, tape rolls, tape dispensers, and more.

Long Distance Moving Checklist

When you’re moving a long distance, the process can be time-consuming, so it takes careful planning on your side. The process involves many factors and costs, so you need to prepare well before the actual moving date to ensure that everything goes smoothly. Although you don’t have to adhere to it strictly, here is what you should plan before the moving date comes.

Between 12 to 14 weeks before moving, start budgeting for the moving costs and look for quotes from different companies for professional moving labor, DIY truck rental, shipping containers, and vehicle moving costs. Book your travel arrangements if needed and schedule all important appointments before moving out. At 8 to 10 weeks before moving, plan which items you will be taking personally with you and which items will be left for the moving company. If you do the packing yourself, start buying packing supplies. Around a month before moving, you should start getting rid of items you don’t need and pack things you don’t use frequently.

Then, in the last weeks before moving, start the administrative moving processes such as the address and institution change. Check your vehicle if you will be driving. During the last week, you should focus on packing everything but the essentials and confirming final details with the movers. Make sure to consider any tips you plan to give to movers and get any prescriptions before leaving. The final step before leaving your old house is to do a complete walkthrough to make sure you haven’t missed anything.

Long Distance Moving Tips

When you’re moving long distances, there are a few moving do’s and don’ts you need to keep in mind to help you go through the moving process easier. The first thing is to book your accommodations depending on the type of travel you will be using. Book your hotel room in advance to ensure a room.

Before hiring a moving company, you should find out who is responsible if something breaks or gets damaged during packing, loading, transport, unloading, and unpacking. Additionally, you’ll want to ask about insurance. Most homeowner and rental insurance policies don’t cover items in transit. Moving companies offer several options with various levels of reimbursement if anything is damaged during the move.

When you’re packing, number each box and keep a master list with each box number and where it goes in the house. You’ll be able to check off the master list when your boxes are unloaded to make sure everything arrived. Unless you will rent a moving truck and move on your own, you and your belongings will travel separately to your new home. Make sure to plan for airplane tickets. If you’re driving on your own and the trip takes several days, plan for accommodations and food as part of your travel cost.

Enhancement and Improvement Costs

Cost to Rent A Storage Unit

If your belongings need to be stored for a specific period, you can rent a storage unit for an average cost of $50 to $300 per month. They are a convenient way of moving your belongings and shipping them without paying for additional storage, which can cost $100 to $500 per month plus the delivery and moving fees. The containers are an easy way to pack, label, and ship your belongings to ensure they are protected while staying on a budget.

Cost to Ship Car Across Country

The auto shipping cost varies based on the type of vehicle (car, truck, SUV) and its size and weight. You can expect to pay an additional $600 to $1,300 per vehicle. In an across country move, you may opt to have your vehicle shipped. However, this adds a significant cost to the total amount of the move, especially when moving long distances. Many homeowners opt to sell the car instead.

Pool Table Moving Cost

Moving a pool table costs $400 to $500. The high cost is because pool tables are incredibly heavy and complicated to move. It will likely need to be disassembled, transported, and reassembled in your new home. Some movers are experienced working with pool tables. You’ll want to ask your moving company if this is something they can handle.

Cost to Move Piano

Pianos require special moving tools and specialized care. Moving a piano can cost anywhere between $700 and $2,500, depending on the size and type of the piano. Small pianos like a spinet or a console piano cost the least, while concert model pianos are the most expensive ones to move. As they can be an expensive instrument, consider insuring the full value of the item during transportation.

Pet Relocation Services Cost

Moving pets from one place to another with a pet-friendly airline costs $325 to $1,500. The cost varies with the type of pet, the method of transportation, and the distance between the two locations. Your pets may need to travel with you to ensure they don’t go through a stressful experience. Make sure your pet’s records are with your important documents and talk to your veterinarian about tips for traveling with animals.

Long Distance Moving Insurance

You can add a layer of protection to your items for $108 to $2,160, or around 1% to 3% of the total value of the items. Most moving companies have basic liability coverage that protects the items that may get damaged or broken during transportation at no charge. However, you can purchase extended or full coverage insurance that protects the items based on their value. In most cases, the insurance covers a specific dollar value for the weight of the items. This value is usually around $6 per pound. If you’re moving 5,000 pounds, the overall value of the items is $30,000, and the full coverage insurance will cost you $300 to $900.