What is the average cost of moving cross country?
Moving is not easy and you have to prepare well so that everything goes in the best possible order. There are many things that you should pay attention to, from hiring interstate movers to packing, transportation, and the necessary documents. However, perhaps the most essential thing is the moving budget. You can’t plan a move without the money you need. But to prepare a moving budget, you need to know what the average moving costs are. All of this is especially important when you’re planning a cross-country move. To make moving easier for you, we sum the average cost of moving cross country. Keep reading and make moving planning easier for movers.
Where to start with the preparation of the moving budget?
If you’re moving for the first time, you’re probably not sure where to start. Many things about moving can be confusing when you don’t have experience with it. And even if this is not your first move, a cross-country move is much more complicated than a local move. There are many factors you should consider when creating a moving budget. Here are some things you may need to get basic moving quotes:
- The distance of your move – the price is partially formed based on the miles will travel, so the price is not the same if you are moving to a neighboring street or another country.
- Type of your move – whether it’s a commercial or residential move – the cost of moving differs from whether you’re moving your company or household.
- The number and type of things you are moving – logically, you will pay more for moving if you are moving a four bedrooms house than just a condo.
Before you start looking for the ideal cross-country movers, this is the information you need to prepare so that you can request a free estimate of your move.
Average moving costs
The average price of moving around the country can be viewed in two ways. In this case, the minimum price of the move is $800, while the maximum would be around $10,000. And if we look at the national average price for a cross-country move, it would be around $8,000. As we have already emphasized, these are only some average costs. The total cost of your cross-country move will depend on numerous factors, which we will list below.
What factors affect the average cost of moving cross country?
It is not easy to determine the average cost of moving cross country because it depends on many factors. At the very beginning, you will receive a rough estimate of your move, and then a precise estimate that will include all the factors listed below. When everything is taken into account, it will be easier for you to estimate the average price of your cross-country move. Here are the factors that affect the price of cross country move:
- Distance
- Home size
- Delivery of furniture
- Professional movers
- Additional services
- The weight of your belongings
- Moving trucks
- Time of the year
Distance will affect the average cost of moving cross country
Logically, when you are moving long distances, you have to keep in mind that the move will be more expensive because the distance affects the total costs of the move. The longer the distance, the higher the costs of your move. Moving a longer distance will require you to pay for mileage on your moving vehicle, additional gas costs, lodging along the moving route, and other expenses. And that additionally increases the price of your move. It would be a good idea to talk to the movers and ask what is a binding estimate because this can help you be sure when you are budgeting for your move.
Home size
The size of your home is the next thing that will significantly affect the cost of your move. Of course, it cannot be the same if you are moving into a one-bedroom apartment and a large house. The bigger the house, the higher the costs of your move, because then you will have more things and more furniture. On average, moving costs for a one-room house or apartment are between 700 and 3000 dollars. The costs of moving to a two-room apartment are higher and amount to between 2000 and 7000 dollars. And of course, the most expensive is the moving of three-room and larger houses, which is on average from 4,000 to 10,000 and more.
Delivery of furniture
When people move cross-country, they decide to leave part of the furniture behind, but also to send part of the furniture earlier to wait for them in the new house. If you have a lot of furniture that you would like to move, it is best to get in touch with movers who will organize the shipment of the furniture. It will be easier if you just pack up your bulky furniture and ship it. True, this will affect the costs of the move. If you move your furniture, the price of your move will increase by an average of 300 to 800 dollars per item.
Professional movers will increase the average cost of moving cross country
It is not easy to organize an independent move, even when it is local. And when it comes to cross-country moving, you shouldn’t even think about moving without a mover. Hiring professional movers will increase the price of your move, so it may be slightly above average. But they will help you reduce stress because they will take on the responsibilities of work and moving. Before you wonder how many movers I need, know that they will increase the price of the move by about 5,700 to 10,000 dollars. Our advice is definitely not to attempt a move without a mover if you are moving cross-country. But think carefully about the price before looking for suitable movers.
Do your research before choosing movers
At first, glance, choosing a mover is not very complicated. However, it is not as easy as it seems. Unless you have proven movers, you will likely spend days researching moving companies in your area. You need to check if they are licensed, insured, and meet all the criteria you want from a mover. But on the other hand, you need to find out if you can afford them.
So narrow down your choices to a few moving companies, then contact them and ask for a free, no-obligation estimate of your move. Then choose the one that suits you best in terms of the services it offers, but also in terms of budget. You may want to simply hire the cheapest ones right away, but make sure that the service is reliable. Here it is of utmost importance that you choose service over price, and hire interstate movers without getting scammed. Because the average price of a cross-country move can be favorable, but you must get adequate service for your money.
Additional services that can affect the average cost of moving cross country
Most movers offer a variety of moving services. It’s up to you to choose the ones that suit you before you move. If you may need moving a piano or for them to unpack your belongings in your new home and much more, leave the job to movers. They will take care of everything that you cannot do on your own and make your move much easier. But that will also affect the price, on average the packing and unpacking service increases the price of the move by $1000. So if you require additional services, they will increase the price of your cross-country move. That is why it is best not to ask for additional services if you want your move to be cheaper. Or the best option is to look for a moving company where these services are included in the basic package.
The weight of your belongings is one of the factors that greatly affect the cost of moving cross country
The final price of your move largely depends on the weight of your belongings. Therefore, it is important to think carefully about what you will move and what you will sell or give away before moving. Consider that some things are not worth moving such a long way. An average three-bedroom house’s moving weight is around 7,500 pounds. Now compare that to the size of your move and calculate how much your move would weigh.
Rental of moving trucks
In order to move your belongings across the country, you need a proven and reliable vehicle that will transport them. Of course, you also have to take into account the size of the vehicle. According to estimates, the average price of renting a moving truck for movement around the country is about 1,200 to 2,100 dollars. The price depends on the size and type of vehicle. A good option is to read Master Moving Guide and see where is the best place to find a moving vehicle. It will be a more favorable option for you if you take the full moving package.
Time of the year
You are probably surprised by the fact that the season can affect the price of your move. But it is logical when you take into account that most cross-country moves are done most often in the warm months. In the beginning, summer is the most common choice for people because children are on vacation. Moving companies raised prices for moving during the peak moving season. That’s why it’s a good idea to choose the winter months for your move if you want to save a little money.
However, you should also be careful here because it is important to choose a good date for your move. Choose dates that are not holidays and when there is little chance of people moving. Let’s say a weekday is a much better choice than a weekend for moving. Of course, that’s not always the first thing but ask around before scheduling your move.
Tips on how to save money when moving cross country
When everything is added up, it is clear that moving is not a very cheap undertaking. However, your costs can be lower than the average cost of moving cross-country if you apply a few small tips:
- Pack yourself – Don’t take extra packing and unpacking services as this will increase your moving price. If you pack and unpack everything yourself after the move, you will save about 1000 dollars.
- Use recycled or reusable material for packaging – Although every moving company will offer you reliable packing material, if you want to save money, don’t accept it. Find used free moving boxes or rent moving bins that can be used multiple times. This is less expensive packing material, but it can reduce your moving bill.
- Declutter your house – Before you start packing for moving, get rid of all unnecessary things. You will save both time and money by not paying for and packing things you no longer need. You can sell the excess stuff and earn extra money for the move. Or you can give it to friends or to charity.
- Choose your moving day wisely – If you are able, try to organize the move on weekdays and when it is not the moving season.
As you can see many factors affect the average cost of moving cross country, But precisely because of this, there are many things you can change to make the cost of moving more affordable. It is enough to plan your moving budget well and enjoy the move!