Estimate moving costs from home size, distance and packing services.
Removal firms price two entirely different ways, and which one applies depends on distance. Under about a hundred miles a move is local and billed by the hour for a crew and truck, so the cost tracks how long loading and unloading take — driven by bedroom count, stairs and access rather than by mileage. Beyond that it becomes a long-distance move priced on shipment weight and distance, with weight estimated at roughly 2,500 lb per bedroom over a fixed base of about 1,500 lb. Packing is the line that swings a quote most: a full packing service typically adds eighty to a hundred dollars a room plus materials, several times the cost of boxes if you pack yourself, which is why it is the first thing to cut when a quote comes in high.
Local hourly versus long-distance weight pricing
Weight = 1500 + bedrooms x 2500; local cost = (2 + bedrooms x 2.5 + distance / 25) x hourly rate for moves under 100 miles; long-distance cost = weight x (0.32 + 0.00042 x distance); packing adds 85 per room plus 0.035 per lb
A rough budgeting estimate from generic industry averages. Actual quotes vary widely with season, access, stairs, lift availability, storage, valuation coverage and regulated tariffs. Obtain written estimates from licensed movers and check their insurance before booking.
Because you are paying for crew time, and the drive is a small part of it. Loading and unloading a three-bedroom house takes most of a day whether the new address is two miles away or twenty.
Usually yes for long-distance moves. A non-binding estimate can be revised upward once the truck is weighed, whereas a binding or binding-not-to-exceed quote caps your exposure — ask which you are being given.
Typically the difference between a few hundred dollars of boxes and tape, and two to three thousand for a full service on a three-bedroom home. Fragile items and wardrobes are where paying for help earns its keep.