Introduction
At one point in every functional adult’s life, they will have to move their belongings from one building to the next. Their move might be inspired by a career decision, a lifestyle change, or just a living space upgrade. Whatever reasons you have to pack up all your belongings and move from one building to the next, you will need to deal with routine costs like hiring movers or truck rentals. This article provides a conservative estimate of the average cost to move from one town to another.
Hiring movers
On average, hiring movers in America often makes up the bulk of the costs attributed to moving inter or intra-state. Assuming you have settled all outstanding rent or property costs, hiring a team of four movers for an hour costs about $200 on average. And that is if you are moving somewhere within a hundred miles of your current home. If you are moving out of the state or city, your moving costs is calculated based on the distance and weight of your property. So, that’s why it’s an age-old tradition to sell off things like couches and Tv- easily replaceable things that could drive up moving costs.
The overall cost of hiring movers will also go up or down depending on which added services you decide to opt for. For example, if you want your household items packed and sealed professionally, you will have to pay extra. Or, if you want the movers to help you unpack as well, the cost typically goes up as well. Depending on which part of the country you live in, the price will vary slightly between professional movers.
Factors to consider if you are moving locally
There are three major factors you need to consider when calculating the cost to move within your city or town.
- Keep an eye on the average moving costs. They’ll give you an idea of how much money you need to budget for the move.
- The local movers’ fees cover any activity they perform during the moving process. That means packaging, moving in and outside your home, and off-loading and loading items from their truck.
- They charge you travel fee separate from the total moving costs. This fee covers the travel time and fuel used to deliver your stuff to your new apartment or home. Usually, the cost averages out around one hour of additional service.
Other alternatives to movers
Rent a truck and drive
You could rent out a truck and drive to the city or state town yourselves. Although this method sound considerably cheaper than hiring professional movers, it’s not as simple as you might think. To move your personal items easily and comfortably, you will need to:
- Rent a truck
- Buy insurance for that truck
- Buy gas
- Rent a hotel for the overnight drive
- Eat on the way there
When you add up the cost, it’s nearly as expensive as hiring professional movers, and it’s far more troublesome.
You could have someone drop-off the packed truck
Instead of driving interstate with the truck, you could have someone drop it off for you. It is almost as costly as the first alternative option, and you will have to pay the drivers by the hour.