Moving is never cheap, even if you are just moving down the road a little bit. If you have to move, it is always a smart idea to find out how much it will cost you to move so that you can budget that amount for moving day. Here are some averages across the country for moving services.
DIY Moving
DIY moving still has its expenses, to be sure. You can pay anywhere from $19.95 for a truck or trailer rental to $99. It all depends on how much stuff you have and how big of a truck or trailer you need. Do not forget that you also have to convince friends and/or family to help you move, and usually the cost of lunch has to be figured in too, often to the tune of at least $50. Unless you can convince a grocery store or big box retailer to give you a ton of their cardboard boxes for free, you may also have to buy your moving boxes, which could cost you up to $300. (Try to get the free boxes, though; it makes such a huge difference.)
Professional Local Movers Who Do Not Pack
Then there are the professional local movers who do not help you pack; they just pick up, load and unload. You could be looking at anywhere from $100 an hour (if there are two helpers) to $500 an hour (if there are more helpers or you just have a ton of heavy things to move, like a grand piano and a king-sized bed). You still have to do all your own packing and boxing and finding boxes, but you do not have to find any extra helpers or pay for lunch.
Professional Local Movers That Do Pack
If you hire a moving company that sends movers to help you pack, you can expect to pay a little more for this extra service than movers who do not pack. It could be as little as an extra $25 an hour to as much as an extra $100 an hour, depending on the company you hire and the region of the country in which you currently reside.
Professional International Movers
Professional international movers are always the most expensive, but not because of their typical truck services. The expense comes from shipping your stuff overseas and getting through customs. Usually, these movers are on par with the expenses related to a local move. It is the international shipping rates that incur the larger expense. You may garner as much as an extra $5,000 in moving and customs expenses to ship your entire home overseas. The international mover can give you a better quote at the time you call to schedule a move.
For more information about the costs of moving, talk to companies like Bekins Transfer & Storage about getting an estimate.
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