Summary:
If you’re preparing for a move this Summer, planning is key. Try to get quotes from at least two different companies, save money by packing before your movers arrive and don’t forget to pack a “day of” bag for items you will need immediately once you reach your new home.
Blog:
If you’re planning to move this summer, you’re not alone. In fact, 60-70% of all US residential moves take place during the summer!
This makes summer a busy season for moving companies and can make moving more difficult for homeowners.
This guide will give you everything you need for a successful move no matter the time of year.
Table of Contents:
- How Much Does it Cost to Move in 2026?
- Options for Moving Services and How to Pick the Best One for You
- Common Moving Terms to Help You Understand the Language of Your Movers
- How to Prepare for your Move
- The Most Common Sources of Cost Savings for Your Move
- Walkthrough of What Your Moving Day Could Look Like
- Additional Resources
How Much Does it Cost to Move in 2026?
Depending on where you live and the amount of rooms you have, the average local move can cost anywhere between $400 and $3,500.
For long distance moves costs commonly range from $1,200 to as high as $15,000.
The biggest factors in deciding the end cost of your move are distance, weight of your property and the time it takes to complete your move.
Other things to keep an eye out for might be fuel surcharges, long-carry fees, disassembly and reassembly and parking tickets. More on what a few of these are and how to avoid them a bit later on.
Options for Moving Services and How to Pick the Best One for You
While local and long distance moves are the most common kind, there are actually many other different options that you may not know even exist. This list will help you make sure you’re picking the right level of service for your budget and your actual needs.
Full-service move: A full service is basically any move that requires at least two men and a truck to complete it. Depending on how much you need moved, you may not actually need a full service move to complete your job.
Local Move: A local move is a “full-service” move that takes place within about 100 miles of your home. The other factor that separates a local move from a long distance move can also be the time it takes to complete the job. If it takes two days to complete, you may be charged a similar rate to what you would pay for a long-distance move even if you didn’t move over 100 miles.
Long-distance: This is a full service for customers moving over 100 miles to a new home but still to a location that is within the bounds of the state the move takes place in. Interstate-moves are the level above this but in order to perform an interstate move, a mover must be licensed by the FMCSA.
Single Item: This is a partial moving service for single large or heavy items like hot tubs, televisions, pianos and gun safes. You can actually hire a moving company to help move a hot tub from a store to your home. Some moving companies also have certificates for jobs that require a lot of care like piano moves.
Labor-only: This is another partial moving service that is good for customers who don’t need a moving truck to complete their job. Some companies may allow you to simply pay an hourly rate for two movers to come help you load a truck of your own or move items from one room to another.
International: This full service move is for customers moving out of or into the country. The company you choose should be able to help you with paperwork, help you prepare for customs and even set up your new home for you before you come into the country.
Apartment: This kind of move can be either partial or full service depending on where you’re going. You may only need a partial move if you are going from one room to another in the same building.
Your mover can help you reserve elevators, figure out regulations for moving within your building for you and of course take care of moving heavy items up and down stairs.
White-glove: This is a premium full service moving option used a lot by realtors and interior decorators who need extra care, cleanup and furniture setup in a home. Residential movers can select this option as well but a normal full service move will generally be cheaper and just as effective.
Commercial move: If you need to move your business or office there’s an option for you. If you’re moving within the same plaza or office building you may be able to save money by just hiring movers without a truck.
Emergency move: In the case of an emergency like a flooded basement or eviction, you can sometimes skip the queue and have a small team of movers sent to help you complete your job on the same day you call.
One thing to know though, even with an emergency move, it’s actually not common that a mover will be able to help you the day of your call. It’s more common that they come a day or two later, so even this kind of move may require some planning or time waiting.
Common Moving Terms to Help You Understand the Language of Your Movers
Make sure you understand what your movers are talking about when they share plans for moving your property! Here are some key industry terms and definitions you should know.
Bill of Lading: This is just another term for the inventory of all of the property moved during your job. It also acts as a binding agreement of the services your mover will provide and as a receipt once your job is completed.
Fuel surcharges: Your moving company may charge you an adjustable fee to offset their own fuel cost of moving your items or the cost of driving their trucks to your home to start your move.
Long-carry fees: This is a fee that you may be charged if movers need to carry property over a set distance to get from your home to their truck. The distance can vary so it’s a good idea to ask if this fee is something they charge, and if so, for what distance.
Disassembly and reassembly: If your movers need to disassemble any large pieces of furniture like desks or tables and put them back together at your new home you may be charged a bit extra for that time.
Released Value Protection: This is the basic level of moving insurance and you usually get this level of coverage at no extra cost for your move. Under this level of coverage your movers liability if your property is damaged is minimal. They will need to reimburse you for up to $0.60 per pound per item. This means you are reimbursed by weight instead of actual value of your property
Full Value Protection: This is the advanced level of moving insurance which says your mover is liable for repairing, replacing or reimbursing you for any property damaged or lost during your move. The amount they pay is based on the fair market value of your items.
How to Prepare for your Move
Generally you will need to submit a change of address to the United States Postal Service, transfer your utilities to your new address or set up new accounts for them and you may want to consider pre-packing your home before your movers arrive.
How to Change your Address
This step is actually one of the easier parts of the process as USPS has an easy step by step process for submitting a change of address request. They also have a helpful guide if you would like to do your change of address in person.
Moving Utilities
This can depend on the utility company you’re working with. Generally though you can relink an existing account to a new address or set up a new account from the utility companies website or by giving them a call.
Usually electricity will work whether or not your account is set up. They will just backcharge you for the time before you created your account. For other utilities you may want to call the company to make sure things like gas or internet will be in working order before you arrive.
Packing your Home
Pre-packing your home and disassembling furniture is one of the best ways to save money on your move. Some moving companies may charge extra for packing your home or taking apart items like bedframes or chairs. Many moving companies also operate on an hourly rate so if you pack before they arrive you can save a lot of money since your move can be completed faster.
Also while on the topic of packing, anything you don’t want to risk your movers mishandling, be sure to pack on your own and move it safely by yourself. You should also pack a “night-of” bag for the first night at your new home with whatever essentials you don’t want to have to go digging in boxes for.
The Most Common Sources of Cost Savings for Your Move
The three main factors that contribute to the end cost of your move are time, distance and weight. Any way you can decrease any of these will help you save money. Here are a few ideas.
Save on fuel surcharges by moving with local companies: National chain moving companies are the most guilty of charging fuel surcharges to send their movers longer distances to reach your home. Moving with local moving companies is one of the easiest ways to avoid this. Local movers also tend to be more familiar with the area and might be able to help you save money in other ways as well. Find a local moving company near you with our “Find a Mover” search tool.
Packing your home: We covered this one above but packing your own property is often cheaper than having a moving company do it for you. They may not only charge you for packing materials but also time spent packing as well. Some moving companies like Preferred Mover’s O’Neill Transfer and Storage in Portland and Lompoc Van And Storage in Lompoc both offer free packing boxes with every move.
Disassembly and reassembly of furniture: Taking apart large items before your movers arrive will cut the time spent on your move, which in turn saves you money. Preferred Mover Lincoln Moving and Storage in Seattle offers free disassembly and reassembly of furniture.
Move bulky items to the curb: Some movers may charge you extra if they need to transport items a long distance down a driveway or down stairs. Before your movers arrive if you can move your large items closer to the curb you can save yourself this fee.
Walkthrough of What Your Moving Day Could Look Like
Here’s what your moving day could look like in three simple steps:
Step 1: Arrival & Pre-Move Walkthrough
Your moving crew arrives at the scheduled time and performs a walkthrough of your home. The team leader confirms what is being moved, identifies fragile or specialty items, reviews access points, and answers any last-minute questions before loading begins.
Step 2: Packing Protection & Loading
Movers protect floors, doorways, and furniture as needed. Large items are wrapped with moving blankets and stretch wrap, while boxes and furniture are carefully loaded onto the truck in a strategic order to maximize protection and prevent shifting during transport.
Step 3: Transportation & Unloading
Once everything is loaded, the crew transports your belongings to your new home. Upon arrival, movers unload items into the rooms you designate, reassemble furniture when requested, and perform a final walkthrough to ensure everything has arrived safely and is placed where you want it.
Additional Resources
Take a look at these moving resources from some of the movers in our network!
O’Neill Transfer and Storage: FREE moving inventory tool
Triangle Movers: Six Tips for Out of State Movers
Lincoln Moving and Storage: 3 Things to make your local move a success
3 tips for finding military moving companies
