What Is the Cheapest Way to Move Cross-Country?

Renting a moving truck, packing it yourself, and driving it to your new home is the cheapest way to move across the country. Unfortunately, it’s also the most difficult and least safe.

Luckily, there are other ways to move cross country, each with unique advantages and disadvantages:

• Hiring a full-service moving company to take care of everything. This is the most convenient moving option, but it’s far and away the most expensive too.
• Packing your stuff into a moving container for a professional to deliver. This option requires you to do most of the work, but you don’t need to deliver your stuff yourself. This method can also be fairly cheap.
• Adding moving labor to a truck rental or container move. This costs a little extra, but it means you get professional packing/loading help.

Budget is a valid concern, but moving everything in a truck is a huge hassle. Buying as much convenience as you can afford will save your sanity—and your back—in the end. You can also mix the moving methods to get a blend of affordability and convenience.

Keep reading as we break down the costs and benefits of each moving method to find one that works for you and your budget.

Hiring professional movers like American Van Lines is the most expensive way to move cross country, and there’s no clearly defined limit to how much it can cost.

So, is a full-service move worth the price? That depends entirely on how much room you’ve got in your moving budget  and how much work you want to do yourself.

If you’re undaunted by the prospect of packing every book, lifting every sofa, and braving every stair in your house, and then driving across the country with everything you own in tow, then a DIY move is a good option for you.

However, if several thousand dollars is a small price to pay to skip all this intensive labor, then you should absolutely hire a full-service mover. On top of the convenience, you can also rest easy knowing your stuff is being handled by professional movers with proper equipment instead of your friends who may or may not have come equipped with a single dolly.

The best part is that full-service moves are highly customizable, so you can tailor your moving service to your needs. If you want to pay a little extra for cleaning services, that’s an option. Alternatively, if you want to pack everything yourself or forego extra coverage to save money, you can do that as well.

Whether or not you think a full-service move is a realistic option for you, it’s worth your time to get a free quote or two. You never know what your price will be until you look.

Using a container company like U-Pack or PODS for your move is actually pretty similar to renting a moving truck and packing it yourself with one important difference: you don’t do any of the driving.

Here’s how it works:

• The container company delivers the containers you rented to your home.
• You load them at your leisure (though it may cost extra if you take too long).
• The company picks them up from your old home.
• The company stores your containers at a secure facility.
• The company delivers the containers to your new home.

Doing all the heavy lifting means you skip most of the moving expenses that come with hiring professional movers while still getting professional delivery services. This makes container moves a solid middle ground between full-service moves and full DIY moves.

Get a quote from a few of our favorite moving and storage container companies to learn exactly how much a container move will cost you.

Moving across the country in a rental truck from a company like U-Haul or Penske is your cheapest option, but it’s also the worst option if you want your long-distance move to be pain-free and convenient.

Worst of all, it’s not as cheap as you might think. Renting any company’s largest moving truck for a move over 1,000 miles will still cost you several grand. In extreme cases, we’ve seen truck rental moves cost three-fourths as much as comparable full-service moves when you factor in moving expenses like fuel costs, hotel stays, and pizza for your friends.

Still, if the difference in cost is worth all the extra effort it’ll take on your part, there’s no denying that renting a moving truck is usually the cheapest way to move across the country.

Some truck rental companies are more affordable than others, and pricing can depend on where you live. Get quotes from a couple of our favorite truck rental companies to find the best price for you.

There’s no law that says you need to go all in on one moving method. In fact, mixing and matching moving services from different cross-country movers  can help you get great service without breaking the bank.

For example, you could hire professional movers to deliver all of your heavy or fragile furniture while you drive your boxes of books and clothes in a small moving truck. This would be cheaper than sending everything with a moving company and more convenient than doing all the work yourself.

Additionally, many moving container companies and truck rental companies offer loading and packing help for an additional cost. So you can still get some help from professional movers even if you’re opting for a cheap DIY move.

No matter which moving method—or methods—you choose, there are several ways to make your move more affordable.

Many moving companies offer deals and discounts for their services. Some of these deals come in the form of seasonal promotions while others—like senior and student discounts—are offered year-round.

Before you pick your moving company, hunt for good discounts like a grandma with a page of coupons and a pair of scissors. You can start your search by checking out our moving deals and discounts page.

Low moving quotes are always nice to find, but if a price sounds too good to be true, it very well might be. Watch out for companies giving quotes that are several hundred dollars cheaper than most competitors. They might be scamming you, and if that’s the case, they’ll probably hit you with hidden fees later on. They might even hold your stuff hostage for exorbitant prices.

This means springing for a suspiciously low quote can end up costing you much more than hiring a trustworthy company with a higher initial quote.

That said, a low price isn’t always evidence of a scam. If you’ve found a company that is offering you a stellar rate, use our list of ways to spot a moving scam to make sure the company checks out before you sign anything.

You can also check to see what we’ve said about the company. At Move.org, we carefully vet every moving company we recommend by monitoring customer complaints, government reports, and industry trends. If we’ve given a company a positive review or if it appears on one of these lists, we trust the company enough to recommend it to our readers:

●     The Best Moving Companies

●     The Best Moving and Storage Container Companies

●     The 5 Best Car Shipping Companies

If you get written estimates from two different moving companies that offer the same type of service, and one of those estimates is lower, the company with the higher rate will lower its own price to match the lower one if it offers price-matching.

This makes price-matching a dream come true for people who want great rates from great movers. There are a few caveats, though:

●     The inventories you submit to both movers need to be EXACTLY the same.

●     Every service on both quotes needs to be the same.

●     The move dates and locations on both quotes have to be the same.

●     Most companies will only match written estimates from reputable competitors. Two companies known for price-matching are 1-800-PACK-RAT and Safeway Moving.

If you can clear all these bars, and the company you want to work with offers price-matching, then you can get a lower estimate with just a little extra legwork.

Moving prices are all about supply and demand, and most people move in the summer. As a result, moving is generally most expensive in early summer and least expensive in the dead of winter. Prices steadily climb in spring as you get closer to summer and drop in autumn as winter creeps nearer. This seasonality can vary a little based on location, but it generally holds true.

This means you can usually get a better price if you plan your move for winter, early spring, or late fall instead of during the height of moving season.

Moving expenses depend on how much stuff you’re moving, so getting rid of a lot of stuff—like clothing you never wear anymore, furniture that’s been in storage for years, and busted lawn ornaments—is the most reliable way to make your move cheaper.

Putting on a yard sale, donating useful items to charities, and throwing away old junk are all excellent ways to save big when you move long distance.

Renting a moving truck and doing all the work yourself is the cheapest way to move across the country. However, it can still cost several thousand dollars, and it will be far less convenient than hiring professional movers.

Cross-country relocation can cost anywhere between $1,500 and $29,000 or more depending on how you move, how much stuff you have, and when you’re moving.

Moving cross country in a U-Haul is never convenient, and it’s not even that cheap. If you can afford it, the best way to move across the country is to hire professional movers, but you can also rent a moving and storage container or rent a truck from one of U-Haul’s competitors like Penske or Budget.

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