If you are looking for the cheapest way to move cross-country, take a look at the best moving container companies. They can save you thousands of dollars compared to full-service movers, and they even beat out rental trucks for large moves. . However, you still can’t beat the price of renting a truck if you’re only moving across town.
What Is the Cheapest Way to Move?
3 min readAt a glance
When to use full-service movers
A full-service move is almost never going to be cheaper than renting a truck or a moving container, but it may be more convenient if you can afford to pay someone else or can’t take time off work. Use our moving costs guide to compare pricing.
How much does a local move cost?
A local move costs approximately $925 if you’re using a rental truck., On the other hand, expect to pay around $1,960 if you plan to ship your belongings in a moving container.
The reason rental trucks are so affordable is because you do almost all the work yourself. For local moves, there isn’t a cheaper option.
Rental trucks vs. moving container costs (local move)
Data current as of post date. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change. Quotes based on moving a moderately furnished, 900 sq. ft., two-bedroom home a distance of 421 miles. Travel costs included.
Why are rental trucks so affordable for short-distance moves?
There’s a common theme when it comes to rental trucks: DIY. Moving trucks are the cheapest way to move because you’re doing the loading, driving, and unloading.
Get a little help
Did you know you can hire people by the hour to help you pack and unpack, load and unload, and even assemble furniture? You can also check out our list of the best cheap moving companies for other affordable ways to get great moving services.
You load and unload the truck yourself
It’s not fun to look at a house full of belongings or a truck full of boxes and think of the work needed to load and unload the moving truck. That’s one reason people often pay professional movers to do the work for them.
But you save a ton of cash if you do it yourself.
How much is it to hire professional movers?
About $50 per hour per person. So if you have a handful of friends and family help out for half a day, you save upwards of $1,000.
Average moving labor costs
Data current as of 1/24/20. Offers and availability may vary by location and are subject to change.
*Five workers for four hours.
You drive the truck yourself
Cheap moving options include driving the truck yourself. Any time you turn the task over to a professional is money lost on your end. If you are planning a local move, you probably don’t need a driver, but even if you are looking for the cheapest way to move cross country, hiring a driver might be worth the investment. It’s no small feat to navigate a large moving truck for several days across state lines.
In the end, it comes down to convenience vs. cost. Sure, you can hire someone else to do the hard stuff, but your bank account will be noticeably smaller because of it.
If you’re looking for the cheapest way to move a distance of several hundred miles or less, you can’t beat the affordability of renting a moving truck and driving it on your own.
Save more with a budget discount
Budget Truck Rental offers more discounts than any other rental truck company. It has deals for everyone from military members to students.
Recap
Rental trucks and moving containers are your two cheapest moving options. For short distances, you can’t beat the price for rental trucks—they’re nearly 300% cheaper than moving containers. They win for the cheapest way to move small loads.
For long distances like a cross-country move, moving containers are cheaper—even though your initial estimates may suggest otherwise. In this case, saving on travel-related expenses like food, hotels, gas, and mileage fees can be the difference between.
The cheapest way to move FAQs
The average cost for a long-distance move is approximately $4,250 for moving containers and $4,620 for rental trucks. Using a top-tier company like U-Pack can potentially cost even less.
When you’re moving, there are three main ways to ship furniture to another state:
- Get a one-way truck rental.
- Ship it in a moving container.
- Hire professional movers to take it for you.
Here are some tips to help you save money when you move:
- Ask about discounts.
- Host a garage sale.
- Search for free boxes and other free packing supplies.
- Get several moving quotes.
You can also minimize costs if you prepare your new home for your arrival by doing things like scheduling home improvements and reserving parking. Nothing adds extra costs to your move quite like showing up to find there’s nowhere to park and your basement is flooded.
The cheapest way to move your stuff long-distance is to use a moving container company. It often costs less than renting a truck because you don’t pay for essentials like food and hotels.
Yes. If you don’t want to do the work yourself, you can hire full-service movers to transport your belongings across the country.
Local businesses will often give you free boxes. We recommend checking with grocery stores, furniture stores, liquor stores, and other retailers. We also have a guide to buying inexpensive cardboard boxes.
Recommended resources
Best rental truck companies
Best moving container companies
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