How Much Should You Pay Someone To Help You Move?

Why Trust HireAHelper

We are a trusted authority in the moving industry because our platform has supported over one million moves over the past 17 years. Our insights come from our proprietary database, drawing directly from real customer moves booked right through our marketplace.

Our cost figures are based on a study of 300,000 local moves between 2018 and 2024, refreshed annually with over 50,000 moves analyzed in 2024 to build our 2026 estimates. Using first-party proprietary data means we know what people are actually paying right now. For a full breakdown of how we calculate these averages, you can review our cost methodology.

How Much Do Movers Cost Per Hour?

You can expect to pay $40 to $75 per hour for a labor-only mover or $100 to $150 per hour for a full-service team of two. Keep in mind that most moving companies have minimums, often two movers for at least two hours, so your starting cost may be higher than a single hourly rate suggests.

Here is a quick look at how the hourly rates compare across different moving methods so you can choose the best option for your budget.

Cost Comparison of Different Services

The price difference comes down to the scope of service. Labor-only movers handle the loading, unloading, and heavy lifting, while full-service movers manage the move from start to finish, including the truck, transportation, and driving. That makes labor-only moving a lower-cost middle ground for people who are comfortable handling the rental truck themselves.

Labor-Only Movers

Hiring labor-only movers typically costs $40 to $75 per mover per hour. This type of service includes professional workers who handle the loading, unloading, and lifting, but you provide the rental truck, moving container, or freight trailer.

It is the perfect option for DIY moves where you want to keep costs down by driving the truck yourself, but you still need an experienced team to carry your couches and dressers down the stairs safely.

Booking labor-only movers also works great if you just need help rearranging heavy furniture inside your current home or loading a storage unit.

Full-Service Movers

Full-service movers typically charge $100 to $150 per hour for a standard team of two. This premium service means the moving company provides the truck, the fuel, the insurance, and the physical labor required to load and unload your belongings. You pay a higher hourly rate, but you get a completely hands-off experience where you never lift a box or drive a large vehicle.

Full-service moving makes the most sense for longer relocations, families moving out of large homes, or anyone on a tight timeline who needs to hand over the entire workload to professionals.

No matter which professional moving option you choose, HireAHelper can help you find the right fit. On our platform, you can compare local movers, read real customer reviews, and book professional moving help instantly.

How Much Should You Tip Movers?

Plan to tip professional movers $20 to $40 per person for a half-day move and $40 to $80 each for a full day. Alternatively, you can tip 10% to 20% of your total bill and split that amount equally among the crew. But while tipping is standard practice, you don't have to leave a gratuity if the service was poor or unprofessional.

When deciding how much you should budget for a tip, setting aside 10% to 20% of your total labor cost is a safe bet. If the team provides outstanding service, $100 per person is considered a very generous tip to give your two movers.

Cash is always the preferred method over adding it to a credit card bill because it is instant and easy to distribute fairly among the workers.

You should consider tipping more in these situations:

• Navigating difficult obstacles like narrow stairs or long walks to the truck.
• Moving awkward items like a piano or a large safe.
• Working through extreme heat, rain, or snow.
• Providing exceptional customer service and careful handling of fragile boxes.
• Working on a busy weekend or holiday.

For more details on rewarding your crew, check out our full guide on how much to tip movers

2026 Local Moving Costs

For a 2-bedroom home, a local move costs between $110 for a complete DIY job and $1,441 for a full-service crew in 2026. Booking labor-only movers costs between $476 and $582 and provides a great middle ground.

The type of service you choose plays the biggest role in figuring out your budget. Doing everything yourself keeps money in your pocket but takes a lot of time and energy. Hiring a full-service team handles all the hard work but comes with the highest cost. The table below breaks down these three main options so you can easily compare the different moving services.

Cost Comparison of Different Moving Services

*Based on a 20-mile move of a 2-bedroom apartment*

2024-2026 Moving Cost Takeaways

Our team based these estimates on a comprehensive study of 300,000 local moves between 2018 and 2024, which was refreshed annually, with over 50,000 moves analyzed in 2024. The data shows a clear pattern.

Choosing a labor-only service and renting your own truck can cut the cost of a full-service move by more than half. You get the strength of experienced professionals to handle loading and unloading without paying premium prices for a company to supply a driver and a commercial truck.

2026 Long-Distance Moving Costs

Long-distance moves cost anywhere from $533 to $4,569 for a standard two to three-bedroom home in 2026. This range varies more widely because your price depends on the total distance you travel, the size of your home, and the level of service you book, rather than a simple hourly rate.

When planning a long-distance move, you generally have 4 main options:

• Renting a DIY moving truck
• Pairing a rental truck with professional labor
• Renting a portable container
• Booking a full-service moving company.

A complete DIY truck rental is the most budget-friendly choice because you supply all the labor and driving. Full-service moving is the most expensive since a company handles the transportation, heavy lifting, and driving for you. Portable containers fall in the middle cost range, and they allow you to load your items while a professional handles the transportation.

If you are looking to save on moving costs without doing all the hard work yourself, pairing a rental truck with labor-only movers is a fantastic compromise. You get professional help loading and unloading, but you save money by doing the driving yourself. Here is a high-level look at how these long-distance services compare to help you find the right fit for your budget.

Cost Comparison of Moving Services

Sample Long-Distance Move Cost: NYC to Miami (1,280 miles)

To give you a better idea of how these different options affect your budget, let's look at a popular moving route for a direct example. Moving a two to three-bedroom home from New York City to Miami covers 1,280 miles.

Our data shows that the price increases significantly when you pay a company to supply the truck, fuel, and driving labor for a trip this long. The table below breaks down the pricing for this route so you can compare the options side by side.

Long-Distance Price Comparison of Different Services

With this sample move in mind, it is easy to spot the value of labor-only moving. Taking on the driving yourself and booking hourly labor to load and unload saves you thousands of dollars compared to a traditional full-service package.

Average Moving Costs by Home Size

Moving a 1,500-square-foot home locally usually costs between $119 for a DIY move and $1,850 for a full-service crew. A 2,000 square foot home runs from $126 to $2,031, and a 3,000 square foot home ranges from $151 to $2,844 for a typical 25-mile trip.

Home size drives up your moving costs because more square footage means you have a larger volume of belongings. More stuff requires a larger rental truck and extra labor hours to get everything loaded safely. And a bigger home also impacts long-distance moving costs, because interstate movers calculate your final bill based on the total weight of your items and the distance traveled.

Seeing these numbers side by side gives you a clear picture of what to expect for your own household. The table below outlines typical 2026 cost ranges based on home size, from a small studio apartment up to a four-bedroom house, so you can easily spot your best option.

Cost Comparison of Moving Services Based on Home Size

7 Factors That Affect How Much You’ll Pay

Seven main elements drive the total price of your move: distance, household size, how you choose to move, labor rates, timing, special scenarios, and extra services.

Understanding these seven factors helps you spot where you can save money. For example, if you combine a long-distance move with a peak summer weekend, your final bill can easily skyrocket. Knowing when and where you can be flexible for your unique moving situation can help you budget better.

1. Distance

How far you’re moving is one of the biggest factors in determining moving costs, with long-distance moves usually carrying much higher price tags than in-town or local moves.

Whether you’re going the DIY route or opting for a full-service experience, longer distances mean higher fuel, labor, and travel expenses, which all add up.

2. Household Size

The size of your home —which roughly correlates to how much stuff you have — plays a major role in determining moving costs. After all, the more belongings you have to move, the more space it takes up, the heavier the truckload will be, and the longer loading and unloading will take.

Moving companies often calculate costs based on the total weight of your items when you’re moving long-distance, and moving trucks are usually rented according to the square footage of your home.

3. How You Move

One of the most important factors in determining the cost of a move is the move type. In other words, what service do you opt for? Convenience often comes at a higher price, and conversely, if you’re willing to exert more effort yourself, you could bring your moving costs down significantly.

Here are some pros and cons to consider for the most common moving types to help you find the one that best fits your needs:

DIY Move

• Pros: It’s usually the cheapest solution, and you have total control over every aspect of your move.
• Cons: What you save in money you’ll pay for with time and effort, and you’ll have to drive the moving truck yourself.

Hybrid Move

• Pros: You still retain a lot of the control of a DIY move, and you’ll save yourself time and effort — not to mention your back.
• Cons: It’s pricier than a DIY move, and you still have to sort out the transportation logistics and drive the rental truck yourself.

Full-Service Move

• Pros: Someone else does all the work on moving day — and they do it quickly, efficiently, and with professional experience behind them.
• Cons: This is generally the most expensive option, so be prepared to pay up, especially for a long-distance or cross-country move.

4. Labor Costs

Labor-only movers typically cost $40 to $75 per mover per hour, while full-service movers usually cost $100 to $150 per hour for a two-person team. Labor-only rates are lower because you handle the truck, driving, and transportation, while full-service rates include more of the move from start to finish.

Full-service labor usually costs between $100 and $120 per hour for a two-person team nationwide. If you live in a major city with a higher cost of living, expect to pay between $120 and $150 per hour.

5. Timing

As they say, timing is everything. In summer, demand for movers skyrockets, which makes it more expensive to move during this time. Likewise, weekends and the beginning and end of the month (when leases tend to run out) are also busier and pricier.

6. Special Scenarios

Some moves involve special logistics, like stairs, elevators, and narrow streets. These all require more time, labor, or special equipment and carry higher costs or extra fees. If you have particularly heavy or awkward items, like safes or pianos, those can also carry a surcharge of $200 to $1,000 due to those pieces needing extra manpower to move.

7. The Extras

Add-on services will quickly increase your final bill. For example, paying a professional company to pack your boxes usually costs between $280 and $2,200, depending on your home's size.

Or, if your new place isn't quite ready, renting temporary storage space will cost you around $75 to $300 per month. Always ask your movers to outline these extra fees in writing before moving day.

4 Ways To Save on Moving Costs

Relocation expenses stack up fast, so it’s important to save where you can. Some things you can’t budge on, but being flexible with your timing, doing what you can yourself, and downsizing are all good ways to lower your moving costs.

Below, we’ll go into more detail about the 4 best ways to save money on your move, no matter what service or size home you have.

1. Do the Packing Yourself

Hiring a full-service team to pack your home is convenient, but it costs a lot of money. Since a standard two-person crew charges $100 to $150 per hour, a typical six-hour packing job for a two-bedroom home will run you $600 to $900 in labor alone. Buying your own cardboard boxes and packing them yourself keeps that cash right in your pocket.

2. Move During the Off-Season

Avoid the high costs of peak moving season (May to September) by planning your move for the winter months, when demand is lower and prices are more competitive. If this isn’t an option, aim for mid-week or mid-month moving dates, which are typically less expensive than weekends or month-end rushes.

3. Get Rid of Stuff

The more stuff you get rid of pre-move, the less stuff you have to pack, haul, and pay for during the move itself. For instance, moving one bedroom’s worth of stuff versus three bedrooms could be a difference of, on average, nearly $1,000. If you decide to declutter and sell some of your items, you could even use that money towards your moving costs.

4. Compare Quotes

Comparing at least three quotes saves you money because it gives you a better idea of the average costs in your area, so you won’t overpay by picking the first mover you see. However, make sure when you’re comparing quotes, you’re doing it with the exact same services.

One company can look cheaper, but that might be because they don’t include fuel surcharges in its quote. You won’t have that problem if you use HireAHelper, though. On our marketplace, you can quickly compare quotes from local labor-only movers in your zip code, all costs included.

2026 Local Moving Costs by State

Local move costs vary significantly by state, ranging from about $333 in the cheapest states to $846 in the most expensive. Based on recent relocation data, we see these large price gaps across the country for a few common reasons:

• Labor cost differences: Moving companies adjust their hourly rates based on the local minimum wage and the overall cost of living.
• Urban density: Areas with heavy traffic and difficult parking mean moves simply take more time, driving up your hourly bill.
• Regulation: States with stricter licensing and higher commercial vehicle taxes pass those overhead costs on to the customer.
• Distance to suppliers: Rural states further away from major truck rental hubs often face higher equipment fees.

States With the Highest Moving Costs

Certain states have higher moving costs due to the age of their infrastructure, local laws and regulations, or a generally higher cost of living. If you are relocating in one of these ten states, expect to pay a premium.

These states sit at the top of the price list due to:

• Higher local labor rates are driven by a higher cost of living.
• Challenging terrain, unpredictable weather, or dense neighborhoods that slow down the loading process.
• Tougher commercial vehicle regulations and taxes.
• Longer distances between major moving equipment suppliers.

10 States With the Highest Local Moving Costs

States With the Lowest Moving Costs

The states with the lowest moving costs usually offer a much more budget-friendly environment for both you and the moving company due to truck-friendly infrastructure or lower COL.

A move in these states costs less because of:

• Lower regional labor rates and a more affordable everyday cost of living.
• Spread-out suburbs and flat terrain make loading and parking a breeze.
• Fewer operational regulations and lower business taxes for moving companies.
• Easy access to major highways and truck rental centers.

*(Note: Because pricing can vary dramatically from city to city, large states like Arizona appear on both lists depending on whether the move happens in a dense urban center or a quiet rural county.)*

10 States With the Lowest Local Moving Costs

Compare Real Moving Quotes for Your Specific Move

Your total moving cost depends on details like your zip code, the size of your home, and the date you plan to move. Because the numbers in this guide are averages, you can use the calculator widget below to compare costs for your actual trip.

To use the tool, just enter your starting and ending zip codes, your home size, and your target date. The calculator will show you average moving costs for your area based on real local data, which gives you a solid start in planning your budget.

Final Thoughts: Managing Moving Costs

Managing your moving costs starts with knowing who is doing the lifting. Labor-only crews, full-service teams, and friends all come with a different price tag. Comparing two to three quotes serves as your best tool to protect your budget.

Use our cost calculator above to compare real quotes for your relocation. Moving is a big life event, but knowing the numbers gives you the confidence to manage your money well.