Moving101

Everything you need to know before you get a moving company quote

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The Best Online Guide to Moving

Moving101 has up-to-the-moment moving company prices, pros and cons for every moving option out there, and honest reviews from real customers who've already moved.

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HireAHelper has data from tens of thousands of moves after over a decade of helping people. Now we're handing over all of our moving knowledge to you. Learn exactly what to expect on your move, including if there's a better option for you out there. That's why Moving101 exists.

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Moving Cost Calculator

Directly hooked up to our massive database of pro movers across the country, including all their prices. Just answer three basic questions about your potential move and instantly see estimated quotes for every single way to move in your area. It's basically magic.

Local & Long Distance Moving Options

Read about the three different local and long-distance move types. We've gotten how much time and money each moving option takes down to a science!

Moving Trucks & Container Guides

The most updated guides online for Moving Trucks, Moving Containers and Freight Trailers. Find out absolutely everything about the competition - real user reviews, truck sizes, and way more. You'll be a pro before you make your first call.

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MOVING COST CALCULATOR

Find out approximately how much your move will cost based on which moving option you go with. Spoiler alert: hiring an expensive moving company or breaking your back aren't your only two options.

MOVING OPTIONS COMPARISON

D.I.Y. Move

Just You

Packing & Unpacking You
Loading & Unloading You
Driving You
Average Cost $660
Local Move: $273
Medium Distance: $576
Long Distance: $1,921
Average Time 31hrs
Planning: 6hrs
Packing: 13hrs
Moving Day: 12hrs

Very cost effective, and you have complete and utter control over every aspect of your move.

You have to ask your friends & family to help you move, again. There goes your weekend, and maybe even your back!

Hybrid™ Move

Helpers + Your Own Truck

Packing & Unpacking You
Loading & Unloading Helpers
Driving You
Average Cost $910
Local Move: $523
Medium Distance: $826
Long Distance: $2,171
Average Time 21hrs
Planning: 5hrs
Packing: 13hrs
Moving Day: 3hrs

You won't break your back or the bank! Takes minutes to book movers on your phone through HireAHelper.

You have to take more time to research your options and spend a little more than the DIY move.

Full Service Move

Movers + Truck

Packing & Unpacking You
Loading & Unloading Movers
Driving Movers
Average Cost* $2,568
Local Move: $1,300
Medium Distance: $3,000
Long Distance: $6,000
Average Time 51hrs
Planning: 48hrs
Packing: 2hrs
Moving Day: 1hrs

Someone else does all the work on moving day!

Takes days rather than minutes to get quotes. You may have to file for bankruptcy after the move. Seriously.

HYBRID™ & DIY MOVING COMPANY GUIDES

Synonymous with moving, their orange trucks are all over the place (as are their many moving services.) Call them for truck rentals, storage containers, equipment and more.
A major force in the moving world, these transportation gurus offer competitive rental rates for their fleet of yellow trucks. They provide a wide variety of moving supplies and customer discounts.
Authorities in the truck rental business, from flatbeds to moving trucks. Budget rentals are many people's go-to for completing a Hybrid Move.
The Rent-A-Car giants offer up moving and transportation options with their Truck Rental division, which is flushwith a wide variety of rental trucks to transport virtually anything imaginable.
For businesses only. A steady hand in the freight trailer and rental truck ecosystem. Easy to book moving trucks for your business needs.
Need to keep your things somewhere while you move? PODS provides portable containers so you can pack, store and have your things transported on your own schedule.
Storage containers that are delivered and driven away at your beckoning. They are the official storage containers of Lowe's Hardware and are often paired with professional labor to complete Hybrid Moves.
Now a part of U-Haul/U-Box. An original pioneer in the storage container industry. Door to Door has been storing and delivering container units since 1996, largely retaining a west coast presence.
Local storage container company with a personal touch. Provides a large variety of container options wherever they operate, including the industry's largest sizes for portable storage.
A growing storage and moving solution to keep your things safe while they're moved, near or far. A great company to combo with a Hybrid Move.
For your long-distance storage container needs, Zippy Shell is one of the safest options on the market. Zippy Shell is a subsidiary of 1-800-PACK-RAT, and are experienced at fulfilling Hybrid-Long Distance moves.
U-Pack offers a little known way to move your stuff across the country: shared storage space shipped together in a freight semi-trailer.
Veterans of the trucking industry for over 80 years, SureMove is Estes' attempt at providing the Full Service move option for personal moving all across the country.
Driving across the country since World War II, the Old Dominion freight trailer line has spent the last decade renting out space on their white and green trucks to people moving long distance.

Recent HireAHelper Customer Move Costs & Reviews

Sandeep K

Aubrey, TX
Wrote a review on 1/30/2026
PODS Review
(4 out of 5 rating)

My experience with PODS has been extremely disappointing due to ongoing issues with accessing my online account. Despite multiple attempts over several days, I have been unable to log in to the portal. Each time I contact customer service, I am required to spend an excessive amount of time re-explaining the same issue, only to be told repeatedly that the problem is due to “technical issues.” After numerous calls and assurances that the issue would be resolved, I still do not have access to my account. The lack of progress, combined with the repetitive explanations and absence of a concrete solution, reflects poorly on the company’s technical reliability and customer support processes. For a service that relies heavily on online account management, this level of inconvenience and lack of resolution is unacceptable.

Distance: 1,600 mi
Cost: $6,000
Per. Mile: $3.75
SqFt. Moved: 1,720

Justin G

Vancouver, WA
Wrote a review on 1/24/2026
ABF U-pack Review
(5 out of 5 rating)

The Upack drivers and experience was fantastic. They explained how it all worked when I got the trailer, and what needed to be done once it was packed.

Distance: 2,400 mi
Cost: $6,100
Per. Mile: $2.54
SqFt. Moved: 1,800

Mark G

Conway, SC
Wrote a review on 1/23/2026
Uhaul Truck Review
(5 out of 5 rating)

John was fast, efficient, professional, and probably the friendliest fellow in all of South Carolina. Made getting the truck the easiest part of the move.

Distance: 10 mi
Cost: $70.00
Per. Mile: $7.00
SqFt. Moved: 1,600

Sam K

Watervliet, NY
Wrote a review on 1/18/2026
PODS Review
(5 out of 5 rating)

This was my second time using PODS for a long distance move. They handled the container wonderfully and made navigating this massive move extremely simple and affordable compared to other options.

Distance: 900 mi
Cost: $3,300
Per. Mile: $3.67
SqFt. Moved: 600

Michael G

Denison, TX
Wrote a review on 1/17/2026
ABF U-pack Review
(4 out of 5 rating)

No idea why the truck sat in Dallas Texas for 4+ days before it was delivered 1.5 hours away - And yes, they complied with the extra $500 to get it there on Thursday. Oh well....

Distance: 2,200 mi
Cost: $7,000
Per. Mile: $3.18
SqFt. Moved: 2,007

Nicole F

West Chester, PA
Wrote a review on 1/12/2026
Penske Truck Review
(5 out of 5 rating)

The Penske truck worked out great for my move. Everything fit perfectly, and the trip went smoothly. The truck/trailer/container was in really good shape, clean and ready to go. Customer service was great from start to finish. Booking was easy, and they kept me in the loop for pick-up and drop-off, which I really appreciated.

Distance: 75 mi
Cost: $77.00
Per. Mile: $1.03
SqFt. Moved: 1,500

Melissa B

Portland, OR
Wrote a review on 1/5/2026
Penske Truck Review
(4 out of 5 rating)

The pricing and people were top notch and amazing. The only reason Im putting four stars instead of five was the truck pulled very hard to the right. Not a big deal for across town but across the US was a bit of a headache. Would still recommend them for the top choice anyway. A clean reliable truck that got me all the way from Alabama to Oregon. Kept me warm through the snows and winds of Wyoming no problem too!

Distance: 2,700 mi
Cost: $1,870
Per. Mile: $0.69
SqFt. Moved: 300

Dennis I

Tempe, AZ
Wrote a review on 12/31/2025
ABF ReloCube Review
(5 out of 5 rating)

ABF went above and beyond to adapt to an unexpected situation, they have my highest praise. Their driver Dave was the MVP and Hero that enabled the entire move. Staff was flexible and friendly at every interaction.

Distance: 1,950 mi
Cost: $3,200
Per. Mile: $1.64
SqFt. Moved: 800

Yoshi S

San Diego, CA
Wrote a review on 12/23/2025
ABF ReloCube Review
(5 out of 5 rating)

Very happy with the service provided by ABF and their Relocube product for a cross border 3000+ mile move. The entire process was explained clearly and any additional questions were answered promptly by their agents. Everything went smoothly as scheduled: pickup and delivery dates were as promised and the customs process went without a hitch. YMMV but the cost for me was very reasonable for this type move and was the lowest priced option compared to competitors.

Distance: 3,000 mi
Cost: $2,300
Per. Mile: $0.77
SqFt. Moved: 900

Benjamin G

Matthews, NC
Wrote a review on 11/24/2025
Budget Truck Review
(5 out of 5 rating)

The truck was not the newest but it ran the road well during the day and the evening. The only mishap was that the inside Dick light failed to stay on but we were able to complete our task.

Distance: 421 mi
Cost: $500
Per. Mile: $1.19
SqFt. Moved: 500

Victoria M

Portland, OR
Wrote a review on 11/18/2025
1-800-Pack-Rat Review
(5 out of 5 rating)

I had used 1-800-Pack-Rat previously during the pandemic. I had no issues and decided to use them again for our move out of state. They were great, the only problem was that an inexperienced driver was scared to do a our drop off because we had low power lines. I spoke with a manager, and the next morning, we had the storage delivered without issues with the power lines.

Distance: 972 mi
Cost: $3,000
Per. Mile: $3.09
SqFt. Moved: 840

Marcia E

Penn Yan, NY
Wrote a review on 11/18/2025
1-800-Pack-Rat Review
(4 out of 5 rating)

The Pack Rat container was not delivered the day it was scheduled due to a truck breakdown. We were upset with the company as we were on a tight moving schedule. We made several phone calls to 1-800-Pack Rat to rectify the problem. We received a phone call from the regional manager who promised to deliver the container the following day by 10:30am. It arrived even earlier at 8:30am.

Distance: 2,700 mi
Cost: $4,800
Per. Mile: $1.78
SqFt. Moved: 3,300

Steven G

Omaha, NE
Wrote a review on 10/25/2025
Budget Truck Review
(4 out of 5 rating)

The price was decent. The truck was beat up, but fully functional. Some of the extra's we ordered were not available on pickup day (only 12 of the 24 moving blankets, no dolly). As such, I reduced the rating one star.

Distance: 1,000 mi
Cost: $1,500
Per. Mile: $1.50
SqFt. Moved: 1,500

Robert C

Cottonwood, AZ
Wrote a review on 9/15/2025
Uhaul Truck Review
(5 out of 5 rating)

It was a 1,700 mile move and the truck and equipment performed very well. We were able to return the equipment to the Cottonwood office where the person in charge was very knowledgeable and helpful. It was a positive experience

Distance: 1,700 mi
Cost: $2,500
Per. Mile: $1.47
SqFt. Moved: 1,200

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