How Much Do Moving Companies Charge? | Local vs Long Distance

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How Much Do Moving Companies Charge?

What You Can Expect to Pay a Moving Company

When it’s time for your next move, choosing the right moving company is a huge decision. You want to do your due diligence to find moving companies near you that offer the services you want for the best price. 

If you’re just starting the moving process, you want to know how much you can expect to pay so you know which companies are offering reasonable prices and which you should avoid. Whether you’re moving locally or long distance, we have you covered with our guide to how much you can expect to pay for a move. 

How Much Will Movers Cost? 

Every move is different; therefore, the cost can fluctuate depending on your unique situation. The national average cost for a 2-3 bedroom move is $1,250 locally and $4,890 for long-distance moving. 

The cost of your move can depend on a few factors: 

  • The size. More rooms and boxes can mean more movers and a higher price. 
  • The distance. The closer the move, the less it will cost. Typical local movers are going to charge by the hour, so the closer the local move, the cheaper it will be. 
  • The timing. Summer is peak moving season, and moves at the end of the month are typically more popular as well, leading to higher prices. Moving in the middle of the week and the middle of the month can help cut down on moving costs. 
  • Any specialty belongings or pets. Extra cars, motorcycles, grand pianos, or other bulky items can contribute to the overall cost. Pets that require cages or aquariums can also increase the price. 

 

With those four factors in mind, here are some tips you can follow to save money during your move: 

  • Downsize. Get rid of any items you don’t need anymore. Host a yard sale, or donate items. 
  • Schedule the move early. By getting on the books at least a month in advance, you avoid any last-minute booking fees. 
  • Be deliberate about when you move. Timing is everything, and holidays, summers, and the end of the month or week are the more expensive times to move. 
  • Get multiple quotes. Doing your due diligence will ensure you get the best price and everything you’re looking for in your move. 
  • Ask to see a line-itemized quote. You’ll be able to spot hidden fees or any services you don’t need for your move. 

 

When you’re ready to discover how much your move will cost, get your moving estimate from Doorage. Easily access your personalized moving quote online. 

Get My Quote

Local vs Long-Distance Moves

A local move is typically charged by the hour; the rate depends on the size of the move and how many movers are needed. Prices range from a studio apartment costing an average of $95 an hour to a five-bedroom home costing $199 an hour. 

A long-distance move will vary depending on the distance and size of the home. For example, a one-bedroom move less than 50 miles can range from $400 to $600, whereas a four or five-bedroom home moving over 2,500 miles away could cost anywhere from $8,000 to $17,000. 

With Doorage, a move throughout Metropolitan Chicago is considered a local move. If you’re moving outside the metropolitan area, your move is long-distance. 

 

Do Movers Offer Packing and Unpacking Services?  

Stop stressing about having to pack your life up and leave it to the experts to handle. Then when you arrive at your new home, you can sigh in relief while your movers set your new home up. With packing and unpacking services, moving is a breeze. 

At Doorage, professional movers can take the stress of packing and unpacking off your shoulders. Our moving experts can pack everything safely and securely before moving you to your new home, where we will unpack everything just to your specifications. 

Discover Doorage’s Moving Services

Move Your Way With Doorage

We make moving easy, whether you’re moving within Chicago or out of state. Get your fast and free moving estimate and all the additional moving services you need for a stress-free moving experience. We never have hidden fees or aggressive tip seekers. Hire local and long-distance moving companies that can do it all. 

Get your free moving estimate online now or by calling today!

 

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This is by far the best way to store your stuff…

Doorage is the best concept ever! Not only are the staff and employees super nice, they are extremely accommodating and friendly. I love the service and I would choose this company for my storage any day. Not only is this extremely convenient, they offer more than just a storage unit. The service is incredible, the storage facilities are beautiful, clean, and safe for personal belongings. And at any time if you need something from your storage unit, Doorage will deliver it to you! This is by far the best way to store your stuff without having to do all the heavy lifting yourself.

Kelley Palmer
5-Star Google Review

Hassle-free, convenient affordable…

Hassle-free, convenient and affordable. I cannot recommend Doorage enough. Not only do they offer a great service that someone should have thought of sooner, but they are also very accommodating with it. And most importantly, my stuff was picked up when I wanted it to be, stored safely and returned when I needed it to be.

Evan Kearney
5-Star Google Review

Great service, I’m spreading the word…

Set up pick up for my college student. Arrived on time, helped with odd items and hauled away in 30 minutes. Friendly, helpful and fair. Saved me time, money and the inconvenience of buying boxes, finding storage, and hauling it to the location from dorm room.

In August, I’ll set up delivery to dorm room without me picking up a thing. Great service, I’m spreading the word.

Lisa Toon
5-Star Google Review

They were fast, considerate, careful…

I moved my Mom in with me and my family. She didn’t want to get rid of anything but we don’t have room for her stuff at my house so we looked into storage spaces and found Doorage.

First they came out with bins and clothing boxes. We spent the next couple of days filling the bins [and] boxes.

Doorage returned on a Sunday, the only day I was available. They took the boxes and bins, and shrink wrapped all the furniture, put protective packaging around the more important furniture, and hauled it all away.

They were fast, considerate, careful, polite, respectful and friendly. They joked around with my Mom yet were still very professional.

On top of all that, they were a little cheaper for the space we needed, and the money I saved on a Uhaul and days off of work, not to mention I barely lifted a finger in the whole ordeal, I would definitely recommend Doorage to absolutely anyone looking for storage.

Mike G.
5-Star Yelp Review

Crazy cheap compared to the competition…

Easily One of the Best Moving Experiences I’ve Ever Had

I contacted Doorage to help me store my things temporarily while I was away for the summer. From pickup to final drop-off, everything was a breeze. Their eco bins save you the trouble of worrying about buying boxes and they break down (to save you money!) or wrap up any big items you might have.

I thought the website portal was very useful too. It’s an easy way to schedule pick-ups and deliveries and remember all the stuff you tossed into storage. Anytime I had a question or an issue I received a prompt response and solution to the problem! Nothing ever felt like a hassle.

Doorage is a great company to work with. I never felt like I was getting ripped off, and in fact many times the movers helped save me money. Mike and Dean are legit and made sure everything was handled smoothly and professionally! By the way, the ultimate costs ended up being crazy cheap compared to the competition. Really can’t recommend Doorage enough.

Jassiem M.
5-Star Yelp Review

It was so quick and easy…

Doorage is a great company with great employees. They gave me a window of 7-1 and came shortly after 7 and left before 9. It was so quick and easy. They provided all the materials and took care of all the large items I had selected and even some that I forgot to add to my move. Sam was very great in helping with my billing. I am happy I selected them as the service has been fantastic.

Matthew R.
5-Star Yelp Review

Very professional and trustworthy…

We moved from a rental apartment to a new condo but had a gap of time before we could move into our new home.  Doorage was the perfect solution to our problem!  They dropped off bins and wardrobe boxes as scheduled.  Then, of course we underestimated how much stuff we had and they kindly dropped off more bins.  No problem!

Then they picked up all our stuff when we scheduled them, stored it and returned it on the day we moved in.  They were on-time, efficient, and worked well with both buildings to make it a smooth transition.  We didn’t have to hire movers (twice!) and find a storage unit for a short period of time.  It’s a brilliant solution for “gap coverage.”

Plus, Doorage was great to work with!  Very professional and trustworthy.  And Dean was awesome!  Efficient, friendly, and strong 🙂

Doorage definitely made a very stressful time much less stressful.  I would highly recommend Doorage to solve your storage problems!

Susan W.
5-Star Yelp Review

I would recommend them to anyone…

Mike and Jon O. are the GREATEST!! They were so friendly and helpful. Everything was packed up so quickly, neatly and efficiently. I would recommend them to anyone. It was SOO easy (for me). Thanks guys!!

Thea H.
5-Star Yelp Review

It saved us so much time and energy…

I recently moved in with my girlfriend and we had a bunch of extra furniture and misc. stuff that we no longer had space for.  I saw an ad on Facebook for Doorage and gave them a call.  Basically you schedule a pickup date, then they come and wrap and pack all your stuff for you, put it on their bright pink trucks, and bring it to their warehouse to store until you are ready to get it delivered back.  It saved us so much time and energy not having to pick and move the stuff to a storage facility ourselves.  We had some extremely fragile stuff including an expensive glass table and I was thoroughly impressed with their team and how they packed and moved everything with such great care!  It was snowy and wet that day and the crew made sure to wear booties and put big drop clothes down to protect all of our carpet and hardwood without us even asking!  The best thing is that they only charge you for the exact square footage of your items, which after doing some research turned out to be so much cheaper that renting a big storage unit and not utilizing all the space.  And the last storage unit I rented my dresser got water damaged and it was such a pain and hassle to get reimbursed.  I’ve already told all my friends and family about Doorage and would recommend them to anyone.  Also they donate some of their profits to breast cancer research and community programs which is awesome!

Bob O.
5-Star Yelp Review

I can’t believe how easy Doorage made this process…

Amazing Customer service! We needed to have a gigantic granite dining table and 6 matching chairs delivered and stored for a few months. I contacted Doorage initially for just a quote and called them on a Saturday to schedule the big move. I was worried because we had to have this extremely heavy table moved within a few days but Doorage was able to schedule us for the following Monday!

I can’t believe how easy Doorage made this process that my husband and I had been dreading! They brought with them all the necessary packaging supplies for a fair price and did an amazing job making sure our ridiculously heavy table was safely wrapped. They quickly and efficiently were able to get this gigantic dining table down the front porch steps! Everybody I talked to, starting from the initial phone call to all the movers were so pleasant and professional. We thought they must have been in business for a long time because of their extensive knowledge and expertise and were surprised to learn they are a newer company!

We are so thankful for their services and feel very confident that our possessions are being well taken care of considering how well each piece was taken care of at pick up! Definitely will continue to use for our storage needs!

Yurie Kim
5-Star Facebook Review