Almost everyone asking about movers is really asking what it will cost, and most of what is written about it online is a national average that has nothing to do with your staircase. This page explains what genuinely moves the number, so you can read any estimate you are given, from us or from anyone else, and know whether it is realistic. For your own figure, use our estimator, which asks the questions below and gives you a range.
ESTIMATED RANGE. These are the same ranges our own estimator produces, published here so you can see them without filling anything in. This is an estimate, not a quote. Nothing is booked from this page.
| Move size | Apartment or condo | House |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $800 – $1,200 | $950 – $1,350 |
| 1 bedroom | $950 – $1,500 | $1,100 – $1,750 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,500 – $2,500 | $1,800 – $2,700 |
| 3 bedrooms | $2,000 – $3,500 | $2,400 – $4,000 |
| 4 bedrooms and larger | Call for a quote | |
Additional charges apply for full packing, materials, storage, extra stops, and long-distance or interstate moves.
A house costs more than an apartment of the same bedroom count because of what comes with it: a garage, a basement, an attic, a longer carry from the driveway and usually a second staircase.
For a figure built around your own move, use the estimator below, or call (732) 882-1060.
A local move is priced on time. The two levers are how many movers are on the job and how long the job takes, and they pull against each other: a bigger crew costs more per hour and usually finishes far sooner, so the cheapest quote per hour is often not the cheapest move. What we are really estimating is total hours, and everything below is a reason that number goes up.
This is the single biggest variable and the one most often missed. Stairs. A long carry from the nearest place a truck can legally park. A narrow turn on a staircase that means a sofa comes apart. A building that only releases its elevator for two hours. An elevator that has to be shared with other residents. Two apartments with identical contents can be hours apart on the same day because of this alone.
Room count is a starting point, not an answer. A one-bedroom with a garage, a full basement and a storage locker is not a one-bedroom. Books, tools, records and anything in a garage weigh far more than their volume suggests. For interstate moves the number is weight rather than hours, which is why those need a survey.
Packing is usually the largest optional item on an estimate. Doing it yourself saves real money and costs real time, and half-done packing on the morning of a move is the most reliable way to turn a short day into a long one. Fragile items, artwork, mirrors and televisions need proper materials whoever does it.
The end of the month, the end of a lease cycle and the summer are when everybody moves, and availability is tightest then. A midweek day in the middle of a month is the easiest thing in the world to schedule and usually the smoothest day to have. Nothing about that is a discount; it is simply a less contested day.
If your dates do not line up, storage between the two ends adds a handling charge at each end plus the storage itself. It is almost always cheaper than a second full move, and much cheaper than loading a self-storage unit yourself twice.
Some addresses cannot take a full-size truck, which means a smaller vehicle shuttling to it. Pianos, safes, gun cabinets, large marble and oversized artwork are priced separately because they need extra people and equipment. None of these are surprises if they are raised at the estimate stage, and all of them are unpleasant surprises if they are not.
In our experience it is almost never the price list. It is that the estimate was built on incomplete information: an attic nobody mentioned, a parking situation nobody looked at, a building rule nobody read. The best protection is a walk-through for anything larger than a small apartment, and telling whoever quotes you about the awkward parts rather than hoping they will not notice.
Our estimator asks the questions above and returns an estimated range for your job. It is an estimate, not a quote, and for anything beyond a small local move we will arrange a walk-through before anything is confirmed. Local moving · interstate moving · more on moving costs in New Jersey.