The average cost of moving across country is $3,718, with average prices for a cross country move ranging from $1,960 to $5,480 for the US in 2024 according to project costs reported by 789 members on HomeAdvisor.
Moving.com suggests nearly the same cost at $4,890 for a cross country move of $1,000 miles, with cost estimates based on moving a 2-3 bedroom house with 7,500 pounds worth of household items.
You have a few different cross country moving options including:
1. Cross Country Moving Companies (cost $10,000)
One of the easiest cross country moving options is to hire a professional moving company. Professional moving cross country companies like Allied, North American, Atlas, Old Dominion, and Mayflower provide full-service moving services and can take care of all the heavy lifting for you. Most cross country movers offer moving and storage services as well as packing and unpacking services. However, choosing to hire professional movers is the most expensive cross country moving option and can cost you upwards up $10,000 for a typical 3 bedroom house. But you’re going to have to pay more money for professional moving costs if you want someone else to do all of the work for you.
2. Moving Pods Aren’t The Cheapest (cost $4,500)
Moving pods are the second cheapest moving option with an average cost of about $4,500 to move a 3 bedroom home. However, Pods.com states that the average cost of a cross-country move with PODS is about $2,249 with average prices ranging from $1,499 to $2,999. They do not mention the amount of weight in that cost estimate.
3. Renting a U-Haul (cost $3,000)
Open to loading all of your stuff into a rental truck, driving it to a new location, and then unpacking everything once you get there? Well, renting a U-Haul will be the cheapest cross country moving option. If you’re willing to work, renting a U-Haul will only cost you about $3,000 and comes with insurance to cover your property. Budget Truck Rental and Penske are two other big names in the truck rental industry. Renting a U-Haul is much cheaper than hiring professional movers.
4. Throw Everything Away & Drive Your Car (cost $500)
If you are moving cross country on a budget, renting expensive rental trucks or hiring professional movers isn’t a feasible option. Take everything that can fit in your car and throw the rest away or donate it to Goodwill. Your only moving cost will include gas and anything else you purchase. Estimate at least $500 for gas, depending on how many miles per gallon your vehicle gets. MyMove.com says “you don’t have to move everything”. They say you should examine the cost of what your stuff is worth vs how much it will cost to buy new stuff. Get an estimate of how much it will cost to move your goods, and then research how much it costs to replace those items in your new city.
5. Use Busfreighter To Ship Boxes ($160)
Busfreighter will ship your boxes to your new location for as little as $1.19 per pound. According the HuffPost, Busfreighter can shop a full room worth of items from Los Angeles to New York City for about $160. However, you will have to drive your items to the drop off location or they can pick them up for an additional $45 or so.
See Also:
Best Rated Cross Country Movers