Moving Cost Calculator

How this calculator works

Last reviewed: October 7, 2026. The initial ZIP codes describe your move; they do not establish a driving route or change prices by ZIP. No route service is configured, so a clearly labeled manual road-distance fallback is required after the four initial questions. No mileage is invented.

Truck, container and professional transport allowances start from the provider-authored June 2026 two-bedroom examples for a 23-mile local move and a 785-mile move linked below. Those route examples are reference points, not nationwide price data. Volume and distance scaling, DIY vehicle allowances, supplies, packing, access, storage and stops are planning assumptions. Every cost category explains its scope. The midpoint is the average of the low/high category sums; rounding happens at category level. There is no statistical confidence percentage.

Transport allowances exclude separately listed expenses. Truck allowances represent a total rental package; do not add a second per-mile rental charge. For a local truck rental, replace the transport allowance with rental-period and billable-mile costs from the actual provider. Container transport includes the first month. Professional transport includes loading and unloading. Packing help includes materials and replaces supplies. Extra stops do not add mileage a second time. Enter only extra labor or fees not already included in your package.

Exact inventory, local minimum charges, availability, packing scope and written provider prices are more useful than bedroom count alone. A date alerts you to booking needs but does not impose a universal surcharge. Broad allowances can be wrong, especially for very small, local, unusually large or remote moves. The 5+ category uses a five-bedroom planning factor; larger homes need inventory-based quotes. All estimates are U.S. dollars.

Planning formulas you can inspect

At 23 miles, the reference truck/container/mover ranges are $48–$98 / $451–$656 / $801–$1,851. At 785 miles they are $719–$1,302 / $2,023–$3,371 / $2,609–$5,757. Below 23 miles, multiply the local range by (0.7 + 0.3 × miles / 23). Between those points, interpolate each endpoint in proportion to distance. Above 785 miles, multiply the long-distance range by (0.45 + 0.55 × miles / 785). Multiply by the volume factor: Studio 0.45, one bedroom 0.65, two 1, three 1.3, four 1.65, five-plus 2; light belongings ×0.8 or heavy ×1.25. These formulas are planning assumptions, not researched tariffs.

With volume factor V: DIY vehicle/trailer range is $30 + $35V + $25 per started 400 miles to $80 + $85V + $60 per started 400 miles. Supplies are $35V–$100V, or packing help including materials $150V–$450V. Extra storage is $100V–$250V per month. Stairs allow $75V–$150V; elevator booking $25V–$150V; difficult access $75V–$300V. Stops allow $35–$120 each. These are editable budgeting allowances via transport, supply and other-fee inputs; no provider has priced these extras. Fuel is miles × fuel price ÷ assumed MPG: DIY 15–25 or truck 8–12. User-entered lodging, specialty, labor and other-service budgets are fixed line items.

Sources and their limits

• PODS: June 2026 moving-cost example ↗

  A two-bedroom, 785-mile Charleston–New Orleans example: truck $719–$1,302 plus fuel; container $2,023–$3,371; full service $2,609–$5,757. Provider-authored, route-specific comparison, not an independent national average.

• U-Haul: truck rental FAQs ↗

  Local rentals and one-way rentals have different mileage/day structures. Confirm included mileage, days, taxes and protection in your actual offer.

• PODS: what to expect when moving ↗

  Container service and storage scope vary. The model includes the first month; optional storage adds only further months.

• EIA: gasoline and diesel fuel update ↗

  U.S. regular gasoline $4.354/gallon, October 5, 2026 observation released October 6. Editable historical planning input, not a forecast or your local pump price.

• FMCSA: protect your move ↗

  Check interstate movers, written estimates, valuation options and your rights before booking.