The Average Moving Cost Without Using a Moving Company
Moving costs are highly personalized, based on a variety of factors. A college student with mostly personal items and minimal furniture will pay far less than a family of five that has accumulated household possessions for many years. The distance you move also plays a factor in pricing, especially if you rent a moving truck from a company that charges by the mile. You can definitely save money by not hiring professional movers, but you will need to put in plenty of effort to compensate.
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Sample Average Costs
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Moving from New York City to Seattle in mid-May 2011 would cost you an average of $1,800 for truck rental alone, with fluctuation in price based on truck size. This does not include any gas, taxes or additional fees. An in-town, one-day move in Denver, Colorado in March of 2011 would average approximately $30 plus 64 to 79 cents per mile, also varying by truck size. Clearly, there is no single average cost that covers all moves, but there are plenty of areas where do-it-yourself movers can save.
Truck Rental
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Several national moving companies advertise truck rentals at less than $20 per day, but that rate applies only to the smallest moving trucks and in-town moves. U-Haul recommends a 10-foot truck for small apartments, a 17-foot truck for a two-bedroom home and a 24-foot truck for a four-bedroom home. Budget truck rentals breaks down truck capacities by individual rooms, not just bedroom, but offers roughly the same equivalents, stating that its 10-foot truck size is appropriate for one to two total rooms, while the 24-foot truck covers five to eight rooms, such as four bedrooms plus living, kitchen and dining rooms. A third, well-known national company, Penske, offers an online calculator for determining truck size. The bottom line is that truck fees go up with the size of the truck, so the best way to save is to consolidate your packing as much as possible. Rates may be cheaper in winter or on weekdays, since warm weather and weekends are peak moving times.
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Packing Materials
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Your packing material costs depend on the number of items you need to pack, their sizes and their fragility. You can pay premium prices -- often several dollars per box -- for new materials, but if thrift is important to you, you can cut these costs to nearly nothing. Start collecting clean cardboard boxes as soon as you know you need to move. Ask for boxes, packing bubbles and other cushioning materials from friends, neighbors and local businesses. If you can collect these items for free, the only packaging cost you will pay is the price of a few rolls of tape and a marker to label your boxes.
Additional Costs
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Individual companies determine their own rates for per-mile charges, which may not be included in the daily rental rate, and gas prices change daily across the country. Check the miles-per-gallon expectancy on trucks from each company you are considering before you rent. A cross-country move is cheaper in a truck that gets 15 miles per gallon than a truck that gets only 9, even if your daily rate is higher. When moving yourself, you may need supplemental insurance for the rented truck. You may also need to hire helpers, which can cost anywhere from a few hundred dollars for professionals down to the price of a pizza and soda or beer for neighborhood or college kids willing to lend a hand.
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References
- Photo Credit woman packing/unpacking boxes during a relocation. image by T.Tulic from Fotolia.com
