Average Moving Costs NYC: How Much Does Moving Cost In New York City?

Every New York City home comes with unique challenges that impact moving prices. In this article, we’ll break down the key factors that affect NYC moving costs, compare moving options and provide tips on how to hire NYC movers and save money.

The average rate for movers in NYC is $60 to $110 per hour. This rate is per mover, so expect it to rise for each additional crew member. For example, a two-mover crew costs at least $120 per hour. The number of movers needed increases with home size and move volume, as does the number of hours required for the job.

Not all movers charge hourly. You may be quoted a flat rate in advance. Moving companies write estimates based on information about the buildings you’re moving between, the items being moved and the services requested.

Most New Yorkers live in apartments that range from small studios to one or two bedrooms. However, the larger your home, the more furniture and other belongings you’re likely to have. You can roughly estimate potential moving costs based on the number of rooms in your home since certain home sizes tend to require a certain number of movers and hours of labor.

• A studio apartment typically requires a team of just two movers and about three hours for $500 to $700.
• A one-bedroom apartment typically requires two movers and a job time of about five hours for $600 to $1,000.
• A two-bedroom apartment typically requires a team of three movers and a job time of about six hours for $1,000 to $1,300.
• A three-bedroom home typically requires a team of four movers and about nine hours for $1,600 to $2,300.
• A home with four or more bedrooms typically requires a team of four or more movers and at least 10 hours of work for $1,900 to $4,200 or more.

The most important step in figuring out the cost of movers in NYC is understanding what type of move you’re planning.

Local

Local move costs reflect the average costs per hour and home size listed above. For example, moving a two-bedroom apartment locally costs about $1,100 on average. When you get a moving estimate in NYC, movers will categorize a move as local or short-distance if it’s within city limits. Think borough-to-borough, as in a move from Brooklyn to Queens. Movers tend to charge hourly rates for short distances.

Long-Distance

Movers in NYC cost more when you’re moving a long distance to or from the city. This includes out-of-state moves. In some cases, long-distance moving companies simply charge flat rates. Otherwise, they’ll calculate costs based on shipment weight and mileage. For example, you could pay as little as $800 to move a studio apartment from New York City to Philadelphia, or as much as $10,300 for a four-bedroom home when moving from NYC to Los Angeles.

Moving Truck Only

If you’re moving on a budget, one affordable option is to rent a moving truck and complete the move with the help of friends and family. Moving truck rentals in New York City typically cost around $20 to $50 per day plus fuel costs and mileage fees of roughly $2 to $2.30 per mile.

When renting a truck, park carefully and never block bike lanes. Have someone stay with the truck at all times to protect your belongings. Certain New York neighborhoods have their own rules about parking commercial trucks, so look up local regulations to avoid getting a ticket.

Full-Service

The average rate for full-service movers is $70 to $130 per mover per hour. Companies that offer full-service moves handle:

• Packing and unpacking
• Furniture assembly and disassembly
• Loading and unloading
• Transportation
• Moving large or specialty items

Moving Container or Pod

Another budget moving option in New York is renting a moving container or pod. The service works like this:

1. The moving container company delivers a container to your property.
2. You load your belongings into the container.
3. The company picks up the container and puts it in storage.
4. The container is delivered to your new home on a predetermined date.

This option is ideal if you have a gap between leases. Each container holds about three rooms worth of furniture and belongings. As with a moving truck, follow local rules and regulations when having a container dropped off.

Aside from moving labor, additional services and other factors affect how much it costs to move in NYC.

Packing Supplies

If you’re not paying for full-service packing, you’ll need boxes, packing paper, bubble wrap, tape and markers to label everything. You might get these for free from friends or a local recycling center. Otherwise, you’ll pay about $200 to $250 for everything you need. As a rule, expect each shelf of a bookshelf to fill about one cardboard box.

Time of Move

If you have the luxury of choosing your move date, you’ll save with the following tips:

• Summer is the busiest moving season, so move in spring, fall or winter.
• Most move when their leases end at the start or end of the month, so move mid-month.
• More people move when they’re off work on the weekend, so move on a weekday.

Volume of Move

The more furniture, boxes and other items you have, the higher your moving costs will be. Moving costs can also vary depending on how many large or heavy items you have. Once you’ve downsized and determined what you want to move to your new home, share the list with a few moving companies so they can calculate your moving costs and provide quotes. The more belongings you have, the more workers they’ll assign to your move.

These figures will vary, but below are some general estimates.

Packing and Unpacking Services

Full-service packing tends to add $20 to $60 per hour per worker to your total bill. You may wish to pay for full-service or partial packing to have professionals handle your bulky or fragile items, or if you won’t be around to do the packing yourself. As with other moving services, the more items you have to pack, the more you’ll pay for packing services.

Distance

The further you move, the more time and fuel your move will require. This factor accounts for the vast difference in price between local and long-distance moves. Keep in mind that traffic and accessibility for trucks make even a few miles in New York City into a time-consuming journey.

Accessibility

New York City is known for its abundance of old walk-up apartments. In many cases, there is no elevator to make life easier when moving. When there is an elevator, you may have to pay an elevator fee to reserve it on moving day. If either your old or new place is difficult to access, expect to pay additional fees for the extra time and labor needed.

Storage

If your new home isn’t quite ready, some moving companies offer short-term or long-term storage while you wait for your move-in date. Many of these storage facilities are climate-controlled, so you can safely store most of your belongings for as long as you need. The cost will depend on the timeframe and the size of the storage space.

Specialty Items

Certain items may require custom packing and extra care, adding to your moving costs. Examples include:

• Heavy or delicate furniture
• Fine art or sculptures
• Precious antiques
• Expensive electronics
• Motorbikes
• Pianos

Alert your moving company to any specialty items you have so they can plan accordingly.

Hiring professional movers can take away your stress and give you back a lot of time. However, some opt for the DIY approach, either because they’re on a budget or because their move is small enough to manage on their own.

When moving yourself in NYC, the biggest expense you’ll likely incur is a truck rental. Costs vary, but if you only have to make one trip before dropping the truck off at the end of the day, you’ll pay less than $250 including fuel costs. This is significantly less than even the lowest professional moving fees.

If you’ve received a few moving quotes and they’re still higher than you expected, try these tips to save money on NYC mover costs:

• Declutter: Get rid of items you no longer need or use. Donate items or sell them online.
• Self-pack: Only pay for moving labor and handle all the boxing and labeling yourself.
• Discounts: Some moving companies offer discounts for military or AAA members.
• Free supplies: Get your moving boxes from local businesses or recycling centers.

To find the best New York City moving companies, start by asking family and friends for recommendations. Get quotes from at least three companies so you have options to compare. Things to ask movers about include:

• Proof of license and insurance
• Which services they include, such as supplies, fuel, parking and tolls
• Whether their pricing structure is flat or hourly
• What types of insurance coverage they offer

Look for a company that responds to your questions reliably. Once you’ve found a company you trust, secure your moving date as soon as possible. Movers tend to get booked up quickly on weekends.

To arrive at the average costs in this article, editorial team members surveyed a range of eight providers on national and local levels. All averaged figures were correct at the time of publication and may be subject to change.