What’s the Average Cost to Move a One Bedroom Apartment?

Moving is never easy, but it can be cheap. Here’s what you need to know about how much it costs to move from a one bedroom apartment.

Most of us go through a similar emotional roller coaster when it’s time to move. First, you’re excited with visions of how great your new home will be. Then, you start to see the reality of how much work you have to do.

At that point, everywhere you look you see packing tasks and dollar signs. You’re worried about how much it will cost to move your one bedroom apartment and how much work you’re in for.

The good news is that we can give you a general range. The bad news is that there’s no exact number. Here’s what you need to know.

Moving Cost for One Bedroom Apartment

As you might expect, the more items you have, the more expensive your moving services will be. To get an idea of your moving costs, you need to compare apples to apples.

For a one bedroom apartment, the average moving cost is between $225 and $580. This only applies to moving within your city or metro area.

Factors That Affect Your Moving Costs

As helpful as that average price range may be, it’s not the whole picture. There’s a long list of factors that impact your costs and could drive the price far higher than $500.

Your Location

It’s no secret that the cost of living varies throughout our country. Nothing costs the same in San Francisco as it costs in Kansas City. That includes moving costs.

The region you live in will impact how much your moving company will charge. In fact, the fees even vary in a span of 50 miles or less. Moving services in the heart of a city will cost more than moving services in the suburbs or outside of the metro area.

How Much Furniture You Have in your Apartment

You might be comparing the cost of moving one single bedroom apartment to another. Even within that housing category, though, there is plenty of variation.

One person might only have a bed, a couch, and a TV stand. Another person may have all this in addition to several bookshelves, nightstands, and a dining set.

Your furniture has a bigger impact on your move than your boxes of items will. Boxes are easy to stack and to squeeze into a compact space. Furniture is heavy, awkward, and not stackable.

Your Schedule

If you’ve moved more than a few times, you may have noticed this. It costs more to move during the summer than it does in the winter.

Just like vacation spots, there is an “on season” and an “off-season” for moving services. Most people move during the warmer months if it’s within their control because it’s much less pleasant to move when it’s cold, snowy, or rainy.

Your timing also matters on a smaller scale. As you might expect, Saturdays are the most popular days for moving. It allows people to avoid taking time off work and it also lets them avoid rush hour traffic.

For that reason, moving companies charge more for Saturday service than they charge during the week.

The Moving Option You Choose

Whether you’re moving across the country or across town, you have a variety of options. In short, the more work your movers have to do, the more you’ll pay.

There are three primary types of moving services you can buy.

First, you can choose self-pack containers. The moving company will drop off these containers at your old home and you load them up on your own time. When you’re done, the moving company will pick up the containers.

The moving company will transport your containers to your new home and drop them off. You’ll unload them yourself and when you’re done, the moving company will pick up the containers.

The next step up is a truck crew. In these cases, you box up all your belongings. The moving crew comes and loads up your items in their truck.

They drive your belongings to your new home and unload them. You’re responsible for the packing and unpacking yourself.

The most expensive choice is a full-service moving team. These crews will pack everything in your home and load it into their truck. They transport it to your new home and unload everything. In some case, they will also unpack your belongings.

How Well-Prepared You Are

Above all, the most important factor in your move is the amount of time the movers spend on your job. Time is money.

The smoother and more efficient your move is, the less it will cost you. For instance, let’s say you’ve hired a truck crew for your move.

If you’re trying to pack while the crew is loading the truck and they have to wait for you, you’re paying for that time. On the other hand, if everything is packed and organized in a way that helps the crew complete the job efficiently and quickly, you’ll pay less.

The Moving Company You Hire

You’ve heard the saying that you get what you pay for, and this holds true when it comes to moving.

Think about all the overhead a reputable moving company has. They pay for high-quality employees. They maintain their equipment on a regular basis and they pay for pricey insurance.

A cheaper moving company is less likely to take these important steps and that is why they charge less.

Distance of Your Move

Unsurprisingly, the farther you’re moving, the more expensive your move will cost.

Your moving company has a variety of costs associated with longer distances. It takes more of their employees’ time. It incurs fuel costs as well as the cost of wear and tear on their truck.

They pass these expenses along to you in the form of a higher bill.

Your Homes’ Layouts

As anyone knows if they’ve ever moved on their own, some homes are easier to move into or out of than others.

If your apartment is a third-floor walk-up, it will take more time than an apartment on the first floor. Every trip between your apartment and the truck takes twice as much time because the movers have to go up or down the stairs.

It’s not just about the floor you’re on but the building’s layout too. For instance, that same third-floor apartment is easy and quick to move if you have a dedicated elevator.

Finding Your Movers

There’s no single answer to how much it costs to move a one bedroom apartment. Every move has its own hurdles, timelines, and circumstances. Depending on the factors above, your costs could be inside or outside of that $200-$600 range.

To get an accurate and reliable quote, contact a local moving company near you.

admin On April 16, 2019   /   Local Moving, Moving Cost, Nationwide Moving   /   1 Comment