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How much does a moving company really cost?

Model house set on top of a fanned out stack of cash with a set of keys to the side.

It’s the age-old icebreaker question: if your house were on fire and you could only grab three things, what would they be? Assuming my family is safe, and I’ve got my important documents ready to go, the answer for me is simple. I would grab my family scrapbooks and journals chock full of silly and beautiful memories, and several gorgeous handmade quilts that have been passed down through generations.

Sentimental? Maybe. Priceless? Definitely.

While you can’t put a price on family history, you may be wondering how much it would cost to move the things that are most important in your life. Whether due to a job, desire to be closer to family, or just an opportunity for a fresh start, relocating can involve logistics that can feel overwhelming at best and nearly impossible at worst. Working with a moving company simplifies the process, but it’s hard to know where to start! When looking into how much a moving company costs, you also want to know that you will be paying for the peace of mind that comes with knowing your precious cargo is in good hands.

Here at Appleton, we don’t see our job as just moving boxes — we are moving your entire life! Each situation is unique, so the final price will vary based on your needs. We want to be up-front with you about our costs to make sure we are the right fit for your upcoming move.

How much will it cost?

Many factors go into the price of a move, and since every move we do is customized to fit your specific scenario, requesting a quote is the best way to get started! That being said, let’s dig a little deeper into some of the aspects that affect price.

Size of move

What is the square footage of your house? Are you downsizing? Only moving several rooms? How about your house — is it sparsely furnished or fully furnished? The weight of the shipment affects the moving cost, and all these things are considered when finalizing a price.

Distance

Where are you going? If this is a local move, the best place to start is by contacting your local branch, as each location has different hourly rates. To give you a baseline for setting your cost expectations using our price estimates, here are our local rates for San Antonio and El Paso, assuming that you are moving locally and have a moderately furnished home:

Local
  1 bedroom 2 bedrooms 3 bedrooms 4+ bedrooms
San Antonio $414 $798 $1,182  
El Paso $420 $700 $980 $1,400

When researching moving company costs for longer treks, it may be difficult to find concrete prices without getting a personalized quote first. That’s because our rates for intrastate and interstate moves are based on the weight of the shipment and mileage, so the price is more variable. However, to give you a general idea, here are some rough estimates for an intrastate move where the distance to your new home is 200 miles:

Intrastate
  5,000 pounds 15,000 pounds
San Antonio $2,100 $4,900
El Paso $3,000 $6,900

What about an interstate move? For a 5,000 pound shipment with a destination that’s 1,000 miles away, your final price could range between about $4,600 and $5,100. With a 15,000 pound shipment that range increases to $9,900 to $11,000.

Storage

You’re waiting to close on your new home… or maybe your new lease hasn’t begun yet. Whatever the reason, we know that the timing of a move can all too often turn into a logistical nightmare! Where will your belongings go when you’re in between houses?

If your possessions need to take a detour to storage before going to their permanent home, Appleton can help. We offer temporary storage, which streamlines the process so you don’t have to hire another mover when it’s time to move from storage to your new home! This is an additional cost that will be discussed if applicable to your move.

Packing

When you choose to work with Appleton, you get to decide how involved you want us to be. Do you want to pack your boxes yourself, or would you like us to do it for you? When comparing moving company costs, keep in mind that packing is almost always an additional expense. If that’s something you’re interested in, we will factor that in when creating your personalized quote.

Partially-packed living space with open boxes, a guitar, and various household items.

If your budget is tight, you can save some money by packing yourself; however, make sure to consider the cost of packing supplies if you decide to go the DIY route — the amount of boxes, tape, bubble wrap, and paper you need adds up quickly! Also consider the time cost. Your time is valuable — do you want to spend it packing?

Third-party services

At Appleton, we rely on third parties to prepare certain items for shipment. These include large appliances like washers, dryers, fridges, and any other items that require extra servicing, such as unhooking water lines or shutting off gas. The same goes for specialty items like pianos and workout equipment or any furniture that requires disassembly and reassembly. These third-party services do the prep work, and we do the moving!

However, these service add-ons do come at an additional cost. You do have the option to hire this out to someone else or do it yourself to lower your overall cost, but you can also delegate this to us to save you the time and effort. Whatever you choose, we’ll make sure to discuss details like this when we are surveying your home!

Can I get a ballpark estimate?

The short answer is — Yes! You can request a quote online or contact your local branch for a ballpark quote.

Since moving company costs are so variable depending on your situation, the next step is to have an estimator view your household via a virtual or in-person survey to finalize the price. Once that is complete, it’s time to get to work!

You and your family are unique, and so is your move. We want you to feel relaxed and confident about your upcoming move, and we’re here to make the experience as stress free as possible. We will work with you to come up with a plan that fits your needs.

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