Personalized local moving solutions

In addition to getting all your stuff moved from one place to another, there are other costs that may be involved in your local move. Taken individually they may not seem like much, but together they can add up to make local moving more expensive than you might expect:

• Moving service costs, which can vary significantly depending on your moving solution (traditional full-service local movers, rental truck, or portable container).
• Packing and loading hourly labor if you’re using a portable container or rental truck and want help with the heavy lifting.
• Boxes, bubble cushion roll, and other packing supply costs can multiply quickly.
• House cleaning or handyman services for your current home or new home. 
• Storage unit or storage container rental in case your next home isn’t ready or you’re downsizing.
• Some moving companies carry fuel surcharges.
• Utility deposits and connection fees may be required for your new place.
• Replacing everything you don’t move but need — like food, cleaning products, toiletries, and other essentials.
• You may wish to purchase insurance from your local moving company to cover your belongings.

If you’re renting, application fees, apartment deposits, pet deposits, and the last month’s rent may be required. Looking for ways to save on local moving expenses? Learn how to avoid hidden moving costs and how to cut costs while moving.

No two moves are alike and there are many variables that affect costs, even for local moving. Before you start calling local movers for estimates, consider these factors and how they may affect your moving budget:

• What type of moving companies and services are best for your needs (portable moving container, full-service mover, or rental truck)?
• Do you need storage as part of your move?
• Do you plan to hire professional packers or loaders to help? 
• What time of year are you moving? (You’ll find the lowest local moving rates from October through April.)
• How far away is your new place? (Local movers may charge for driving time or mileage fees.)
• How much stuff will you be moving? 
• Do you have stairs, elevators, or extra heavy items? (Local moving companies sometimes add charges for these.)

There’s a wide variation in how much it costs for a local move, as it depends on the area, how far you’re moving, how much stuff you’re moving, storage needs, and how much you do yourself, among other factors. You’ll even find quite a wide range of pricing among local movers in your area. That’s why getting multiple estimates from local moving companies is the only way to get accurate costs for budgeting and comparisons. Be sure to look beyond the “specials” in Google listings to get estimates for your specific move and details on exactly what’s included. With all that in mind, here are some general guidelines on costs for local moving for your three main types of moving solutions – portable moving containers, full-service local movers, and rental trucks:

PODS Moving and Storage Container: $299 to $499* for local moves:

• Pricing depends on distance, your area, and container size and quantity needed to hold your belongings. An estimated 20% of PODS moves fall above or below this average range based on these variables.
• What’s included: Container delivery and pick-up for both your current and new home, as well as 30 days of built-in storage, so you can take your time loading and unloading or even store your stuff at a PODS indoor storage facility near you.
• What’s not included: Loading, unloading, packing, or unpacking. Referrals to trusted packing and loading professionals are available.
• How it works: We deliver your container, you take your time loading, and we pick up your container, and deliver it to your new home. You schedule the pick-up and delivery dates that work best for you. If your new home isn’t ready, you can keep your items in storage on a month-to-month rental basis at a PODS Storage Center without extra loading and unloading.
• Why choose a container service for local moving? Moving containers work especially well for local moves where you need to combine moving and storage to accommodate home staging, remodeling, a delay in moving into your new home – or just want more time, flexibility, and control over your moving process.

Full-Service Move: $1,250* for local moves:

• Pricing for local moves works differently than with long-distance moves. Local moving companies typically charge by the hour, with costs varying based on your area, distance, and the number of moving professionals needed to help. Some companies add the travel time to get to your existing home in addition to time spent driving to your new home to their hourly charges.
• What’s included: Loading, unloading, and transport
• What’s not included: Storage, packing and unpacking, and gratuities. While packing and unpacking can be added, many local movers don’t offer storage. If storage is available, the cost can be a lot higher than you’d expect to pay at a self-storage facility, and you may also need to pay for extra time for unloading and loading your stored belongings.
• How it works: Traditional local moving companies come to your home, load your stuff onto their truck, transport, and unload everything into your new home. Everything takes place on the same day, with little flexibility once you’ve scheduled your move date.
• Why choose a full-service mover for local moving? Full-service moving companies can be a viable option for local moves if you’re not worried about costs, can handle moving everything in one day, want someone else to do all the heavy lifting, don’t need storage or flexibility with your move date, and are comfortable with others taking control.

Rental Truck: $155* for local moves:

• Pricing depends on truck size, mileage, gas, and incidental fees. 
• What’s included: One-day rental for a truck that you pick up and return. 
• What’s not included: Driving, potential fees for late return, additional rental days if needed, loading, unloading, packing, unpacking, and storage.
• How it works: You pick up the truck at their location, drive it to your home, load it up, and drive the truck to your new home. After you unload your belongings, you drive the truck back to the dealer’s location. If you also require storage, you’ll need to pay for a storage unit rental as well as another potential truck rental to move your stuff into your new home, in addition to loading and unloading multiple times.
• Why choose a rental truck for local moving? Rental trucks can work well if you’re on a tight budget, are moving a small household, don’t mind driving a large truck, don’t need storage, and can handle making your local move in one day. 

*Averages based on estimates from PODS rates published September 2019, Moving.com, and HireAHelper.com.

If you’re considering a moving and storage container for a local move, each moving company handles pricing differently and costs vary based on your area and unique needs. Local moving costs with PODS average from $299 to $499*, including one-month container rental/storage time, delivery to your existing home, pick-up, and delivery to your new home. 

PODS local moving costs depend on factors including:

• Geographic location
• Duration and season
• Size and number of PODS containers needed
• Storage needs(you can store your container in your driveway or at a secure indoor PODS Storage Center) 
• You can get the most accurate estimate of your local moving costs with PODS by requesting an instant online quote. 

* Averages based on estimates from PODS rates published May 2019

Most traditional moving companies don’t offer storage, which is a big reason why people who need storage as part of their local move opt for portable moving containers. If local movers do offer storage, it can be expensive. PODS reinvented the moving and storage business over 20 years ago because so many people need the flexibility of built-in storage, whether they’re making a local move or moving long distance. 

Absolutely! You always have the option of storing your portable moving container either on your property or in a PODS secure Storage Center, even if that wasn’t part of your original plan. You don’t need to worry about driving a big truck or loading and unloading your stuff over and over. Once your container is loaded, PODS will pick it up and take it to an indoor storage facility nearby, where it’s easy to access your stuff if you need to. When you’re ready, you just have PODS deliver your container where it needs to go.

Yes, it’s easy to hire local movers by the hour just to load or unload your truck or moving container. You can get help with packing and unpacking, too. Using à la carte moving services is usually less expensive and more flexible than hiring a full-service local moving company because you only pay for the help you need, when you need it. To learn more about packing and loading assistance, you can contact a trusted PODS partner.

If your business needs to relocate locally or across the country, PODS can handle your move just as easily. No matter the distance, industry, or the size of your company, we are the choice of businesses that need to move in order to meet the increasing demands of their clients. Load your PODS container on your schedule so there’s no interruption to the day-to-day of your business.