- What Is The Cost Of Door To Door Movers?
- Typical Services That Door To Door Movers Provide
- Local Moving Services
- Out Of State Moving Services
- Packing And Unpacking Services
- Storage Services
- Item Disposal Services
- One Simple Tip To Find A Quality Door To Door Moving Service
- Here’s The Honest Truth…
- Cheap Moving Rates & Time To Move Examples
- A Quick Look Into How Door To Door Moving Prices Are Calculated
- The Easiest Ways To Increase Your Prices Are To
- Ease Of Service
- Speed Of Service
- Distance Travelled
- Down Payment Required
- Moving Space Required
- Your Needs Are The Greatest Pricing Factor
- Still Need Help?

What is the Cost of Door to Door Movers?
Door to door moving services are one of the most popular options when it comes to moving. People love using them because of how easy they make the moving process.
For those who have never used door to door moving service before, door to door moving is a moving service where a company will move your belongings from your old home to your new home.
While it may sound expensive to hire a service like this, that isn’t always the case. If you calculate the value of your own time, versus what you are paying, you may be surprised to see that a reputable moving service provides good value for what you are paying.
To understand why door to door movers charge what they do, you need to have an understanding of the services that door to door movers provide, as well as other generic factors that moving companies consider when calculating rates and charges.
Here’s what we are going to talk about in this article:
- The types of services that door to door movers provide
- How to find a quality moving company
- How these services calculate prices
Typical Services that Door to Door Movers Provide
There are many services offered by door to door moving companies. Which one you choose will depend entirely on what you are trying to do.

Local moving services
Local moving services depend on the moving company. Each company will define “local” in its own way. Urban moving services that provide door-to-door service in New York City for example, will define “local” as much shorter a distance than rural moving services in the middle of the Midwest. If you are unsure of what category you fall into, call a few moving companies in your area and see what they say.
If a company provides local door to door moving service, it is likely that the company will add extra charges for moving service beyond what they call their “local” area. When negotiating prices with your moving company, or when discussing your quote, ask the company what “local” means to them and see if they place any caps on the number of miles that you can move before charging you more.
Extra charges will raise your moving rate so you should ensure that your moving requirements fall within what your local moving company provides.
A-1 Auto Transport can help you move your household goods nationwide. Call 888-241-3110 to get a free, no obligation to buy price quote on interstate moving services.
Out of state moving services
Door to door moving companies can operate nationally, moving your belongings across the nation if you want. Many people move to the next state over, or even across the country, for school, work, or a variety of other reasons. There are many companies ready to help you with your move, the trick is picking the right one for you.
Packing and unpacking services

Some door to door moving services offer packing and unpacking services as well. Staffers will pack up your belongings, place them efficiently on their box truck, and ship your items to your new home. Once they arrive at your new home, the same staffers will unload and unpack your items.
If you strategize with your moving company before the move, these staffers can even place the items in your desired rooms. It is a great feeling to come home to a new home that is fully furnished with your belongings, exactly where you want everything!
A packing and unpacking service will cost extra because you have to pay for the packing supplies and the staffer’s time.
Storage services
Door to door moving does not have to occur on the same day. It is possible to create moving contracts that add short- and long-term storage as well. Every year, many college students move across the country to start school. It is normal for a college student to hire a moving company to move his or her belongings from one state to another. Some students will place their belongings in a storage unit over the summer periods when they move back home to work.
One thing to keep in mind is that storage services do cost money. The exact rate that you will need to pay for storage services will depend on the individual moving company. Rates will be cheaper if the moving company has its own storage facilities instead of subcontracting a third-party storage service. If you abandon your items in storage, you will also be charged additional fees for disposal and cleaning.
Commonly-requested services are oftentimes less expensive than extra services that the moving company does not specialize in, due to the time and effort required of the company to provide these services.
Item disposal services
When moving, not every client wants to keep all of their belongings. Some door to door moving companies offer disposal services for this reason. There are a few ways that these companies facilitate this.
A company will usually transport a disposal container to your driveway. From there, you can place the items that you want to dispose of inside the container. Once filled, or requested to be taken away, a truck will transport the container to a landfill or dump.
A company can also offer item disposal service by setting aside items that you no longer want, and then later disposing of those items once your wanted belongings are already moved to your new home.
Both methods are great. You are able to keep the items you want, dispose of the items you do not want, and ensure that neither subset of items are mixed.
Like any other service that is not offered in a standard moving package, using an item disposal service will cost extra.

One Simple Tip to Find a Quality Door to Door Moving Service
The best indicator of whether a door to door moving service is right for you will be apparent once you receive a quote. In general, a moving company’s website will provide you with a contact form box or an email where they can be contacted. Simply fill out the form with the details of your move and you will receive a quote.
This contact format is essential because clients often need to elaborate on their moving service needs. Simply checking off some standard services on a web form may not be enough for a client. A client may want to request extra services, or explain why he or she needs a specific service.
Quality door to door moving service companies will help you refine your quote, and your moving service needs. It is always in the company’s best interest to do so, as excellent client reviews lead to new clients, as well as a dedicated long-term client base.
If a company is not upfront about their costs, or a company does not show a lot of effort during the quote/negotiations phase, this is a red flag.
Here’s the honest truth…
The moving industry is incredibly competitive because there are many companies fighting for your business. Do yourself a favor and research these companies you are considering. Look at their reviews on Google, check out their social media pages, call them and ask questions, and make sure you are getting a price that is fair. You should contact multiple companies in order to help you find the median price for the service you need.
Costs for moving services will vary, but you should always seek out the best company with the best customer service that you can afford. Remember, you’ve worked hard for your belongings, so you want to hire a company that will take care of them during the moving process.
Cheap Moving Rates & Time To Move Examples
To / From | Distance | Cost (2 BR) | Cost (3 BR) | Cost (4 BR) | Estimated Time In Transit |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Racine, WI to Sacramento, CA | 1774 miles | $4,353 – $5,529 | $6,573 – $8,790 | $8,790 – $12,869 | 5 - 7 days |
Joliet, IL to Casper, WY | 949 miles | $3,344 – $4,145 | $5,046 – $6,651 | $6,651 – $9,775 | 3 - 5 days |
Atlanta, GA to Shoreline, WA | 2180 miles | $3,924 – $5,014 | $5,668 – $6,976 | $7,412 – $8,720 | 6 - 8 days |
Wheeling, WV to Abbeville, LA | 953 miles | $2,459 – $3,239 | $3,447 – $4,263 | $4,335 – $5,151 | 3 - 5 days |
Burlington, VT to Georgetown, DE | 415 miles | $2,415 – $2,932 | $3,482 – $4,656 | $4,656 – $6,788 | 3 - 5 days |
Christiansburg, VA to Bridgeport, CT | 476 miles | $2,344 – $3,134 | $3,651 – $5,063 | $5,063 – $7,261 | 3 - 5 days |
Brownwood, TX to St. Petersburg, FL | 1011 miles | $3,188 – $4,101 | $4,811 – $6,535 | $6,535 – $9,492 | 4 - 6 days |
Minneapolis, MN to Midvale, UT | 985 miles | $3,329 – $4,224 | $5,020 – $6,715 | $6,615 – $9,719 | 3 - 5 days |
Coventry, RI to Sioux Falls, SD | 1278 miles | $3,568 – $4,566 | $5,355 – $7,241 | $7,241 – $10,605 | 4 - 6 days |
Alvin, SC to Etowah, TN | 301 miles | $1,345 – $2,314 | $2,587 – $3,768 | $4,365 – $7,099 | 3 - 5 days |
*Prices and times are estimated. They can vary depending on the season and other factors.
A Quick Look into How Door to Door Moving Prices are Calculated

You should always expect your moving service to become expensive when you require more services.
The easiest ways to increase your prices are to:
- Require extra packing goods and special instructions for your belongings
- Hiring additional movers to make the move go quicker
- Requiring a large portion of your belongings to be carried up and down stairs
- Needing specific items to be disassembled
- Long travel distances
Ease of Service
You should always assume that your moving costs will be cheaper if you make your move as easy as possible. Extra time and effort requirements on the part of the door to door moving company will result in higher costs.
Speed of Service
The quicker you require a door to door moving service to operate for you, the more that company will charge. This is simple supply and demand in action. The more time and effort you require on the part of the company, the more money they will charge for their services. This is especially true when you consider that a company may need to rework their schedule and client requests in order to fulfill your moving requirements.
Distance Travelled
The farther a moving company needs to travel, the higher their costs will be. Charges like fleet maintenance, driver costs, gas costs, freight charges, and more all need to be paid. These charges start with a flat fee, usually, and build up over time based on several factors.
Luckily, some moving companies offer a standard rate for a specific distance travelled (i.e. up to 100 miles for a local moving request). Talk to your moving company to learn about how they charge for distance travelled. If you happen to fall right on the border of a local moving companies boundaries, they may be willing to make an exception for you too. As always, a quick phone call can save you a lot of money.

Down Payment Required
Some moving companies require a down payment for service, while other companies do not. There is no real difference in cost between using a down payment or not. A down payment simply means that you need to pay the moving company some money up front, instead of paying all of it when the contract is signed, or when the moving job is finished.
It may be difficult to find the money upfront for a down payment. If this is the case for you, consider asking your moving company whether they require one.
Moving Space Required
The amount of moving space that you require will help determine the cost of moving. With a box truck, you may be required to rent the entire truck. With a shipping container, you may be able to only partially rent the space provided to you. This means that your belongings will be housed with the belongings of other clients while in transport.
Only renting partial space will result in a lower moving cost. However, your belongings will be much safer and much more secure during transport if you rent the entire space, and do not have to share it.
Your Needs are the Greatest Pricing Factor
Now that you know the basic services that door to door moving service companies provide, as well as some general factors that influence pricing, you have the ability to contact moving companies and negotiate a fair price.
You should know that standard services will be more affordable than premium services, and routing tasks will be more affordable than tasks that go above and beyond what a typical moving service would require. The greatest influence on your door to door moving requirements are your requirements. If you lower your requirements, the price will lower. If you raise your requirements, the price will rise.

Still Need Help?
Try not to stress when it comes to moving. No one will argue with you about the fact that moving is challenging, but if you take the time to find the right door to door moving service, the process can be made a lot simpler.
If you are looking for a reputable and competitively priced moving service, give A-1 Auto Transport a call. We have been working in the auto and moving industries for over a decade and we know a thing or two about shipping. Our prices are some of the best in the industry and we have helped thousands of Americans with their moves.
Save your time and give us a call if you want to get your move done right, on time, the first time.