Moving Cost Calculator: How DMV Quotes Are Estimated

The four things every quote is built from

Whatever a mover calls it, the price comes from these.

• Volume. How much space your things take in a truck.
• Crew time. How many movers, for how many hours.
• The truck. Its size, fuel, and the drive.
• Access. Stairs, elevators, and the distance from the truck to your door.

Step 1: Estimate your volume

Count your boxes and list your furniture. The figures below are rough averages, and they are enough to tell which truck you need.

• A medium box is about 3 cubic feet. A large box is about 4.5.
• A three-seat sofa is about 50 cubic feet. A sectional is about 90.
• A queen bed with its mattress is about 60 cubic feet. A dresser is about 30.
• A dining table is about 30 cubic feet, and each chair about 6.
• A desk is about 25 cubic feet.

Step 2: Match the volume to a truck

A truck never packs completely full, so plan on using about 80% of its space.

• 10 foot truck, about 400 cubic feet: a studio or a light one-bedroom
• 15 foot truck, about 750 cubic feet: a one or two bedroom apartment
• 26 foot truck, about 1,700 cubic feet: a three or four bedroom home

Step 3: Estimate the time

These are the usual totals for a local move, including the drive.

• Studio: 2 to 4 hours
• 1-bedroom: 3 to 5 hours
• 2-bedroom: 5 to 7 hours
• 3-bedroom home: a full day

Step 4: Adjust for access

Access is where calculators go wrong, because they cannot see your building. Each of these adds time.

• Stairs. We price them at about $28 a flight.
• A long walk from the truck, when there is no dock, driveway, or reserved curb
• A shared or slow elevator
• A second stop, such as a storage unit
• Narrow doors or stairs that mean furniture has to come apart

Step 5: Compare with the flat-rate ranges

Your estimate should land inside the range for your home size. Light volume and easy access put you near the bottom. Stairs, long carries, and a weekend date put you near the top.

• Studio: $385 to $660
• 1-bedroom: $550 to $990
• 2-bedroom: $880 to $1,650
• 3-bedroom home: $1,540 to $3,080 and up

A worked example

Take a one-bedroom with 35 medium boxes, a sofa, a queen bed, a dresser, a desk, and a small dining set. The boxes are about 105 cubic feet and the furniture about 220, so the load is around 325 cubic feet. That is right at the limit of a 10 foot truck, and it fits a 15 foot truck comfortably.

With elevators at both ends and a weekday date, this move sits in the lower half of the $550 to $990 range. Put the same load in a third-floor walk-up on a Saturday and it moves toward the top.

Turning the estimate into a price

The quote form on our homepage gives a ballpark from a description in your own words. For a firm number, send photos of each room, both addresses, the floor and elevator situation at each, and your date. We price from what we see and send back one flat rate, usually within 15 minutes during business hours.