2025 Local Moving Cost Averages: Our Methodology

HireAHelper has supported over 1 million moves for over 17 years, so that gives us a rich and unique dataset to pull from—one of the largest in the country for labor-only and local full-service moving.

We’ve recently published local cost data that gives insights into the average cost of moving in 2025 across both labor-only and local-full service moves. Using our first-party data and proprietary methodology, we’ve been able to extend these insights across 20,000 cities and 7 different sizes of moves.

Our local cost averages are best used for a ball-park estimate during initial research. They are based on real-world data, but every move is unique, so the best way to get an accurate estimate for your specific move is to fill out our quote form. You aren’t required to give us any personal information to get your free quote, and you won’t be spammed with follow-up sales calls.

What Types of Moves Are Included?

We currently provide cost estimates for two main types of local moves:

• Labor-Only Moves: Movers help load or unload your stuff, but you handle the transportation—like a rental truck, moving container, or freight trailer.
• Local Full-Service Moves: A crew provides the truck and handles everything—loading, transport, and unloading.

Each type of move has different cost drivers, and we account for that in how we calculate our estimates.

Our Step-by-Step Methodology

The data used to power these averages is first-party data from moves completed using HireAHelper’s platform in 2024.

While we have a large, rich data set to work with, it doesn’t have 100% coverage across every city in the U.S., so we’ve developed a proprietary methodology to fill gaps and normalize our data.

Start with Local Data

If a city has at least 10 real completed moves of a specific home size and move type, we use that as the foundation for our estimate.

Fill Data Gaps

When a city doesn’t have enough data:

• We look at nearby county or regional averages.
• Still missing? We expand to state averages.
• As a last resort, we estimate based on cities with similar median incomes and housing profiles, either in-state or out-of-state.

This helps ensure we can provide consistent, local-feeling averages—even in lower-volume areas.

Normalize Averages

To avoid outliers (like a 3-bedroom showing up cheaper than a 1-bedroom), we normalize the data and use weighted averages to smooth out inconsistencies.

The National Average Cost of Moving

On average, labor-only moves cost $452. Here’s the national averages for labor-only (LO) moves:

Estimates for local full-service moves include truck and transportation, and tend to be higher due to additional services. The national average cost for local-full service (LFS) moves is $1,168.

What Affects the Cost of Your Move?

Your actual move cost may be higher or lower depending on:

• Time of year (summer demand = higher prices)
• How ready your items are (packed, disassembled, etc.)
• Number of stairs, elevators, or long walking distances
• Last-minute or same-day bookings
• Special items like pianos or safes

Want a Personalized Quote?

The best way to get exact pricing is to enter your details and see real availability in your area. It’s fast, free, and doesn’t require any commitment.