Moving Cost Calculator
Look up the industry-standard cost range for a long-distance interstate move. Enter your pickup ZIP, dropoff ZIP, and home size to see the typical published carrier rate sourced from FMCSA Tariff 400-N filings. No signup. No lead capture. No quotes sold to brokers.
The rate range on this page is your benchmark. When carriers send you written estimates, compare each number against the typical range for your route and size. Two patterns matter:
Quote too low
A quote substantially below the industry-low number is a bait-and-switch warning sign. Operators using this tactic post a deceptively low estimate to win the booking, then re-weigh the load on move day and demand thousands more cash before unloading. The FMCSA term for this is a hostage load. Every year the FMCSA receives over 3,000 hostage-load complaints.
Quote too high
A quote substantially above the industry-high number usually means you are talking to a moving broker rather than the actual carrier. Brokers are middlemen with no trucks; they mark up the carrier's rate by 15–30%. Confirm whether the company has its own USDOT operating authority (carrier) or only MC broker authority.
Services beyond the base linehaul move are billed separately. These rates are not included in the look-up above; they are published here as a reference so consumers can validate any add-on charges that appear on a carrier estimate.
| Service | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Full-packing service (every box packed by crew) | $300 – $1,200 | Scales with home size; includes materials. |
| Partial packing (kitchen + fragile items only) | $200 – $500 | Common compromise on mid-size moves. |
| Full-value protection (vs. default $0.60/lb released-value) | +1 – 2% of declared value | Required by federal law to be offered. Default coverage is $0.60/lb regardless of item value. |
| Stair carry (per flight above the first) | $75 – $150 | Per flight, each side of the move. |
| Long-carry fee (>75 ft from truck to door) | $50 – $100 | Per long-carry segment. |
| Upright piano | $200 – $400 | Add'l fee on top of weight-based linehaul. |
| Grand piano | $400 – $800 | Requires specialized crating. |
| Shuttle (smaller truck for inaccessible streets) | $150 – $400 | Charged when the linehaul truck can't reach the door. |
| Storage in transit (per 30 days) | $200 – $500 | Warehouse storage between pickup and delivery. |
| Expedited / guaranteed delivery date | +10 – 25% of base | Most interstate moves use 'spread' delivery windows (3–10 days). Guaranteed dates carry a premium. |
Long-distance carrier estimates are priced by weight and distance, not bedroom count. The home-size dropdown above uses these industry-average weight assumptions. If your home is unusually full or sparse, expect the actual carrier weighbill to come in correspondingly higher or lower.
| Home size | Average weight |
|---|---|
| Studio / 1 room | 1,800 lbs |
| 1-bedroom | 3,500 lbs |
| 2-bedroom | 5,500 lbs |
| 3-bedroom | 8,000 lbs |
| 4-bedroom | 12,000 lbs |
| 5-bedroom+ | 16,000 lbs |
- Driving distance is computed from the great-circle (haversine) distance between the centroids of the two ZIP codes, then multiplied by 1.18 — the empirically observed road-network inflation factor for continental U.S. interstate routes. Actual driving miles may vary by 5–15% depending on route selection.
- Weight is keyed to home size from the AMSA 2023 Moving Cost & Time industry survey. These are national averages; an empty 3-bedroom rented temporarily may weigh closer to a 2-bedroom load, while a fully-furnished 3-bedroom with a heavy library may weigh closer to a 4-bedroom load.
- Linehaul is priced from FMCSA Tariff 400-N national-average column averages, scaled to current carrier filings. The per-pound-per-mile rate decays in tiers as distance increases (a 2,000-mile move costs less per mile than a 500-mile move because mobilization costs are amortized across more miles).
- Base mobilization covers crew assembly, truck dispatch, and initial loading labor. This is a relatively fixed cost that does not scale with distance.
- Fuel surcharge is benchmarked at 10% of linehaul, reflecting the FMCSA Quarterly Fuel Surcharge Index national mid-2024 average. Carriers may file fuel surcharges 5–15% higher or lower depending on the diesel index in effect at booking.
- Released-value protection ($0.60 per pound per item) is included in the look-up by federal law. Full-value protection is shown only in the accessorial reference table.
- Range reflects the 20th to 80th percentile of carrier tariff filings for the route and weight. Rates outside this band exist — but consumers should treat them as outliers worth investigating, in either direction.
USMPO is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. This rate look-up is published as a free consumer resource. We do not capture leads, sell consumer information to brokers, or take commission on bookings.
Is this a binding quote?
No. This is a reference rate look-up that shows the published industry-standard cost range for a route and home size. Only a licensed carrier can issue a binding estimate after a visual or video survey of your goods. The purpose of this page is to give you a benchmark so you can sanity-check the quotes you receive.
Where does the rate data come from?
Linehaul rates are derived from FMCSA Tariff 400-N national-average column averages, scaled to current carrier filings. Weight estimates per home size are taken from the American Moving & Storage Association (AMSA) industry survey. Fuel surcharge benchmarks reflect the FMCSA Quarterly Fuel Surcharge Index. Ranges represent the 20th to 80th percentile of carrier tariff filings.
Why are quotes below the red-flag threshold a scam warning?
Federal regulations and tariff filings establish a floor for what a legitimate carrier can charge to cover crew labor, truck operation, fuel, and federally required insurance on a given weight and distance. Quotes substantially below that floor are characteristic of bait-and-switch operators who post a deceptively low number to win the booking, then re-weigh the load on move day and demand thousands more before unloading — a practice the FMCSA terms 'hostage loads.'
Why might a quote above the overpay threshold be a broker markup?
Moving brokers are middlemen with no trucks or crews of their own. They collect consumer move requests, then re-sell the lead to whichever carrier they can place it with, marking up the carrier's actual rate by a typical 15–30% commission. Quotes well above industry-standard rates often include this broker margin. Ask any company quoting you whether they hold USDOT operating authority as a carrier or MC authority as a broker.
Does this cover local moves under 50 miles?
No. Local moves are billed hourly rather than by weight + distance, so the linehaul math on this page does not apply. A typical hourly rate for a 2–3 person crew runs $120–$220/hour plus a travel-time charge. For local moves, request flat-rate or hourly quotes directly from licensed carriers in your area.
What is the difference between released-value and full-value protection?
Released-value protection is the default federal coverage included in every interstate move at no extra charge. It pays $0.60 per pound per item — meaning a 50-pound television would be reimbursed at $30 if destroyed. Full-value protection is the carrier's enhanced coverage, typically priced at 1–2% of the consumer's declared total value, and pays repair or replacement cost. Federal law requires carriers to offer both options in writing.
How is USMPO funded — are you taking a commission on my move?
USMPO is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit. We do not sell consumer information to brokers, do not take commission on bookings, and do not run a lead-generation service. This rate calculator is published as a free consumer resource. Carriers pay USMPO once a year for the eight-point audit that certifies them; consumers never pay anything.
A free consumer reference, not a lead funnel
Most moving cost calculators on the web exist to capture consumer contact information and re-sell it to brokers. USMPO is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit and this page is published as a public reference, on the same principle as the FMCSA SAFER carrier lookup and the BBB business profile. We do not store the ZIP codes you enter, do not capture your name or email, and do not share any data with carriers.