How Much Does a Long-Distance Move Cost?
Pick your route and home size for an instant estimate based on shipment weight and distance — the two factors that drive almost all interstate moving pricing.
Estimated cost for a 2 beds move
$3,350 – $5,250
These are estimates, not quotes. Ranges are modelled from typical shipment weights and road distance. Your real price depends on exact inventory, access at both ends, packing services, and your dates.
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What counts as a long-distance move?
A long-distance move is any household move that crosses state lines or travels roughly 400 miles or more. Unlike local moves billed by the hour, long-distance moves are priced on shipment weight plus mileage, fall under federal FMCSA regulation, and typically take several days in transit rather than a single day.
What actually drives your moving cost
Interstate movers price on weight and distance first, then adjust for everything else.
Shipment weight
The single biggest factor. A 3-bedroom home runs roughly 7,500 lbs against a studio's 1,800 — which is why decluttering before an estimate pays for itself.
Distance
Linehaul cost scales with miles, though the per-mile rate drops on longer hauls. A 2,800-mile move does not cost four times a 700-mile one.
Time of year
US moving demand concentrates heavily in the summer, which tightens truck availability and lifts rates. Moving mid-week and off-season is the easiest discount most people never ask for.
Access at both ends
Stairs, long carries, and streets too narrow for a full trailer add labor or force a shuttle. Flag these upfront so they are priced in, not added on moving day.
Packing services
Full packing typically adds meaningfully to the total. Partial packing — where crews handle only fragile and bulky items — is the usual middle ground.
Valuation coverage
Released-value protection is included by law but pays only about $0.60 per pound. Full-value protection costs more and is worth pricing separately.
How we estimate these costs
Interstate moving is priced on two dominant variables: how much your shipment weighs and how far it travels. Our estimates model both — a fixed origin-and-destination component covering labor, load, and unload, plus a linehaul component that scales with weight multiplied by distance.
Shipment weights come from standard planning figures by home size (a studio runs about 1,800 lbs; a three-bedroom home about 7,500 lbs). Road distance is calculated between city centers and adjusted for real highway routing. The range shown spans roughly ±22% around the modelled midpoint, which is where most quotes for a given route and home size land.
These are estimates, not quotes, and not any single carrier's rate sheet. Under federal rules an interstate mover must give you a written estimate based on your actual inventory — this figure is for budgeting before you get one.
Sources
- Your Rights and Responsibilities When You MoveFederal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) — How interstate moves must be estimated and priced, and the difference between binding and non-binding estimates.
- 49 CFR Part 375 — Transportation of Household Goods in Interstate CommerceUS Electronic Code of Federal Regulations — The federal rules governing household goods carriers, including estimate, weighing, and valuation requirements.
- Protect Your Move — carrier lookupFederal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) — Verifying that an interstate mover holds active USDOT and MC operating authority before booking.
- State-to-State Migration FlowsUS Census Bureau — Which interstate corridors carry the most household moves, used to prioritise the routes covered here.
Cost model last reviewed .
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