The thing about moving … it’s exhausting just thinking about it. No one loves stress, packing all those boxes, or backaches. If that annoying budget wasn’t in the way, most people would just hire a moving company to coordinate everything and handle the toughest, heaviest, and most time-consuming tasks. So, you ask yourself, “Should I DIY it or hire a moving company?”
The differences between local, intrastate, and interstate can decrease or increase costs. If you’re moving and still deciding the best way to pack your life into a truck, transport it to a new place, and unpack it, keep reading. We’re breaking down the differences between local, intrastate, and interstate moves, why the differences matter, and how they can help you decide to DIY or hire a mover.
Moving For the First Time? What Movers Wish You Knew about Interstate vs. Intrastate
It would be super difficult, if not impossible, to relocate without boxes, a truck, and extra hands to carry the heavy stuff. Boxes don’t pack themselves, and people need to load and unload that truck.
If you want to hire a mover, industry insiders recommend comparing at least three estimates or quotes. Written estimates include the number and weight of the items, the distance between the pickup and drop-off locations, and the services provided. Move type differences can help you decide if DIY or hiring a moving company is better for you.
Read more intrastate vs. interstate moving tips.
Most people want to know how much it will cost to hire a mover, and today that question is even more relevant. The answer isn’t simple because moving expenses are tied to many factors, from how much you’re moving, where, and even the time of year.
Costs are based on the same components but calculated differently. We’re giving you a look at Bailey’s Moving’s average local, intrastate, and interstate costs in 2025, so the details make more sense.
Most people want to know how much it will cost to hire a mover, and today that question is even more relevant. The answer isn’t simple because moving expenses are tied to many factors, from how much you’re moving, where, and even the time of year.
Costs are based on the same components but calculated differently. We’re giving you a look at Bailey’s Moving’s average local, intrastate, and interstate costs in 2025, so the details make more sense.
Want to Know How Much It Costs to Move? A Detailed Look at Average Prices
Interstate Move Pricing:
- Average Range: $9,300 to $11,000
Intrastate Move Pricing:
- Average Range: $5,800 to $7,153
Local Move Pricing:
- Average Range: $2,100 to $3,800
Yes, the Difference Between an Interstate and Intrastate Move Matters. Here’s Why
Whether you cross a state line is the main difference between an interstate and an intrastate move. Moving intrastate keeps you within the state, while interstate takes you to a new state. How costs are calculated matters most because they impact your final bill.
Learn more about moving estimates or quotes in “Moving Estimates: Insider Answers on Binding vs. Non-Binding & How They are Calculated.”
Distance matters when you relocate. Local and intrastate moves are less costly and complex than long-distance, interstate moves.
Move Types:
- Local, up to 50 miles, is the shortest.
- Intrastate is a farther distance and does not cross state lines.
- Interstate is long-distance/state-to-state and crosses state lines.
In a local move, moving companies commonly charge a rate for every hour they spend moving you from point A to point B, while intrastate and interstate moves are based on distance and weight. Read on to see how a move type’s common components change costs.
All the Local Move Details: Why it Costs Less & Is DIY or a Mover Best
Local moves are short distances and require less time and logistics.
- Distance: Up to 50 miles
- Delivery Timeline: Most are completed on the same day, but some can take two days.
- A move estimated to take more than 9 hours might be done over 2 days (one day to load + one day to unload).
- Moving Company Costs: An hourly fee that includes driving times.
- The hourly fee includes the number of trucks and crew members.
- Driving time starts when the truck leaves the company’s parking lot. Time stops once the move is done.
- Crew: Loading & unloading, driver
- Moving Truck: Most often, you can use a Bailey’s Moving & Storage truck.
- Moving Day Logistics: The same crew is with you, loading the truck, driving to the destination, and unloading.
A Detailed Moving Example - 10,000 lbs. & four crew members:
- Bailey’s Moving adds 10,000 lbs. of loading to 10,000 lbs. of unloading for 20,000 total lbs.
- We divide 20,000 lbs. by the average to load and unload at 650 lbs. per hour.
- Moving day = 30.7 hours to load and unload (not including driving times or any delays)
- Four crew members = close to 7 1/2 -hour day
- Driving expenses start when the driver leaves one of Bailey’s Moving facilities and are included in the final price.
The lower average pricing of a local move makes it the most affordable. The shorter distance also makes it easier to DIY. Consider how much you would spend on moving truck rental, boxes and packing supplies, time off from work, and how many people will help you before deciding how you’ll move.
Learn more about Bailey’s Moving and the benefits of a full-service mover.
Everything You Need to Know About Intrastate Moves: How to Decide What's Best
Intrastate moves are over 50 miles, and can exceed 300 miles, increasing costs.
- Distance: Over 50 miles (same state)
- Delivery Time: Same day or 1-2 days (depending on shipment size and/or distance from origin to destination)
- Moves with loads over 15,000 lbs. are automatically scheduled for two or three days.
- Moving Company Costs: Up to 150 miles are charged at an hourly rate, while anything over 150 miles is charged based on weight and distance.
- Crew: Loading & unloading, driver
- Moving Day Logistics: The same crew is with you to load the truck, drive to the destination, and unload. For longer distances, a different crew might be scheduled to unload.
- Moving Day Weight: The crew adds a stop to weigh the loaded trucks on moving day to obtain the actual weight and determine the final cost.
- The truck is weighed before they load (light weight) and weighed again within 60 miles of the destination on a government-approved Certified Automated Truck (CAT) commercial scale.
Since intrastate moves are farther but still within the same state, they are flexible enough to DIY and offer pricing that can fit a smaller budget. Consider the amount of stuff you’re moving, how many people will help you load and unload items you can’t lift by yourself, and if you have the bandwidth to be ready on moving day.
All the Reasons an Interstate Move Costs More & Why Hiring a Mover is Best
Transporting your things from state to state, crossing state lines within the US, is an interstate move.
- Distance: Out of state within the US (long-haul)
- Delivery Time: The delivery window is based on government tariffs, weight, and number of miles.
- Moving Company Costs: Interstate moving costs are calculated based on the shipment weight and the distance it will travel.
- Crew: Crew to load, a long-haul driver who drives to your new state, and another crew in the destination state to unload.
- Moving Truck: Allied or North American truck
- Moving Day Logistics: One crew loads the truck and drives it to the new place. A different crew unloads.
For more on local, intrastate, and interstate moving, read “Three Key Differences Between Local, Intrastate, and Interstate Moving.”
Crossing state lines makes a move more complex, expensive, and less flexible to plan. Hiring a moving company makes the most sense unless you have the truck capacity and help with loading and unloading in one trip, and for both locations.
Read “Avoid a Moving Scam” if you’re thinking about hiring a mover but worried about getting scammed.
Next, let’s look at DIY costs to see if it’s worth it.
Rent a Truck or Hire a Mover? Top Moving Tips to Help Decide
Few people have an unlimited budget to hire the first moving company that answers the phone. You typically compare professional to DIY moving costs and go from there. That’s why we’re breaking down the average costs for a DIY move and some you might not have thought about.
Common DIY Costs:
- Truck rental
- Moving boxes
- Tape
- Time off work to pack & moving day
Average Truck Rental Costs
DIYers rent a truck first because moving a few boxes at a time would take a ridiculous number of trips over several weeks. Truck rentals are typically one of the highest costs. An article from Move Advisor, “How Much Does It Cost to Rent a Moving Truck?” offered pricing for local and long-distance truck rentals. Truck size, distance, how long you need it, and season can change the costs. Here’s the truck rental breakdown based on size:
Local Move
- 10-12 ft Truck = $100 to $150
- 15-17 ft Truck = $120 to $180
- 20-26 ft Truck = $150 to $250+
Long-Distance Move
- 10-12 ft Truck = $900 to $1,500
- 15-17 ft Truck = $1,200 to $2,000
- 20-26 ft Truck = $1,800 to $3,000+
Additional Truck Rental Costs:
- Local fees per mile
- Refilling the tank - fuel costs (return the truck with a full tank, or the company charges a larger amount)
- Insurance: $15–$30 per day
- Equipment rental (dollies, pads): $10–$50+
- Environmental fee: $1–$5
- Taxes & surcharges: Varies by state.
- Late return fees
- Deposit
- Tolls
- Parking Fees
- Additional driver (if you want to share the driving)
- Young driver charge (some companies charge extra if the driver is aged 18-23)
Boxes are another unavoidable expense. You’ll need different boxes to fit household items and other stuff. The price increases with the box’s size. We break down how many boxes you’ll need and their average prices for a DIY move.
How Many Boxes Will You Need?
We use industry standards to calculate the average number of boxes needed for different apartment or house room counts. The number of boxes is based on the number of items.
- Two bedrooms: 60 – 70 boxes (4,000 – 6,000 lbs.)
- Three bedrooms: 100 – 200 boxes (7,000 – 11,000 lbs.)
- Four bedrooms: 200 + boxes
Average Moving Box Costs:
Buying moving boxes can be expensive. You can’t always find enough free moving boxes. We used Stack’s article, “How Much Do Moving Boxes Cost?” for average prices.
- Small Box: $1 to $3
- Medium Box: $1.60 to $3.50
- Large Box: $2 to $6
- Extra Large Box: $3 to $8
Read "Where to Find Free Moving Boxes" for ideas to save money on boxes.
Average Packing Supplies Costs:
- Tape, bubble wrap & paper, and blankets/padding: $50 to $100
How Much Will Packing for My Move Cost?
We did the “moving boxes” math to show you how much a DIYer likely spends on packing for a move.
Packing a Two Bedroom:
Small Boxes:
- 60 boxes: up to $180
- 70 boxes: up to $210
Medium Boxes:
- 60 boxes: up to $210
- 70 boxes: up to $245
Large Boxes:
- 60 boxes: up to $120
- 70 boxes: up to $360
Packing a Three Bedroom:
Small Boxes:
- 100 boxes: up to $300
- 200 boxes: up to $600
Medium Boxes:
- 100 boxes: up to $350
- 200 boxes: up to $700
Large Boxes:
- 100 boxes: up to $600
- 200 boxes: up to $1,200
Moving Boxes Don’t Pack Themselves – How Much is Your Time Worth When You DIY a Move?
For example, a 2-bedroom and 60 to 70 boxes take a Bailey's Moving crew member around eight hours to pack. Packing your house might not be possible unless you pack on a weekend or take a day off if you’re a DIYer who works. In fact, our estimators note that it takes DIYers about 3 times as long to pack.
Emotions and procrastination add hours, days, and weeks to packing time. Non-professional movers are notorious for underestimating the amount of stuff they have and how much time it will take to finish packing by moving day.
Wasted time adds hours and days to your packing schedule. Solving Procrastination’s article, “Procrastination Statistics: Interesting and Useful Statistics about Procrastination,” noted that up to 25% of adults are chronic procrastinators, prone to wasting 1-4 hours a day. That’s a lot!
Moving is messy, even when it's well planned. Something will go wrong, but you can minimize the mess and extra expense. Don’t make these moving mistakes.
How to Save Money: Avoid Unexpected Costs in the First Place if You're Relocating
Anything you add on moving day is more expensive, from loading extra inventory into the truck that’s not on the original list to last-minute packing help. Be 100% ready on moving day and keep a close eye on what’s being loaded against the inventory list.
Stay On Top of These Details to Save on Unexpected Costs with Short Distance or Movers Long Distance
Keep these moving company tips in mind when planning your first or next move for a calmer moving day:
- Declutter as Much as Possible: Move less to save more.
- Be 100% Packed & Ready Before Moving Day: Rushing to finish packing can be expensive, especially if you end up paying extra for time or for mover packing services.
- Keep Things “Not Moving” Separate: Prevent confusion for the movers and ‘not moving’ from being accidentally loaded onto the truck.
- Plan Any Storage Unit Stops Before Moving Day: Last-minute stops to load items from a storage unit cost extra. It happens a lot - 98% of our customers plan a storage unit stop.
- Make Sure the Destination is Ready for Movers: Communicate any delays in destination readiness before moving day to avoid last-minute storage costs.
Wondering what to expect on moving day? Read “What to Expect on Moving Day.”
DIY or Hire Moving Company Tips Conclusion
We understand that hiring a full-service mover is the easiest way to move, and your budget can get in the way. Bailey’s Moving wants you to have a successful move, whether you do it yourself, hire a mover, or a little bit of both.
Are you still deciding between DIY and hiring a moving company? Try our moving cost estimator and schedule an in-person or virtual appointment to see what makes the most sense for your move.
