The full service moving cost in 2026 runs from $1,200 for a studio local move to $12,000 or more for a 4-bedroom cross-country relocation. Most families pay between $2,300 and $5,000. The 2025 This Old House Moving Survey of 1,000 people who hired full service movers put $2,000 as the most commonly reported cost.
Three things set your price: home size, distance, and what services you add. That is it.
Here is what most pricing guides never tell you. A broker takes your deposit and sends your job to whoever bids lowest that week. A licensed direct carrier like Moving Hub owns the trucks and employs the crew. That one difference determines who shows up, what happens if something gets damaged, and whether the price you agreed to is the price you actually pay at delivery.
Full Service Moving Cost by Home Size (Studio to 4BR)
How much does a full service move cost for a 2 bedroom house?
| Home Size | Local Move | 500 Miles | 1,000 Miles | Cross Country |
| Studio | $700 to $1,200 | $1,500 to $2,500 | $2,000 to $3,500 | $2,500 to $4,500 |
| 1 Bedroom | $900 to $1,600 | $1,800 to $3,000 | $2,500 to $4,500 | $3,000 to $5,500 |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,200 to $2,500 | $2,500 to $4,500 | $3,500 to $6,000 | $4,500 to $7,500 |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,800 to $3,500 | $3,500 to $6,000 | $5,000 to $8,500 | $6,500 to $10,000 |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,500 to $5,000 | $5,000 to $8,000 | $7,000 to $10,500 | $9,000 to $12,000+ |
All figures include packing, loading, transport, and unloading.
Full Service Moving Cost by Distance
How much does full service moving cost long distance per mile?
Local moves under 100 miles bill by the hour. A 2 to 3 person crew runs $108 to $125 per hour in 2026. Cross the 100-mile mark and pricing switches to weight and mileage, not hours.
- Local (under 100 miles): $800 to $3,500
- 500 miles: $2,500 to $5,500
- 1,000 miles: $3,500 to $7,500
- Cross country (1,500 miles or more): $5,000 to $12,000+
The average long-distance full service moving company price for a 2 to 3 bedroom household sits around $4,890.
Running a route like Charlotte to Florida? That corridor typically runs $3,200 to $5,800 for a 2-bedroom home. Our Long Distance Movers Charlotte NC page covers that route in full detail.
Moving Hub prices your move after one survey, not a guess. No broker. No bill shock at delivery. Call 980-279-5945 for your free binding estimate.
What Is Included and What Costs Extra
What is included in a full service move?
Standard full service moving company prices cover:
- Professional packing of every room
- All materials including boxes, tape, paper, and bubble wrap
- Loading onto the company’s own truck
- Transport to your new address
- Unloading and basic furniture placement
What gets billed separately:
- Unpacking and debris removal
- Piano, safe, or oversized artwork handling
- Long-carry fees when the truck cannot reach your door
- Stair fees, typically $50 to $75 per flight
- Storage in transit if your new home is not ready on move day
Expert Tip from Brendan Thomas, Senior Moving Consultant, Moving Hub: “I tell every client the same thing before they sign anything: get the binding estimate in writing, not a verbal number, not a non-binding quote. A non-binding quote is a suggestion. I have seen families hit with $400 to $600 in extra charges at delivery that were never discussed, and every single time it came down to not having a binding document. Two minutes of asking saves you real money.”
Professional Packing: Part of Your Move or Separate?
How much does full service moving cost with packing included?
Full packing adds $500 to $2,200 depending on home size. A 2-bedroom runs $800 to $1,200 for labor and all materials.
With Moving Hub, packing is written into your quote before the survey ends. Not added at the truck. Not negotiated on moving day. If you want to bring the cost down, pack your own bedrooms and hand the kitchen to the crew. That one move cuts packing costs by 30 to 40 percent without touching protection on your fragile items.
Full Service vs Partial Service vs DIY: Real Cost Comparison
| Service Type | Avg. 2BR Cost | Time | Risk |
| Full service moving | $3,000 to $6,000 | Minimal | Carrier liability |
| Partial service | $1,500 to $3,000 | Moderate | Mixed |
| DIY truck rental | $700 to $2,500 | Very high | Fully yours |
Real Case Study:
A Charlotte family moving a 3-bedroom home to Tampa quoted themselves at $1,800 for a DIY rental. By the time they added fuel ($340), two hotel nights ($210), packing materials ($180), loading help ($400), and a television that did not survive the trip, the real number was $3,100. Moving Hub had quoted them $4,600 full service. For $1,500 more they got professional packing, no heavy lifting, and delivery in two days instead of four. After the move they said the math was closer than they expected going in.
One price. One truck. One crew that works for us, not a broker’s dispatch list. Call 980-279-5945 or visit moving-hub.net to book your binding estimate.
The 6 Things That Move Your Final Price Up or Down
Is full service moving worth the cost?
- Home size and total weight — Weight drives cost more than any other single variable. More weight means more fuel, more crew hours, and a bigger truck.
- Distance — Under 100 miles bills hourly. Over 100 miles bills by weight and mileage. Know which pricing model applies before you compare quotes.
- Time of year — May through September and weekends cost 20 to 30 percent more. Moving on a Tuesday in November costs less than moving on a Saturday in July. That gap is real money.
- Packing scope — Full packing, partial packing, and self-pack each carry a different price. Make sure every quote you compare uses the same packing scope or the numbers mean nothing.
- Access at both ends — Stairs, long carries, tight driveways, and elevator waits all trigger extra charges. Tell your carrier about every access challenge during the survey, not on moving day.
- Carrier vs. broker — A broker dispatches your job to a third party and takes a cut. Moving Hub is a licensed direct carrier. The crew that surveys your home is the crew that loads and delivers it.
Expert Tip from Brendan Thomas: “Declutter before your survey. We price long-distance moves by weight. A client who cleared out their garage and two storage closets before we came to survey saved $480 off their final bill. That is not a small number. If you have not used something in two years, it should not be on our truck.”
How to Get a Quote That Actually Holds
How do I use a full service move cost calculator online?
Online calculators are a starting point. They are not a price. Your average cost of full service movers is built on the actual weight of your shipment, and no calculator knows that without a survey.
What gets you a number that holds at delivery:
- Book an in-home or virtual survey with a licensed direct carrier
- Walk every room, every closet, the garage, and the attic
- Name every specialty item before the survey ends, not after it
- Get a binding estimate in writing before you sign anything
- Confirm line by line what is included and what triggers an extra charge
- Run the USDOT number through the FMCSA SAFER System before you commit
Read our guide on how to verify a moving company’s USDOT number before booking any carrier. It takes five minutes and has saved clients from companies that had no business handling an interstate move.
Moving Hub (USDOT #3699092, MC #1293570) gives you a binding estimate after a complete survey. That number does not change at the truck.
Hidden Fees and How Moving Hub Eliminates Them
The full service moving price breakdown you get from a broker often looks nothing like what shows up at delivery. Here is what gets added after the truck is already loaded:
- Fuel surcharges not mentioned at booking, usually $50 to $150 on long-distance jobs
- Stair fees per flight added at delivery, $50 to $75 each
- Long-carry charges when the truck parks more than 75 feet from your door
- Reweigh fees when the shipment comes in heavier than the phone estimate predicted
- Storage fees when the delivery window falls apart
Moving Hub does not use subcontractors. We do not hand your move off after booking. No fee appears at delivery that was not in your written estimate. What we quote is what you pay.
Also see our post on how much moving companies near me charge if you are still comparing options.
FAQs: Full Service Moving Costs
How much does full service moving cost?
Full service moving cost in 2026 ranges from $1,200 for a small local move to $12,000 or more for a large cross-country relocation. The average for a 2 to 3 bedroom home moving interstate is $3,500 to $6,000 with packing, loading, transport, and unloading included.
What is included in a full service move?
A full service move covers professional packing, all packing materials, loading, transportation, and unloading. Unpacking, specialty item handling, and storage are priced separately.
How much does full service moving cost for a 2 bedroom house?
Full service moving cost for a 2 bedroom house runs $1,200 to $2,500 locally and $3,500 to $7,500 for a 1,000-mile interstate move. The final number depends on shipment weight, distance, and any add-on services.
Get Your Exact Full Service Moving Cost from Moving Hub
You have the numbers. Now get the one that is actually yours.
Moving Hub is a licensed direct carrier (USDOT #3699092, MC #1293570) based in Charlotte, NC. We run our own fleet, employ our own crews, and deliver without handing your move to anyone else.
One survey. One binding estimate. No broker cut. No surprises at the door.
Call 980-279-5945 or visit moving-hub.net and book your free estimate today.
See our Long Distance Moving Services and Apartment Moving Services for the full range of what we cover.
About the Author
Brendan Thomas | Senior Moving Consultant, Moving Hub
Brendan Thomas has 10 years in the moving industry working local and long-distance relocations before joining Moving Hub. He has run hundreds of residential and interstate moves and seen firsthand where costs go wrong for families who book without the right information. When Brendan breaks down pricing, hidden fees, or the difference between a carrier and a broker, it comes from a decade of doing this job.
