Moving Cost Calculator
What a move will cost: the truck, the movers, the boxes and a buffer for surprises.
Good to know. Movers charge by the hour, and the hours run while the sofa is stuck on the stairs. Measure the doors first.
How it works
In plain words
Add the truck hire for each day and the fuel, the movers (people × hours × rate), packing supplies and other costs, then add the buffer.
The formula
subtotal = hire × days + fuel + movers × hours × rate + packing + other total = subtotal × (1 + buffer)
Worked example
Two days of truck hire (240) and 150 of fuel, three movers for 6 hours at 40 (720), 150 for packing and 100 for the rest come to 1,360. With a 10% buffer the move costs 1,496.00.
Sources
No outside data or rates: this is plain arithmetic.
2 automated tests check its answers on every change.
About the moving cost calculator
A move is a handful of costs that are easy to underestimate one by one. This calculator adds them up: the vehicle, the fuel, the people, the packing, and the small things like a parking permit for the truck or a cleaner for the old place.
Labour is usually the biggest part and the hardest to guess, because it is paid by the hour. A one-bedroom flat often takes two or three movers a few hours; a family house can take a full day. Stairs, long walks from the door to the truck and furniture that has to come apart all add time, and so does packing on the day. Having everything boxed and labelled before the movers arrive is the cheapest saving there is.
For a long-distance move, many companies quote by weight or volume and distance instead of by the hour. Get two or three quotes, ask whether they are fixed or estimates, and check what insurance is included.
The buffer covers the things nobody plans for. Count the boxes with the moving boxes calculator, and work out the fuel with the fuel cost calculator.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to move?
It depends on the size of the home and the distance. Add the truck, fuel, movers and packing; the example comes to about 1,500 with a buffer.
How many movers do I need?
Two for a small flat, three or four for a house. More people finish faster, so the cost per hour rises but the hours fall.
How can I make a move cheaper?
Pack before moving day, give away what you won’t use, move midweek or mid-month, and get several quotes.