How to Move Across the Country: 5 Options, From Cheapest to Most Expensive
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Dena Landon Contributing AuthorClose
Dena Landon Contributing AuthorDena Landon is a writer with over 10 years of experience and has had bylines appear in The Washington Post, Salon, Good Housekeeping and more. A homeowner and real estate investor herself, Dena's bought and sold four homes, worked in property management for other investors, and has written over 200 articles on real estate.
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Taryn Tacher Senior EditorClose
Taryn Tacher Senior EditorTaryn Tacher is the senior editorial operations manager and senior editor for HomeLight's Resource Centers. With eight years of editorial and operations experience, she previously managed editorial operations at Contently and content partnerships at Conde Nast. Taryn holds a bachelor's from the University of Florida College of Journalism, and she's written for GQ, Teen Vogue, Glamour, Allure, and Variety.
At HomeLight, our vision is a world where every real estate transaction is simple, certain, and satisfying. Therefore, we promote strict editorial integrity in each of our posts.
You’ve always wanted to move across the country and now you’re ready to take that step — but, do you really know how much it’s going to cost? Do you know how you’re going to do it, exactly?
Peter Chiarkas is an agent in Pennsylvania who’s spent 24 years helping professors relocate from around the country to Penn State. He recommends “only working with the best Realtors; they’re going to know the best people to use, so you’ll have a good experience getting across the country.” He points out that there are many more variables involved when moving 1,000 miles versus 10 miles across town.
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The cost of a move depends upon several factors: The weight of all your belongings, the distance traveled, and how long the move takes. Here are five options for how to move across the country, with our best estimates at cost.
Go as minimal as possible
Need to move as cheaply as possible? Go minimal. Basically, you sell everything you possibly can so you’re packing a suitcase or maybe just one car full of items.
Luckily, you’ve got several options for downsizing and getting rid of your things. The easiest is just to give everything away.
Ask friends if they need a new couch, or put your dining room table out by the curb. You can also cart stuff off to donation centers, and some charities will now come to your house to pick up larger objects.
You can always sell it if the thought of just giving away that thousand-dollar couch makes you cringe. The internet has made it easier to get rid of stuff, from Craigslist to Facebook Marketplace, with apps like Decluttr or Poshmark for smaller items and clothing. Furniture consignment stores take larger pieces, while pawn shops are great for electronics and jewelry.
Auction services and junk clearance companies will clear out the house for a fee, too, if even that seems too much for you. (But then you’re paying someone to take, and likely resell your stuff.) If you have a few weeks’ notice before moving, list everything you can for sale at bargain prices and dedicate time to getting rid of it.
What if you haven’t sold your house before you have to move? Chiarkas advises picking an agent who will maintain and check in on your property, probably the biggest asset you have. If they don’t, “It’s almost like a financial advisor not looking after your portfolio.”
After you’ve gone minimal, you’ll need to get from point A to point B. You can pack up your remaining stuff in a car and drive cross-country, or take a flight for a few hundred dollars.
Drive it yourself
Hitch a trailer behind your car and road trip! You might avoid the major expense of a per-mile rate and try to complete your move for a budget of $20 to $50, but you’ll probably have to do some downsizing to make it happen. Need more room? Rent a truck.
If you’ve ever seen moving trucks driving around your city with out-of-state plates, they might have been part of someone’s cross-country move. Renting a truck to transport your stuff is a standard way to move. Rental companies charge daily rates by the truck size, plus mileage — which ranges from $1 to $2 per mile.
For a cross-country move, you’ll need to factor in gas extra insurance, and possibly tolls. With so many variables, it’s hard to estimate the cost. Renting a moving truck can range from $20 to $3,500, depending on factors like the rental company, vehicle size, and distance of your move.
If you don’t have a home yet on the other end of your journey, don’t rush into buying. When newcomers to his town contact Chiarkas, he sets them up in a short-term rental, so they can get familiar with the area. After about six months, they go out and start searching for a new home.
Ship it
Renting a shipping container and filling it with your stuff has become a common way of moving. The company drops the shipping container off at your house, you have a few days or weeks to fill it, and then call them to come to pick it up when you’re ready. On average, shipping a moving container in the U.S. costs around $3,000. However, the final cost may vary based on your household size and whether the move is local or out of state, and shipping a moving container overseas can range from roughly $1,400 to nearly $6,900 in costs.
One big plus to moving like this is that you can take your time. No more rushing to get boxes packed up and taped before a moving company shows up. You pay a monthly fee (based on container size) as long as it sits at your house, then you pay for transport, and then you’ll pay to keep it at your new place until it’s unloaded. Think of shipping pods as portable storage units.
If you’re a bibliophile, shipping your books through media mail can be the most cost-effective way to move them across the country. The post office charges cut rates to send books, which are heavy and can add to the cost of a move based upon weight.
Full-service relocation plan
If your new employer has given you a relocation bonus, money might be less of an issue. Larger corporations sometimes contract with moving companies and relocation services for relocations, and you might not have to do anything to move. Full-service companies pack up your house, arrange for transport, and unpack upon arrival.
To cut the cost of using a moving company, book them for a midday, or midweek move. Weekend moves always cost more. Keep in mind, that the total weight of your stuff impacts the move’s cost, so you still might want to downsize before calling the movers.
When these companies contract with a corporation, they offer discounted rates and other incentives. The cost of a cross-country move with top moving companies varies, usually falling between $1,500 and $15,000. The final cost hinges on the volume of belongings and the distance of the move. However, there are ways to make the move more budget-friendly.
Hybrid option
Just like there’s more than one answer to how to move across the country, you don’t have to choose only one of them. Sometimes, picking a mix of options works best.
Pack your larger furniture into a shipping container, have your car transported, mailboxes of essentials that you’ll need before the shipping container arrives, and pack a suitcase with clothes for a few weeks. Or, drive across the country with clothing and household items in the trunk.
The best way to plan your cross-country move is to combine saving money with practical needs. Plan on doing some research, and getting multiple quotes, before making your final decision.
Cautions for moving across the country
Unfortunately, a lot of things can go wrong with a cross-country move.
Check contracts carefully
Let’s say you submit your information and get a quote online, then book the movers. They show up and ask you to sign an additional contract to acknowledge that they’ve loaded your stuff. Three weeks later, they still haven’t arrived at your destination. What gives?
When using subcontractors, many moving companies allow the subcontractors’ contract to supersede their contracts. That contract you signed extended your moving time from the promised two weeks to… two months. And you’re now stuck waiting.
Ask if your moving company uses subcontractors, read the fine print, and specifically inquire about moving timeframes. While most companies build in a few extra days for unpredictable road conditions and traffic, it goes without saying that a delay of two months is unacceptable.
Be prepared for the cost to increase
Do you know how much your dining room table weighs? Probably not, and the bathroom scale won’t be any help. Most people underestimate the total weight of their belongings, which is why downsizing before a move is such a good idea. When you get an estimate, plan on paying at least $500 more.
Watch for payment methods
If you charge your move, you can contest the charges with your credit card company. Movers know this, and they also know that many customers are upset when the move ends up costing much more than expected. While they’ll allow you to pay your deposit by credit card, they may demand cash, money orders, or a cashier’s check upon delivery.
Again, read your contract. If you haven’t opened a bank account in your new city, how are you going to get a cashier’s check? And do you really want to sit in an empty house with $3,500 in cash for your movers?
If the contract states you can pay by credit card, push back against their demand that you pay cash. Cite sections of the contract that specify what forms of payment are accepted into payment into an email.
If you use a shipping service, this won’t be an issue.
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Breathe deep and move
Moving is stressful — period. While our tips will help you alleviate some of the stress, be gentle with any partners or family during this time. Eventually, you’ll be moving into your brand-new home and realizing exciting opportunities. No matter how you get there!
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