Full-Service Movers Cost in 2026
By the Moving Company Estimate data team · Last updated July 2026 · Methodology
Short answer: full-service movers, they pack, load, haul, and reassemble everything, cost $550–$5,650 for a local move in 2026 and $1,550–$17,700+ long-distance. The packing add-on itself runs $270–$1,750 by home size; the rest is standard hourly or weight-based moving cost.
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What "full-service" actually buys
A standard move: the crew loads what you packed. Full service means professionals show up a day early with boxes, paper, and tape, pack every cabinet and closet, wrap the furniture, load, haul, place everything by room, reassemble beds, and haul away the cartons. You're paying for roughly 40–60 hours of packing labor you don't do, and shifting breakage liability for box contents to the mover, since carrier-packed boxes get far better claims treatment than owner-packed ones.
Local full-service cost by home size
Figures from our rate model, hourly crew cost plus the size-scaled packing fee (shown per row), same engine as the calculator:
| Home size | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio (packing +$270) | $550 | $675 | $825 |
| 1 Bedroom (packing +$380) | $750 | $925 | $1,125 |
| 2 Bedroom (packing +$620) | $1,400 | $1,700 | $2,075 |
| 3 Bedroom (packing +$950) | $2,000 | $2,425 | $2,950 |
| 4 Bedroom (packing +$1,350) | $3,025 | $3,700 | $4,525 |
| 5+ Bedroom (packing +$1,750) | $3,800 | $4,625 | $5,650 |
Long-distance full-service cost
At ~1,000 miles (Chicago→Dallas, NYC→Chicago class routes):
| Home size | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,550 | $1,875 | $2,300 |
| 1 Bedroom | $2,050 | $2,500 | $3,050 |
| 2 Bedroom | $3,175 | $3,875 | $4,725 |
| 3 Bedroom | $4,675 | $5,700 | $6,950 |
| 4 Bedroom | $6,425 | $7,850 | $9,575 |
| 5+ Bedroom | $7,900 | $9,625 | $11,750 |
Coast to coast (~2,700 miles):
| Home size | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $2,500 | $3,050 | $3,725 |
| 1 Bedroom | $3,300 | $4,025 | $4,900 |
| 2 Bedroom | $4,925 | $6,000 | $7,325 |
| 3 Bedroom | $7,275 | $8,875 | $10,825 |
| 4 Bedroom | $9,750 | $11,875 | $14,500 |
| 5+ Bedroom | $11,900 | $14,500 | $17,700 |
What's still extra
- Unpacking and debris removal, often bundled on premium tiers, otherwise quoted per hour.
- Storage-in-transit, about $220for the first month in our model, if your new home isn't ready.
- Specialty items, pianos, safes, and oversized art carry flat fees of $200–$600+ each, even on full-service jobs.
- Full-value protection, the default liability is 60¢ per pound; replacement-value coverage typically adds 1–2% of your declared value and is worth pricing on any full-service move.
When it's worth it, and how to trim it
The bigger the home, the better the deal: on a 4-bedroom house, the $1,350 packing fee is a small slice of a five-figure relocation and saves you a full week. On a studio, it nearly doubles the bill. The smart middle path is partial packing: have the crew pack the kitchen, art, and mirrors, the hardest, highest-breakage rooms, and do the closets and books yourself in labeled boxes. Most companies will quote "fragile-only packing" at roughly a third of the full fee.
What full-service move week actually looks like
Day one, a packing crew (usually 2–3 packers, separate from your moving crew) works room by room: 4–6 hours for an apartment, a full day for a 3-bedroom house. Everything gets labeled by room and logged on the inventory, check that log before signing, because it's the document any claim lives or dies on. Day two is load day; your only jobs are pointing, keeping pets and kids clear, and doing the final walkthrough (attic, dishwasher, crawl space, the classic left-behinds). At delivery, crews place furniture and reassemble what they took apart; boxes go to the labeled rooms, opened only if you bought unpacking. Two practical tips: photograph screens and glass before packing day for claims evidence, and set aside a clearly-marked "do not pack" zone, passports, keys, and laptops have ended up in mover-sealed cartons in exactly the homes that skipped this step.
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- Your estimate is yours to keep either way
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FAQ
With full packing included, a local full-service move runs about $550 (studio) to $5,650 (5-bedroom) in 2026. Long-distance, a 2-bedroom at 1,000 miles costs $3,175–$4,725, and a large home coast to coast can exceed $14,500.
Everything: packing materials and labor, furniture disassembly, loading, transport, unloading, reassembly, and debris pickup. Unpacking service is usually offered but often quoted separately. You supervise; they do the work.
In our 2026 model, professional packing adds $270 for a studio, $380 for a 1-bedroom, $620 for a 2-bedroom, $950 for a 3-bedroom, $1,350 for a 4-bedroom, and $1,750 for a 5-bedroom-plus home, including materials.
The break-even is your time and risk: packing a 3-bedroom home yourself takes 40–60 hours. If an employer is paying, you're moving on a deadline, or the packing fee is under what your time is worth, full service usually wins. Mover-packed boxes also get stronger claims treatment when things break.