Local moves, US
Local movers: what an hourly move costs, how the clock runs, and where the bill grows
The reviewer-reported median for a local move is $2,600, from 109 priced reviews in a set of 109 reviews of 96 movers as of 21 Sept 2026. The hourly rate is the least useful number on the page, because the minimum, the travel time, and the crew size decide whether you land near that median.
Anthony BaleMoving industry professional, author and writerReviewed 22 September 2026
What a local move costs
Your price is on paper after a walk-through, or it is a guess.
September 2026 rate cards are not your price. Seven sites print seven hourly rates that disagree by three times. None of them is your price. Your price is on paper after a walk-through, or it is a guess. Quoted as September 2026 rate cards and not as our number, the pages put two movers and a truck at $80 to $200 per hour, three movers at $120 to $280, and four at $160 to $360. Minimums run two to four hours, and a travel fee is often one hour. Haulest is not a mover or a carrier. Reviewers typed a median of $2,600 from 109 priced reviews.
The local median sits beside the rest of the corpus for a reason. Reviewer-typed prices are self-reported, skewed toward long-distance moves and toward people with something to say, and the reported price is the whole move the review describes, not a service line alone. Same-state medians were $1,500 in 2025 and $1,870 in 2026 to date; interstate medians were $4,500 and $4,530. Over-quote language shows up in 4.8% of priced reviews since 2025, at a median of $4,965. A planning band by home size sits in the table on this page. The hourly calculator and the cost calculator are where you test a crew and a clock, and the national cost page holds the wider set.
Research planning bands, US, as of September 2026. Planning range, not a bid. Research fallback. Not a first-party median. Compiled in September 2026 from published industry tables and public quote examples. A phone survey still wins.
| Home size | Local / under 50 miles | 50–400 miles | 400–1,000 miles | 1,000–2,000 miles | 2,000+ miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $450–$950 | $1,400–$2,600 | $1,800–$3,400 | $2,200–$4,000 | $2,800–$5,000 |
| 1 bedroom | $700–$1,400 | $1,800–$3,400 | $2,400–$4,300 | $3,000–$5,200 | $3,600–$6,400 |
| 2 bedroom | $1,100–$2,200 | $2,400–$4,300 | $3,200–$5,600 | $4,000–$7,200 | $4,800–$8,600 |
| 3 bedroom | $1,700–$3,200 | $3,200–$5,800 | $4,300–$7,600 | $5,400–$9,400 | $6,400–$11,200 |
| 4+ bedroom | $2,400–$4,500 | $4,200–$7,600 | $5,600–$9,800 | $7,000–$12,000 | $8,200–$14,500 |
Source: Haulest research bands, September 2026 (not a first-party median).
How hourly pricing works
The desk reads local reviews every week.
The clock starts before the first box leaves the floor. September 2026 rate cards bill a minimum of two to four hours, and travel is often billed as one hour, sometimes each way. The desk reads local reviews every week. The repeated story is the two-mover crew that turns into four hours of travel time and a third mover nobody agreed to. Crew size is the lever: the crew size guide is the short version of why a third person can finish inside the minimum instead of stretching it. Stairs, a long carry, and a building with no elevator are the other lever, and they belong in the walk-through, not as a surprise at the truck.
The calendar moves the rate before the truck does. A Saturday in summer is a different card from a Tuesday in February, which is why the weekday price guide and the booking window guide belong next to the hourly quote. Fuel is a real cost and not a blank line: EIA diesel was $5.60 for the week of 31 Aug 2026, and a carrier who adds a fuel line should show the math, not fold it into a longer clock. Extra fees that appear only when the truck is full are catalogued in the hidden fees guide. If the quote is labor with your own truck, the labor only page is the closer comparison.
What reviews say goes wrong
People write when the day went perfectly and when a dresser met a doorframe.
Damage is the line that shows up most often. In the local set, 32.1% of reviews mention damage, 14.7% mention a delay, and 10.1% mention a bill that grew past the quote. The rating split is blunt: 65.1% are five-star and 31.2% are one-or-two-star, against a mean of 3.70 across 109 reviews of 96 movers. Read that pattern in the US review index before you treat a star count as a promise. The phone quote that becomes a different number when the truck is full is the story that repeats after the stairs story.
A high five-star share and a high damage share can sit in the same pile. People write when the day went perfectly and when a dresser met a doorframe. That mix is why a single star on a profile is a weak filter for a same-city job. The mover strip is sorted by review volume, with the rubric printed beside it, and it is not a best-of list. We do not hand out best badges, because a badge would hide the 31.2% who had a bad day. If you want the company pages themselves, start at reviewed movers and then read the estimate the way the estimate guide describes, line by line, before a deposit.
What these reviews mention: US reviews dated since January 2024 whose text describes this service (n 109, 96 movers). Corpus as of 21 Sept 2026. Self-reported.
| Signal | Share or value |
|---|---|
| Mean rating | 3.70 |
| Rated five stars | 65.1% |
| Rated one or two stars | 31.2% |
| Mentions damage | 32.1% |
| Mentions a delay or no-show | 14.7% |
| Mentions a bill that grew | 10.1% |
| Median reported price (whole move) | $2,600, 109 priced |
Source: Haulest licensed review file (MoveAdvisor), 21 Sept 2026 (text signals, self-reported).
Who regulates a local move
A carrier who cannot name the permit is a reason to keep shopping.
A local move is a state matter, not a federal one. Moves that stay inside one state are regulated by that state, through tariffs, licences, and hourly rules, not by FMCSA household-goods authority. FMCSA still publishes the national roll: 9,119 active holders as of 22 Sept 2026, of which 900 are brokers or broker-and-carrier. Those brokers belong on interstate jobs. They do not belong on a local job, where you are hiring the crew that shows up, not a desk that sells the lead. The state desks for Texas, California, and New York are where the licence rules actually live.
A licence is a number you can look up before the deposit, not a logo on the truck. Ask for the state household-goods permit and match the legal name to the estimate. In California, the MAX 4 tariff includes the double drive time rule, which means the drive between the old place and the new one can be billed twice, out and back. That is a clock rule, and it is why a California hourly quote can look short until the travel lines are written down. Other states write their own tariffs; follow the state desk rather than a national script. A carrier who cannot name the permit is a reason to keep shopping.
From the review file
Local movers with recent reviews
How this list was made. Every mover here has an active FMCSA household-goods record that matches the USDOT on its profile, at least 10 reviews on record, at least two held reviews that describe a local, same-city, or hourly job. Fewer than three movers met the full bar for this service, so the bar is looser here and says so. Sorted by how many matching reviews each mover has, not by rating. Corpus as of 21 Sept 2026. Not a ranking and not a recommendation.
| Mover | Based | Record | Matching reviews | All reviews | Median reported, matching reviews | Last |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jake's Moving & Storage LLC | Rockville, MD | CarrierUSDOT 1875922 | 3 | 1864.8 mean, dated | $995 | 11 Mar 2021 |
| Next Stop Moving & Storage | Taylor, TX | CarrierUSDOT 3756197 | 3 | 1364.6 mean, dated | $6,854 | 4 Mar 2024 |
| William B. Meyer | Stratford, CT | CarrierUSDOT 17847 | 3 | 1254.9 mean, dated | $3,300 | 10 May 2024 |
| 3 Brothers Moving & Storage | Maitland, FL | BrokerUSDOT 3840883 | 3 | 841.4 mean, dated | $3,113 | 28 Apr 2025 |
| ShipSmart | Aptos, CA | BrokerUSDOT 2226241 | 3 | 722.6 mean, dated | $2,025 | 20 Dec 2021 |
| DC Pro Moving and Storage | Silver Spring, MD | CarrierUSDOT 2067172 | 3 | 293.2 mean, dated | $400 | 28 Jun 2021 |
| Goal Line Moving | Osseo, MN | CarrierUSDOT 2926126 | 3 | 215.0 mean, dated | $715 | 10 Jun 2022 |
| Leaders Moving and Storage | Columbus, OH | CarrierUSDOT 1237577 | 3 | 162.4 mean, dated | $3,500 | 30 Aug 2022 |
| Fresh Start - The Moving Crew | Worcester, MA | CarrierUSDOT 2407387 | 3 | 135.0 mean, dated | $800 | 9 Sept 2022 |
| Hawaiian Moving Pros | Los Angeles, CA | CarrierUSDOT 1826833 | 2 | 2084.5 mean, dated | $1,870 | 20 Apr 2026 |
| Northern Elite Van Lines | Belleville, NJ | CarrierUSDOT 3291364 | 2 | 1574.1 mean, dated | $5,160 | 16 Dec 2025 |
| Zip Moving and Storage | Rockville, MD | CarrierUSDOT 2586700 | 2 | 1284.6 mean, dated | $1,800 | 25 Aug 2025 |
| American Relocation LLC | Halethorpe, MD | CarrierUSDOT 2356555 | 2 | 1064.3 mean, dated | $2,250 | 6 Dec 2025 |
| Choice Vanline | Campus Drive Suite, NJ | CarrierUSDOT 4528356 | 2 | 813.9 mean, dated | $9,998 | 17 Sept 2026 |
| Transit Systems Inc | Wayne, PA | BrokerUSDOT 517872 | 2 | 803.3 mean, dated | $1,800 | 21 Jun 2021 |
Sources: Haulest licensed review file (MoveAdvisor), 21 Sept 2026; FMCSA Licensing and Insurance, household-goods authority (record column).
Recent reviews
Three recent local reviews
1 of 5 · 17 Sept 2026 · reported $9,174
“I appreciated the customer service, but the movers lacked urgency. They moved extremely slowly and handled very little at a time. For such a small move and short distance, 4 hours was unacceptable. I won't be using this company again.”
5 of 5 · 14 Sept 2026 · reported $3,450
“I recently used Americas Choice Moving Group for my local move, and the experience was excellent. The movers arrived on time, handled my belongings carefully, and worked efficiently from start to finish. The team was professional, friendly, and respectful of my home. I would recommend Americas…”
5 of 5 · 6 Sept 2026 · reported $3,450
“From the initial phone call to the final move, every person on their team I interacted with was extremely helpful, and I had a great moving process that saved me a lot of stress. The moving crew, Tyler and Aiden, were highly efficient, accommodating, and professional - they are great at their jobs…”
The paper that protects you
If those lines are missing, you are holding a guess with a letterhead.
The paper is an hourly estimate that names the crew and the minimum. It should say how many movers, the hourly rate, the minimum block in hours, whether travel is one way or both, and what happens if the clock runs past the block. If those lines are missing, you are holding a guess with a letterhead. The estimate reading guide walks the page in the order the charges actually hit. Get it in writing before any deposit, and keep the version you signed, not the one from the first phone call.
Valuation is the line that decides what a broken table is worth. Released value and full value protection are different products, and the valuation guide is the plain version of the choice. A local job still deserves a bill of lading: inventory, condition, and the charges you agreed to. The bill of lading guide covers what to check before the truck leaves. Packing charged by the carton is a separate scope; if the crew is wrapping, price it on the packing page rather than letting it melt into the hourly clock. A tip is optional and comes after the bill matches the estimate, which the tipping guide treats as a last step, not a fee.
How to pick one
A company that will not put the clock rules in writing is telling you how the day will go.
Five checks, then you pick up the phone. One: the legal name matches a state licence. Two: the written estimate names crew size, the hourly rate, the minimum, and travel. Three: someone walked the place, or the quote is labeled as a guess. Four: valuation is chosen in writing, and a bill of lading is part of the job, not a favor. Five: you can see local reviews that describe a same-city move, including the ones that mention damage or a bill that grew. The US review index is the fastest way into that last check. Stop if any of the first four is missing.
The call is where the paper either holds or folds. Ask them to read the crew size, the minimum hours, and the travel rule back to you, and write down what they say. If a third mover or a second travel hour appears only now, you are hearing the review pattern before the truck arrives. Compare that reading with the hourly calculator so the block you were quoted has an outside number next to it. Then stop talking and look at the signed page. A company that will not put the clock rules in writing is telling you how the day will go.
Before you hire
Four checks before a deposit
Written estimate after a look
Interstate movers must give the booklet and a written estimate after a survey or a full description. A $499 ad is not an estimate.
FMCSA Protect Your MoveLegal name matches SAFER
USDOT on the paper, the truck doors, and the census. A different name is the walk.
USDOT / Companies House lookupWalk from cash and blank paper
FTC: unregistered interstate, huge deposit, cash only, or a blank contract. Photograph and leave.
FTC: hiring a mover110% on a COD non-binding job
Pay up to 110% plus agreed extras and they must hand over the load. Not a cap on extras you signed.
US interstate rules
Reviewed by Anthony Bale, 22 September 2026. Corpus as of 21 Sept 2026; FMCSA authority as of 22 Sept 2026; planning bands as of September 2026. Drafted with Grok 4.7 (Cursor agent CLI) on 2026-09-22, then edited.
Sources
Links go to the publisher. Haulest does not add findings. Checked September 2026; if the live page moved, believe the agency.
Ask out loud
Questions people ask
- How much do local movers cost per hour?
- September 2026 rate cards, which are not our number, put two movers and a truck at $80 to $200 per hour, three movers at $120 to $280, and four at $160 to $360. Those cards disagree by a wide margin, so none of them is the price you will pay. Your price is the written hourly rate after a walk-through, plus the minimum and the travel time. Reviewers reported a median of $2,600 from 109 priced reviews.
- How do the minimum and travel time work?
- September 2026 rate cards use minimums of two to four hours, and a travel fee is often one hour, sometimes charged each way. In California the MAX 4 tariff adds a double drive time rule, so the drive can be billed out and back. The clock can therefore be mostly travel before a box moves. Ask for the crew size, the minimum, and the travel rule in writing before you pay a deposit.
- What did reviewers pay for a local move?
- Across 109 local reviews of 96 movers, the mean rating is 3.70. Among 109 priced reviews, the median reported for the job is $2,600. Same-state medians in the wider corpus were $1,500 in 2025 and $1,870 in 2026 to date, with interstate medians of $4,500 and $4,530. Over-quote language appears in 4.8% of priced reviews since 2025, at a median of $4,965.
- What goes wrong most often in local reviews?
- In this local set, 32.1% of reviews mention damage, 14.7% mention a delay, and 10.1% mention a bill above the quote. 65.1% are five-star and 31.2% are one-or-two-star. The pattern that keeps showing up is a phone quote that changes when the truck is full, usually because travel time or an extra mover was never written down. Stars alone will not show you that.
- Who regulates a local mover?
- A move that stays inside one state is regulated by that state, not by FMCSA. The federal roll still matters as context: 9,119 active household-goods authority holders as of 22 Sept 2026, of which 900 are brokers or broker-and-carrier. Brokers fit interstate work. On a local job, hire the licensed carrier whose crew will load the truck, and match the legal name on the estimate to the state permit.
- What should be in writing before a deposit?
- Get an hourly estimate that names the crew size, the rate, the minimum block, and how travel is billed. Choose valuation in writing, and expect a bill of lading even on a local job. If the paper does not say what happens when the clock runs long, you are looking at a guess. Keep the signed version, then have the company read those lines back on the call before the truck is booked.
Next
Keep going
- What movers costWhat 3,187 people said they paid since 2025.
- Hourly estimatorCrew size, hours, and the minimum, on paper.
- Cost calculatorYour size and distance, number first, no form.
- Crew sizeTwo, three, or four, and what changes.
- Weekday priceTuesday against Saturday.
- When to bookPeak, month end, and the calendar.
- How to read an estimateBinding, non-binding, and the weight line.
- Hidden moving feesThe lines that turn a quote into a bill.
- Tipping moversWhat people do, by crew and day.
About Anthony Bale
A moving industry professional, author and writer. Anthony has been at different positions in the industry for the last 10 years, gaining significant knowledge on the relocation process. He himself has moved 6 times already, which helped him explore the other side of the moving process.
At Haulest he writes the US cost, hiring, and rights pages, reading the licensed review file every week so the numbers on the page are the numbers people reported.
Call for a written local quote
From, then To. Date and home size after that. A person on the phone is faster if you already know the dates.
+1 (866) 961-9682Free quote, a person answersHaulest is not a carrier. We connect you to movers.
Haulest is a research desk and quote line. We are not a carrier.