How much does a move to Chicago cost?

In this file the median for a move into Chicago is $3,500 across 191 priced reviews. A move that stays inside Illinois has a median of $905 across 98 priced reviews. Distance, weight, and access will push a real quote off that median.

How much does it cost to leave Chicago?

The median for moves out of Chicago is $3,500 across 233 priced reviews. The destinations named most often are Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; Dallas, TX. If the move leaves Illinois, it is interstate and federal rules under USDOT and FMCSA apply.

When do Chicago move reviews pile up?

Reviews cluster in Jun, May, Aug and thin out in Nov, Feb, Jan. Those dates are when the review was posted, usually a few weeks after the move. Book earlier if your move date sits near the busier months.

What do Chicago move reviews warn about?

The access problems named most are stairs and walk-ups, elevators, parking and truck access. 29.6% of these reviews mention damage, and the mean rating is 3.19. Tell the mover about access before the quote so the price is built on the real building.

Moving day in Chicago: two working movers in plain navy T-shirts, work trousers and boots carry a modest dining table toward the entrance.

Moving to

Moving to or from Chicago, IL

Haulest keeps 490 reviews of a move into or out of Chicago, dated 2017 to 3 Nov 2026. Haulest is not a carrier, and the priced reviews show a median of $3,500 coming in, $3,500 going out, and $905 for a move that stays inside Illinois.

Anthony BaleMoving industry professional, author and writerReviewed 2026-09-24

Moving to Chicago

The median for a move into Chicago is $3,500 across 191 priced reviews.

Inbound origins cluster around Los Angeles, CA; Phoenix, AZ; New York, NY. The median for a move into Chicago is $3,500 across 191 priced reviews. Jobs that stay inside Illinois land at a median of $905 across 98 priced reviews. Check moving costs before you treat either figure as your own quote.

Price parity sits above the US baseline. The 2024 BEA figure for the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN metro is 103.6, against a US baseline of 100. Illinois as a whole is 100.0. That parity covers everyday prices, not the truck bill. If you are weighing the move, try the move or stay calculator.

What reviewers paid, Chicago. A median needs 10 priced reviews. Reviews dated 2017 to 3 Nov 2026.

Move	Median paid	Priced reviews
Into Chicago from elsewhere	$3,500	191
Out of Chicago	$3,500	233
From Chicago within the state	$905	98
Price level, Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN (US = 100)	103.6	BEA 2024

Sources: Haulest review file, 3 Nov 2026 (reviewer-reported whole-move prices); US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, read 2024.

Top-rated movers in Chicago

Each has 5+ reviews and 4.0+ stars. Movers reviewed in the last 3 years come first, then by rating weighted by how many reviews back it. No mover pays to be on this list.

Get free quotes from Chicago movers See all 52 movers in Chicago

Moving out of Chicago

The median cost of leaving Chicago is $3,500 across 233 priced reviews.

Outbound moves most often land in Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; Dallas, TX. The median cost of leaving Chicago is $3,500 across 233 priced reviews. A move that leaves Illinois is interstate, so federal rules (USDOT, FMCSA) apply. A move that stays inside the state follows Illinois rules on the state page.

Posted reviews cluster in Jun, May, Aug and thin out in Nov, Feb, Jan. The file dates the review, usually a few weeks after the move, so the quiet months are a softer window for booking. Ask for a quote early if your date falls in the busier cluster. A peak season check helps you see how timing changes the bill.

Where reviewers came from and went, Chicago.

Moved in from	Reviews	Moved out to	Reviews
Los Angeles, CA	11	Los Angeles, CA	6
Phoenix, AZ	7	New York, NY	6
New York, NY	6	Dallas, TX	6
Miami, FL	5	San Francisco, CA	5
San Diego, CA	4	Atlanta, GA	4

Source: Haulest review file, 3 Nov 2026 (reviewer-reported whole-move prices).

Reviews of Chicago moves by the month they were posted.

29Jan

29Feb

31Mar

51Apr

52May

53Jun

44Jul

52Aug

45Sep

43Oct

26Nov

35Dec

What makes a Chicago move harder

Damage shows up in 29.6% of these reviews, and the mean rating across the file is 3.19.

Name the access limits up front. Reviews of Chicago moves most often cite stairs and walk-ups, elevators, parking and truck access. Send that detail with the inventory, before anyone prices the job, so the quote matches the building and the street. If the first number assumes an easy unload, the second number will not share the joke. See how to read a moving estimate.

Damage shows up in 29.6% of these reviews, and the mean rating across the file is 3.19. That share is worth a written question on how claims work and what the crew will wrap. Photograph the pieces you care about before they leave the room. The rating is a mean of the reviews on file, not a promise about your move.

Access problems named in Chicago reviews

Stairs and walk-ups · 20 reviews
“In Oakland, the foreman was great, but the movers were pretty roughly handling our stuff; I saw movers toss some of our boxes down the flight of stairs.”
Elevators · 15 reviews
“I had been telling them that I have to book the elevator weeks ago, at least inform me about this.”
Parking and truck access · 9 reviews
“About two weeks prior to my scheduled move, I contacted the alderman’s office of my district to inquire about parking permits/no parking signs for my move.”
Tight streets and driveways · 7 reviews
“I was advised by the dispatcher, there would be an additional fee of $350.00 for the shuttle as the truck cannot gain access to the building.”
Heat and weather · 5 reviews
“My move day ranged from dry to rain to sleet.”

Planning ranges by home size, Chicago, 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	Local research range	Longer haul research range
Studio	$500 to $1,050	$2,200 to $5,000
1 bedroom	$800 to $1,600	$3,000 to $6,400
2 bedroom	$1,200 to $2,600	$4,000 to $8,600
3 bedroom	$1,800 to $3,600	$5,400 to $11,200

What does access in Chicago add to the price?

Chicago winter is a fee even when nobody names it. A January walk-up with ice on the rear stair is slower than the same building in June. High-rises in the Loop and along the lake want a reserved freight elevator, pads, and a COI. Permit parking and street-closure rules vary by ward. A lot of two-flats load from the alley. If that alley is blocked by a garage or a city truck, you just bought a long carry. Interstate out of Chicago is a major lane. Ask whether the estimate is binding and whether the 110% rule applies. Illinois ICC household-goods authority covers in-state work. FMCSA covers the rest. Check both.

Many North Side two-flats load from the alley. If a garage blocks the dock, the crew walks the long way with your dresser.

Housing pulse

Chicago, IL housing, 2026

Median sale price: $397,500; +5.7% on a year earlier
Homes sold in the month: 7,147; -4.2% on a year earlier
Median days on market: 46
Months of supply: 2.8

Homes sold is the closest public count of households changing address. When it climbs, so does demand for trucks and crews in the same weeks.

Source: Data provided by Redfin, a national real estate brokerage, May 2026, read 1 Oct 2026.

Route pages from and to Chicago

What a moving crew earns around Chicago

Half of the hand movers in the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN area earn less than $19.50 an hour (US: $19.35); truck drivers, $29.95. An hourly quote for a crew pays two or three of them, plus the truck, fuel, insurance, and the company's margin, so the rate per mover is usually two to three times the wage. A rate near the wage itself means someone is not insured or not paid.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: 53-7062 Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand (157,920 jobs in the area); 53-3032 Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. The occupation includes warehouse work, not only moving crews. BLS wage data

Doing it yourself

Renting a truck in Chicago

Which truck fits your home, and what to check before you book one here.

Studio10 to 12 ft truck380 to 450 cu ft. The smallest box truck. No ramp at any brand.
1 or 2 bedroom15 to 16 ft truck658 to 800 cu ft. The most rented size and the smallest with a ramp.
3 bedroom20 to 22 ft truck1,016 to 1,200 cu ft. U-Haul and Penske only; Budget skips from 16 to 26 ft.
4 bedroom26 ft truck1,682 to 1,700 cu ft. The largest you can drive on a regular licence.

For comparison: reviewers who hired full-service movers on moves from Chicago within the state paid a median $905 (98 priced reviews). The truck line above is fuel only: add the rental, mileage or days, coverage, equipment, tolls, a night on the road, and your time.

All truck sizes U-Haul vs Penske vs Budget DIY or movers calculator

Sources: Brand spec pages (U-Haul, Penske, Budget) (mpg and fuel type); US EIA weekly retail prices (week of 26 Oct 2026).

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 Move
Legal name matches SAFER
USDOT on the paper, the truck doors, and the census. A different name is the walk.
USDOT / Companies House lookup
Walk from cash and blank paper
FTC: unregistered interstate, huge deposit, cash only, or a blank contract. Photograph and leave.
FTC: hiring a mover
110% 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

Sources

Links go to the publisher. Haulest does not add findings. Checked September 2026; if the live page moved, believe the agency.

Reviewed by Anthony Bale, 24 Sep 2026. Corpus as of 3 Nov 2026. Drafted with grok-4.7-medium via cursor-agent on 2026-09-24, then edited. Haulest is not a carrier.

Ask out loud

Questions people ask

How much does a move to Chicago cost?: In this file the median for a move into Chicago is $3,500 across 191 priced reviews. A move that stays inside Illinois has a median of $905 across 98 priced reviews. Distance, weight, and access will push a real quote off that median.
How much does it cost to leave Chicago?: The median for moves out of Chicago is $3,500 across 233 priced reviews. The destinations named most often are Los Angeles, CA; New York, NY; Dallas, TX. If the move leaves Illinois, it is interstate and federal rules under USDOT and FMCSA apply.
When do Chicago move reviews pile up?: Reviews cluster in Jun, May, Aug and thin out in Nov, Feb, Jan. Those dates are when the review was posted, usually a few weeks after the move. Book earlier if your move date sits near the busier months.
What do Chicago move reviews warn about?: The access problems named most are stairs and walk-ups, elevators, parking and truck access. 29.6% of these reviews mention damage, and the mean rating is 3.19. Tell the mover about access before the quote so the price is built on the real building.

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.

All 61 pages by Anthony

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