How much does a move to Philadelphia cost?

Across 52 priced reviews, the median for a move into Philadelphia is $4,190. A move that stays inside Pennsylvania has a median of $1,680 across 22 priced reviews.

Where are people moving from and to?

The most common origins of people moving in are Valona, GA; Honolulu, HI; Idaho Springs, CO. The most common destinations of people moving out are New York, NY; Las Vegas, NV; Dallas, TX.

When should I book a Philadelphia move?

Reviews cluster in Aug, Sep, Jun and thin out in Apr, Mar, Oct. Those are the dates reviews were posted, usually a few weeks after the move. Treat the busy months as a cue to book earlier.

Do Pennsylvania rules cover every Philadelphia move?

A move that stays inside Pennsylvania follows state rules, and those rules are on the state page. A move that leaves Pennsylvania is interstate and federal, under USDOT and FMCSA.

Moving day in Philadelphia: a plain white box truck is parked parallel to the curb, seen from above and behind.

Moving to

Moving to or from Philadelphia, PA

Haulest is not a carrier. 146 reviews dated 2017 to 3 Nov 2026 cover moves into and out of Philadelphia, and the median is $4,190 inbound and $3,000 outbound.

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

Moving to Philadelphia

Across 52 priced reviews of moves into Philadelphia, the median is $4,190.

Who is arriving. Most common origins in these reviews are Valona, GA; Honolulu, HI; Idaho Springs, CO. Across 52 priced reviews of moves into Philadelphia, the median is $4,190. A move that stays inside Pennsylvania shows a median of $1,680 across 22 priced reviews. That local set is the in-state comparison on this file.

Price level. BEA price parity for 2024 puts the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD metro at 102.6, with the United States at 100. Pennsylvania as a whole sits at 97.6. The metro reads above the national mark and above the state. Use the move or stay calculator if you want to weigh that gap against a specific offer.

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

Move	Median paid	Priced reviews
Into Philadelphia from elsewhere	$4,190	52
Out of Philadelphia	$3,000	83
From Philadelphia within the state	$1,680	22
Price level, Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD (US = 100)	102.6	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 and near Philadelphia

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. Few Philadelphia movers qualify, so the list goes on with the best elsewhere in the state; each card says where the mover is based. No mover pays to be on this list.

Get free quotes from Philadelphia movers See all 20 movers in Philadelphia

Moving out of Philadelphia

Those trips run a median of $3,000 across 83 priced reviews.

Where people go. The most common destinations in reviews of moves out are New York, NY; Las Vegas, NV; Dallas, TX. Those trips run a median of $3,000 across 83 priced reviews. A move that leaves Pennsylvania is interstate, so federal rules from USDOT and FMCSA apply. See route pages for city pairs already on the site.

When to book. Reviews cluster in Aug, Sep, Jun and thin out in Apr, Mar, Oct. Those dates are when reviews were posted, usually a few weeks after the move, so the busy months are a rough signal of when the moves happened. Check peak timing before you lock a date in a heavy month.

Where reviewers came from and went, Philadelphia.

Moved in from	Reviews	Moved out to	Reviews
Valona, GA	1	New York, NY	3
Honolulu, HI	1	Las Vegas, NV	3
Idaho Springs, CO	1	Dallas, TX	2
San Diego, CA	1	Miami, FL	2
Rio Rancho, NM	1	Atlanta, GA	2

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

Reviews of Philadelphia moves by the month they were posted.

10Jan

12Feb

8Mar

6Apr

11May

14Jun

12Jul

19Aug

18Sep

10Oct

14Nov

12Dec

What makes a Philadelphia move harder

37% of these reviews mention damage.

Access problems. The access issues these reviews name most are elevators, stairs and walk-ups, parking and truck access. Name those constraints to the mover before the quote so the crew and the truck match the building. Read how to read an estimate so the line items match the access you described. A short written list beats a vague phone note.

Damage share. 37% of these reviews mention damage. The mean rating across the file is 2.86. Photograph each room and list existing marks in writing before the truck arrives, and send that list with the access notes so the quote covers both. These figures come from the same 146 reviews dated 2017 to 3 Nov 2026.

Access problems named in Philadelphia reviews

Elevators · 7 reviews
“Was never told that by James…the guy also charges me an elevator fee and long haul fee an extra 175.00!”
Stairs and walk-ups · 6 reviews
“The movers carried the boxes from the fifth floor to the truck carefully.”
Parking and truck access · 5 reviews
“Finally, they confirmed that the company would handle all parking permits (my moving location was in Center City Philadelphia) and be able to put the box spring out the front window as it didn't fit any other way.”
Tight streets and driveways · 2 reviews
“Then, he parked his massive 18-wheel truck on our narrow street and informed me the movers would show up in 15 minutes.”
Heat and weather · 2 reviews
“It even started raining really hard but they didn't let that stop them!!!”

Planning ranges by home size, Philadelphia, 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	$600 to $1,300	$2,000 to $4,600
1 bedroom	$900 to $2,000	$2,600 to $5,800
2 bedroom	$1,300 to $2,800	$3,400 to $7,200
3 bedroom	$2,000 to $4,000	$4,600 to $9,600

What does access in Philadelphia add to the price?

Philadelphia prices stoops, not floor plans. Many rowhouses load from a one-way street. Center City high-rises want a COI and a freight reservation. Winter ice on a marble stair is a fee even when the quote is silent. A hop to New York is regional miles and two cities of building rules. Interstate still needs FMCSA. Ask for the USDOT.

A South Philly rowhouse with no curb cut and a sofa that will not pivot is a two-person carry down the stoop.

Housing pulse

Philadelphia, PA housing, 2026

Median sale price: $315,500; +1.8% on a year earlier
Homes sold in the month: 1,746; -10.5% on a year earlier
Median days on market: 41
Months of supply: 3.7

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 Philadelphia

What a moving crew earns around Philadelphia

Half of the hand movers in the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD area earn less than $20.89 an hour (US: $19.35); truck drivers, $28.54. 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 (51,100 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 Philadelphia

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 Philadelphia within the state paid a median $1,680 (22 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.

FMCSA Protect Your Movefmcsa.dot.gov · Government · checked September 2026

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 Philadelphia cost?: Across 52 priced reviews, the median for a move into Philadelphia is $4,190. A move that stays inside Pennsylvania has a median of $1,680 across 22 priced reviews.
Where are people moving from and to?: The most common origins of people moving in are Valona, GA; Honolulu, HI; Idaho Springs, CO. The most common destinations of people moving out are New York, NY; Las Vegas, NV; Dallas, TX.
When should I book a Philadelphia move?: Reviews cluster in Aug, Sep, Jun and thin out in Apr, Mar, Oct. Those are the dates reviews were posted, usually a few weeks after the move. Treat the busy months as a cue to book earlier.
Do Pennsylvania rules cover every Philadelphia move?: A move that stays inside Pennsylvania follows state rules, and those rules are on the state page. A move that leaves Pennsylvania is interstate and federal, under USDOT and FMCSA.

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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