Minneapolis, Minnesota to Chicago, Illinois
Moving from Minneapolis to Chicago
It is 410 miles, about 8 hours of driving. 4,471 people made the Minnesota to Illinois move in 2024.
Anthony BaleMoving industry professional, author and writerReviewed 23 September 2026
Drive
410 mi
about 8 hours at the wheel
Moved last year
4,471
Minnesota to Illinois, 2024
Cost of living
+1.4%
Illinois vs Minnesota, US = 100
Sources: OSRM on OpenStreetMap data (driving route), read 1 Oct 2026; US Census Bureau, ACS state-to-state migration, 2024; BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
What it costs
Minneapolis to Chicago moving cost
Planning ranges for 400 to 1,000 miles moves, by home size, as of September 2026. Research fallback, not a first-party median and not a bid.
| Home size | Full-service range |
|---|---|
| Studio | $1,800 to $3,400 |
| 1 bedroom | $2,400 to $4,300 |
| 2 bedroom | $3,200 to $5,600 |
| 3 bedroom | $4,300 to $7,600 |
| 4+ bedroom | $5,600 to $9,800 |
Source: Haulest research bands, September 2026 (chosen by the driving distance above).
We do not print container or rental-truck prices for this lane: nobody publishes them with a source. Ask for them in writing if you are comparing.
Live numbers: US on-highway diesel $6.35 per gallon for the week of 2026-10-26 (EIA weekly US on-highway diesel via FRED GASDESW). A fuel surcharge on a long lane follows the diesel line; ask how the mover sets it.
Recent reviews
People who moved Minnesota to Illinois
5 of 5 · 23 Sept 2026 · reported $6,800
“Young family in our mid thirties doing our very first long distance move after finally landing our forever home in Minneapolis, MN. We did not know what we did not know and we were anxious about the whole process leaving Morton Grove, IL. Chris took us under his wing from the first phone call.…”
5 of 5 · 13 Sept 2026 · reported $4,465
“MidAmerican Moving is a serious and committed company with trained personnel. Their team was very fast, professional, and effective throughout the move. Excellent service, great attention to detail, and 100% recommended for a smooth moving experience!”
5 of 5 · 28 Feb 2024 · reported $1,485
“From the first phone call asking for a quote to pick up of my belongings all at this company have shown professionalism , care and an unbeatable price. Special thanks to the guy who is managing my move. They have a wonderful team, good luck from me.”
Loading in Minneapolis
Ice on a wood stair is how a cheap hourly quote becomes overtime.
Downtown and Uptown buildings want a reserved freight elevator and a COI. The crew cannot invent a slot the building never booked. Alleys and one-way streets on the North Loop decide whether the truck sits in front or the crew walks the load. Ask the building for the reservation before the truck is on the block.
Minneapolis 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. Ice on a wood stair is how a cheap hourly quote becomes overtime. The quote that ignored winter is the one that grows once the crew is at the door.
Ask for the USDOT before you treat a local hourly rate as the whole job. Interstate out toward Chicago is a real line-haul, so the crew at the door is starting that line-haul. A cheap number that never saw the stair or the alley is not a survey of this building.
What is the drive like?
Winter sits on both ends of this lane even when the estimate never names it.
410 miles, about 8 hours at the wheel, is only the drive. Dedicated means one household on the truck from Minneapolis to Chicago. Shared means other stops, and the delivery spread is a range the order for service has to name. Same day or several days follows that order, not a guess from the mileage line.
This lane is interstate, so Illinois ICC household-goods authority does not replace FMCSA. ICC covers in-state work. Ask for the USDOT and ask whether the estimate is binding. A January walk-up with ice on the rear stair, then a North Side two-flat that loads from a blocked alley, is waiting time you will pay for.
A cheap Facebook number that ignores winter and the alley is not a survey. Winter sits on both ends of this lane even when the estimate never names it. The hours at the wheel do not include ice on a stair or a crew waiting on a blocked alley. Price the job after someone has seen both doors.
Delivering in Chicago
If a garage or a city truck blocks that alley, you just bought a long carry.
High-rises in the Loop and along the lake want a reserved freight elevator, pads, and a COI. Have the reservation, the pads, and the COI ready before the truck arrives. Permit parking and street-closure rules vary by ward. A lot of two-flats load from the alley. If a garage or a city truck blocks that alley, you just bought a long carry.
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. Many North Side two-flats load from the alley, and if a garage blocks the dock the crew walks the long way with your dresser. Plan for that carry, because a quote that never saw the alley will not include it.
On , the reviewer-reported median is across priced reviews, and the middle half runs to . That spread is what people reported, not a quote for your stair. Ask whether the estimate is binding and whether the 110% rule applies. Illinois ICC household-goods authority covers in-state work, and FMCSA covers the rest, so check both.
Leaving Minneapolis, arriving in Chicago.
| Minneapolis | Chicago | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living (US = 100) | 98.6 | 100.0 |
| Median home sale price | $400,000 | $397,500 |
| Median days on market | 22 | 46 |
| Months of housing supply | 2 | 2.8 |
| State income tax on wages | Taxes wages | Taxes wages |
Sources: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024; Data provided by Redfin, a national real estate brokerage, read 1 Oct 2026; State revenue departments (wage tax, 2026).
When to go: in Minnesota, the busiest month for home sales over the last year was Jun 2025 and the quietest was Jan 2026. Movers fill up on the same calendar; a mid-month weekday outside May to August is the cheaper slot. Check your date.
Source: Data provided by Redfin, a national real estate brokerage (Minnesota homes sold by month).
Doing it yourself
Driving a rental truck from Minneapolis to Chicago
410 road miles, about 8 hours at the wheel (1 driving day at nine hours a day). Fuel below uses this week's EIA price and the low end of each brand's mpg, because a loaded truck does worse than the brochure.
- Studio10 to 12 ft truckFuel $146 to $220gasoline
- 1 or 2 bedroom15 to 16 ft truckFuel $146 to $293gasoline
- 3 bedroom20 to 22 ft truckFuel $176 to $198gas or diesel, by brand
- 4 bedroom26 ft truckFuel $198 to $322gas or diesel, by brand
Fuel is only part of a DIY move: add the rental, mileage or days, coverage, equipment, tolls, and your time.
Sources: Brand spec pages (U-Haul, Penske, Budget) (mpg and fuel type); US EIA weekly retail prices (week of 19 Oct 2026); OSRM on OpenStreetMap data (road miles).
Ask out loud
Questions people ask
- How long is the drive from Minneapolis to Chicago?
- The driving route is 410 miles, about 8 hours at the wheel. That is road time only, before a freight elevator, ice on a stair, or a blocked alley. Same day or several days is whatever the order for service sets for a dedicated or shared truck.
- What do reviewers report paying on this lane?
- On , the reviewer-reported median is across priced reviews, and the middle half runs from to . Treat that as a median of reported prices, not a quote for your doors. Compare any number with [how to read an estimate](/guides/how-to-read-a-moving-estimate).
- Does Illinois ICC authority cover this move?
- Illinois ICC household-goods authority covers in-state work and does not replace FMCSA on this interstate lane. Ask for the USDOT and confirm it with a [license lookup](/calculators/check-estimate#licence). Check both before you book.
- What should I ask about the estimate?
- Ask whether the estimate is binding, and ask whether the 110% rule applies. A cheap Facebook number that ignores winter and the alley is not a survey. A [long-distance](/services/long-distance) move of this length needs the delivery spread written on the order for service.
- How many people moved this way, and how do costs of living compare?
- Census ACS counted 4,471 people moving from Minnesota to Illinois in 2024, with a margin of plus or minus 1,583. BEA price parity for 2024, with the US at 100, is 98.6 in Minnesota and 100.0 in Illinois. Those figures describe the states, not the bill for your stair.
Next
Keep going
- Moving to Minneapolis: costsLocal ranges and access at the loading end.
- Moving to Chicago: costsLocal ranges and access at the delivery end.
- Movers in MinneapolisEvery mover there with dated reviews.
- Movers in ChicagoEvery mover there with dated reviews.
- Moving in MinnesotaWho regulates the move, and the top-rated movers there.
- Moving in IllinoisWho regulates the move, and the top-rated movers there.
- Long distance moversWeight, miles, and where the bill grows.
- What movers costWhat reviewers across the country reported paying.
- Truck fuel for 410 milesRoad miles and this week's EIA gas and diesel prices at each end.
- The 110% ruleWhat you can be made to pay on delivery day.
Other lanes from and to these cities
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 Minneapolis to Chicago 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 moving quoteHaulest is not a carrier. We connect you to movers.
Haulest is a research desk and quote line. We are not a carrier.