How much does it actually cost to move?
Expect to spend $4,000 to $8,000 on travel and overlapping deposits or first month's rent before unexpected expenses like cleaning supplies even kick in. Getting a precise number to save is nearly impossible because online estimators hide their data behind forms demanding your phone number. When you try to run the numbers yourself, anticipated savings like zero income tax are often wiped out by higher rent and the cost of moving accumulated belongings.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1Pulling federal data manually from the BEA, Census, and BLS to run the calculations yourself.
- 2Using online moving calculators to estimate labor and supply costs
- 3Limiting back-and-forth trips to tour apartments by doing research online, using virtual tours, and viewing Google Earth
- 4Renting a U-Haul truck and doing the move yourself instead of hiring a full-service moving company
- 5Selling large furniture before moving and buying items second-hand from thrift stores or Facebook Marketplace after arriving
- 6Using portable storage units like U-Boxes instead of traditional movers or truck rentals
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“looking for some insight on how much to save, emergencies that came up that costed you money, and general financial advice for a young person looking to move from utah to oregon by next year.”source ↗
“The no income tax savings got eaten by rent when I ran the numbers.”source ↗
“every search for what it would actually cost ended with a company wanting my phone number.”source ↗
“The non-emergency-but-unexpected-costs that typically get people have to do with things like cleaning supplies.”source ↗
“Most people will spend 4k - 8k just in deposits/first month rent/travel, etc. before all the random fees/hidden costs show up.”source ↗
“The deposit and the first month's rent overlapping is typically the largest expense.”source ↗
“I've relocated multiple times and each time it's cost me more - mostly because I accumulate more stuff.”source ↗
“My partner and I moved west coast to east coast. We were living in a 2BR with a garage and wayyyyy too much stuff.”source ↗
Where this came up
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