Moving Cost Calculator

The short answer

What a move costs depends on the distance, the date and your city, so start with quotes. Enter them above, and the calculator adds the truck’s gas and the costs every move has, then shows which option costs less and by how much.

For a move you do yourself, U-Haul suggests its 10 ft truck for a studio or 1-bedroom apartment, its 15 ft truck for two bedrooms and its 20 ft truck for three. The 10 ft truck gets an estimated 12 miles a gallon: about 8.3 gallons every 100 miles, or about $36 at EIA’s US average of $4.28 a gallon (week of Oct 19, 2026).

How to use the calculator

1. Pick the bedrooms and enter the miles. For an in-town truck rental, count the drive back to the rental location.
2. Check the gas price. It starts at EIA’s latest US average for regular gas. Change it to what stations near you charge.
3. Enter your quotes.
   • Truck: if the quote has a daily rate and a rate a mile, enter both (the rate times the days, for more than a day). If it’s one total for a one-way move, enter the total and leave the rate a mile at $0. Add any fees and coverage you take.
   • Movers: the crew’s rate an hour and the hours. If the movers charge a minimum, enter at least that many hours. For a flat quote, enter the total and 1 hour.
   • Moving container: the full quote, with delivery and pickup.
4. Add the costs every move has: the deposit and fees at the new place, utility setup, boxes and supplies, and anything else, such as cleaning or a night’s stay.

The result shows the cheapest of your quotes, what it costs with the other costs, and how much it saves over the next one. Leave the quotes empty to see just the truck size and its gas. Use Copy link to keep your numbers, or to send them to a roommate.

Moving truck sizes

The truck U-Haul suggests for each size of home, its estimated gas mileage and its cargo space:

U-Haul gives its MPG figures as estimates for ideal driving. A full truck, traffic and hills use more gas.

Gas for a moving truck by distance

About what each truck’s gas costs, in whole dollars, at EIA’s US average of $4.28 a gallon for regular gas (week of Oct 19, 2026):

The 26 ft truck is figured at 8 miles a gallon, the low end of U-Haul’s 8 to 10. For an in-town rental, the miles include the trip back to the rental location.

How we calculate

1. The truck. U-Haul’s guide for the size of home: the 10 ft truck for a studio or 1 bedroom, the 15 ft truck for 2 bedrooms and the 20 ft truck for 3 or more, with a note that a 3- or 4-bedroom house calls for its 26 ft truck.
2. Gas. Your miles divided by the truck’s estimated miles a gallon (U-Haul’s figures, for ideal driving) give the gallons, priced at the gas price you enter. It starts at EIA’s weekly US average for regular gas, which we update as EIA publishes it.
3. The truck’s cost. Your quote, plus your miles times the rate a mile, plus the gas.
4. Movers and a container. The movers’ rate times the hours, and the container’s quote, as you enter them.
5. Other costs. The deposit and fees at the new place, utility setup, supplies and anything else you enter are added to every option, since you pay them however you move.
6. The answer. The option with a quote and the lowest total, in whole dollars, and the gap to the next one.

No prices are built in. Moving prices change with the date, the distance and the city, so the calculator compares the quotes you get instead of guessing.

Worked examples

The quotes in these examples are round numbers to show the math, not typical prices. Use your own.

Example: A studio across town: the truck and its gas

What we know

• Studio, 30 miles
• Gas: $4.28 a gallon

How it works out

1. U-Haul suggests its 10 ft truck for a studio or 1-bedroom apartment. At an estimated 12 miles a gallon, 30 miles take about 2.5 gallons of gas: about $11 at $4.28 a gallon.

A 10 ft truck and about $11 in gas, plus the rental.

Example: A 2-bedroom move in town: a truck or movers

What we know

• 2 bedrooms, 40 miles
• Gas: $4.28 a gallon
• Truck quote: $40 plus $1 a mile
• Movers: $150 an hour, 4 hours
• Other costs: $100

How it works out

1. U-Haul suggests its 15 ft truck for a 2-bedroom apartment or 1-bedroom home. At an estimated 10 miles a gallon, 40 miles take about 4 gallons of gas: about $17 at $4.28 a gallon.
2. The truck: your $40 quote plus 40 miles at $1 a mile ($40), so $80 before gas and about $97 with the gas.
3. The movers: $150 an hour for 4 hours, $600.
4. Your other costs, $100, go on top of each option.

Renting the 15 ft truck comes to about $97 with the gas, or about $197 with your other costs. That's about $503 less than the movers.

Example: A 1-bedroom moving 800 miles: a one-way truck or a container

What we know

• 1 bedroom, 800 miles
• Gas: $4.28 a gallon
• Truck quote: $900
• Container quote: $1,800
• Other costs: $1,600

How it works out

1. U-Haul suggests its 10 ft truck for a studio or 1-bedroom apartment. At an estimated 12 miles a gallon, 800 miles take about 66.7 gallons of gas: about $285 at $4.28 a gallon.
2. The truck: your $900 quote, about $1,185 with the gas.
3. The moving container: your $1,800 quote.
4. Your other costs, $1,600, go on top of each option.

Renting the 10 ft truck comes to about $1,185 with the gas, or about $2,785 with your other costs. That's about $615 less than the container.

Costs to plan for

• The deposit and fees at the new place. They’re often due when you sign, before your old landlord returns your deposit. The security deposit calculator shows how long your landlord has in your state.
• Two rents at once. If the new lease starts before the old one ends, the prorated rent calculator shows what a partial month costs.
• Utility setup. Some utilities charge a connection fee or a deposit. For the monthly bills, use the apartment utilities cost calculator.
• Renters insurance. A new place is a good time to check that your coverage fits what you own. The renters insurance calculator adds up what your things would cost to replace.
• Time. A move you do yourself takes your days, and time off work can cost you pay. Enter it under other costs to compare it fairly with movers.

Before you book

• Compare quotes for the same date. Prices can change from one date to the next, so ask every company about the same day.
• Ask what’s included. For a truck: the days, the miles and the fees. For movers: the minimum hours, travel time and any extra fees. For a container: delivery, pickup and how long you can keep it.
• Measure the big pieces. The will it fit calculator checks whether a sofa or a dresser gets through the doors at the new place.
• Plan the weeks around it. The moving checklist dates each step from your move date, from the first estimates to your change of address.
• Moving to buy? The rent vs buy calculator compares the next lease with a home of your own, year by year, before you book either move.