How Much Do Packers and Movers Cost in 2024?
Highlights
The average cost of packing services is $1,000, with prices ranging from $280 to $2,200.
The total cost of packing services depends on the size of your home, number and type of belongings, materials required, and labor fees.
Additional services include unpacking, disassembling furniture, and junk removal.
Packing services differ from full-service movers as they don’t include loading, transporting, unloading, and unpacking belongings.
The cost of packing services ranges from $280 to $2,200, with an average price of $1,000. This total includes the labor and materials to pack boxes and furniture ahead of a move. If you also need help unpacking your new home, your total packing cost could reach $380 to $3,600.
The largest factor impacting your packing cost calculation is whether you hire packers to pack, unpack, or both. Other important cost factors include your home size, the number and type of belongings, and local labor fees.
Average Packer and Mover Costs
| Average Cost | High Cost | Low Cost |
|---|---|---|
| $1,000 | $2,200 | $280 |
Professional Packer Cost Factors
The price to hire local professional packers includes labor and material costs. If you supply your own materials, such as boxes, packing tape, and more for the packers, your costs may be lower. When getting quotes from packing companies, ask if their pricing includes supplies.
As we analyze the cost of packing services below, remember that unpacking services cost an additional $100 to $1,400 for a move and aren’t included in these calculations.
Packing Service Cost by Home Size
Your home size can have the biggest impact on the cost of professional packers. For example, a one-bedroom apartment may cost as little as $280 to pack, while a five-bedroom mansion can exceed $2,000.
| Number of Bedrooms | Average Sq. Ft. | Average Cost Range for Labor and Packing Materials |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 400–1,000 | $280–$650 |
| 2 | 700–1,250 | $530–$1,000 |
| 3 | 1,250+ | $1,030–$2,200 |
Packing Cost by Weight
The weight of your items can have a small impact on the overall cost of packing services. This is because heavier items may slow packers down, thus increasing labor costs, and will require more heavy-duty boxes, thus increasing supply costs. For example, if you collect books, you’ll need more small, heavy-duty boxes than if you collect cashmere sweaters.
The total weight of your possessions also affects prices if you’re hiring loaders or movers to do the packing. These pros need to confirm that your items will fit in the truck. Vehicles have limits based on the size but usually max out at 10,000 pounds.
Furniture
Packing furniture can cost anywhere from $100 to $1,450 as part of your total packing costs. The size and shape of the furniture can impact how long it takes professional packers to prepare it for loading. However, packing furniture is only one part of the equation. If you aren’t prepared to lift it yourself, you’ll also need to budget for the cost to move furniture.
Specialty Items
If you have specialty items of significant value, packers will need to spend more time carefully packing them. Fragile items like antiques, glassware, and artwork can add one to two additional hours of labor, depending on the number of specialty items. This could increase labor costs from $25 to $100 at a minimum. If the pieces require specialty packing supplies, expect prices to be even higher. In addition, specialty items may also cost extra to move, such as the cost to hire piano movers.
Labor Cost of Professional Packers
In most cases, you’ll need to hire at least two packers, and a single packer can typically pack 100 square feet of home in one hour, which averages out to $25 to $40 per 100 square feet or $25 per hour per professional. However, the amount and type of belongings can impact that estimate. Keep in mind that companies often discount the hourly rate for additional packers, so if you have three to four pros on the job, you’ll pay closer to $25 per person per hour.
| Square Feet | Estimated Project Hours | Average Cost for Labor |
|---|---|---|
| 400 | 2 | $100–$150 |
| 800 | 4 | $200–$330 |
| 1,200 | 6 | $300–$480 |
| 1,600 | 8 | $400–$650 |
| 2,000 | 10 | $500–$800 |
| 2,400 | 8 | $600–$950 |
| 2,800 | 9 1/2 | $730–$1,150 |
| 3,200 | 10 1/2 | $800–$1,250 |
Boxes and Packing Material Costs
The price of packing materials ranges from $180 to $750 or more, depending on the size of your home. This represents the cost of materials when supplied by the packing company. If your professional packers provide boxes, blankets, paper, tape, and other packing supplies, they’ll likely upcharge. You may pay less if you have a smaller home and more furniture than other belongings.
| Number of Bedrooms | Average Price Range for Packing Materials |
|---|---|
| 1 | $180–$250 |
| 2 | $350–$500 |
| 3 | $500–$750+ |
Some packing companies include supplies in the quote, but others may not. Be sure to ask when you get an estimate. Here’s how the cost of materials breaks down by the supply type:
| Packing Material Type | Average Cost per Unit | Average Cost for 3 Bedrooms |
|---|---|---|
| Small boxes | $1 | $35 |
| Medium boxes | $1.50 | $60 |
| Large boxes | $2 | $40 |
| Extra-large boxes | $2.50 | $30 |
| Book boxes | $2 | $15 |
| Wardrobe boxes | $13 | $60 |
| Glassware boxes | $15 | $60 |
| Dish boxes | $15 | $70 |
| TV/picture boxes | $25 | $140 |
| Packing paper | $12.50 | $25 |
| Bubble wrap | $17.50 | $35 |
| Stretch wrap | $17.50 | $35 |
| Tape rolls | $3.50 | $10 |
| Tape dispensers | $12 | $20 |
Professional Unpacking Service Prices
Professional unpackers cost around $100 to $1,400, depending on the amount of unpacking you need assistance with. When added to the cost of packing services and materials, your total packing cost calculation will fall between $380 and $3,600.
Additional Packing and Unpacking Services
The $280 to $2,200 price tag for packing doesn’t typically include loading or unloading. If you need this service, you’ll pay an extra $400 to $1,600 each time.
Most professional packers will disassemble or reassemble basic furniture as part of the service. You may need to pay for an extra hour or two if you want them to take down or put together complicated pieces, such as:
Cribs
Waterbeds
Pianos
TVs or other electronics
If you want the packers to dispose of any items, such as old appliances, furniture, tires, or debris, also factor in the cost of junk removal.
Hiring Movers vs. a Standalone Packing Company
Most professional packing companies also operate as loaders or movers. This means you may be able to hire a business to pack, load, and move. This is the way to go if you’re looking for convenience and a single bill to pay.
Hiring a standalone packing company may be better if you're trying to save money. This allows you to choose which services you need and the ones you'll do yourself.
Budgeting for Packers and Movers
To make your move more cost-effective, consider these budgeting tips to reduce the cost of packers and movers:
Supply your own materials, such as boxes, tape, and bubble wrap.
Pack heavy or fragile items on your own to decrease supply and labor costs.
Unpack your belongings yourself to eliminate the need for an unpacking service.
Disassemble furniture before the packers arrive to save on labor costs.
Hire a standalone packing company rather than a full-service mover to pick and choose the services you need.
How HomeAdvisor Gets Its Cost Data
No place is more important than your home, which is why HomeAdvisor connects homeowners with local pros to transform their houses into homes they love. To help homeowners prepare for their next project, HomeAdvisor provides readers with accurate cost data and follows strict editorial guidelines. After a project is complete, we survey real customers about the costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects.
Frequently Asked Questions
A full packing service involves every item in the house, from large furniture like couches and washers/dryers to knickknacks. These businesses often provide packing materials as well. Local furniture movers or loaders prepare your furniture for travel but usually only pack if you pay extra.
A full-service move includes service from start to finish. The packers bring materials, pack up your home, load it on a truck, transport it to the new location, unload it, and unpack your belongings in your new home.
Full-service movers are a great option if you're short on time, have many items to pack and load into a moving truck, or need to move a long distance and would rather pay for the cost of a cross-country move.
Professional packers take two to five hours for a smaller home and six to 12 hours for a house with three or more bedrooms. But how long they’ll take depends on many factors, including how many rooms you have, how many items you have, and whether those items are bulky, small, or fragile.
It’s customary to tip packers about $4 to $8 per person per hour. For three pros working for six hours, this comes to approximately $72 to $140. Depending on a job well done, you may tip more to thank the pros for their service and careful attention to your belongings.
The cost to hire a moving service averages $1,650. Local movers usually charge between $25 and $50 per hour for each worker, with most movers taking around four hours to move a one-bedroom home, six hours to move a two—or three-bedroom home, and eight hours to move a four-bedroom house.
Most professional packers don’t offer cleaning services, so consider hiring a house cleaning professional. The average move-out cleaning cost ranges from $110 to $650, depending on the size of your home.
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