Cheapest Way to Move Cross Country: A Complete Guide

Between professional movers, truck rentals, and moving containers, there are plenty of options for a long-distance move. But the cheapest way to move cross country depends on how much you own, the time of year, and where you're moving to. 

Professional movers tend to cost the most, around $7,000 to $10,000. Moving containers sit in the middle, costing around $3,000 to $5,000 for cross-country shipping. But if you're moving an entire household cross country, a rental truck can cost between $2,000 to $4,000. Here are some things to consider to lower your moving costs.

What is the cheapest way to move across the country? The short answer is—it depends.

Discounts, seasonality, distance, and the amount of stuff can all affect the final price of your move. But in general, you can expect to spend between $1,000 to $8,000 for a moving truck, container, or professional movers. (That is, unless you can fit everything in your car.) 

Here are a few factors that can add to or subtract from the price of your cross-country move.

Generally, the farther you move, the more expensive things get. But there's not a direct connection between mileage and price. Zip codes, availability, and time of the year can affect prices for your move.

Here, we compared a few rental truck prices for long-distance moves over 1,000 miles. While the prices fall within a similar range, the quotes we received weren't directly tied to mileage. This could be due to truck access in metro areas, access to rental companies, or other factors that can increase the price. 

It may seem like a no-brainer, but the more stuff you own, the more expensive your cross-country move will be. To make your move cheaper, consider donating or tossing extra stuff before you reserve a truck, moving service, or container. 

Even if you don't have many items, expensive or bulky items (think pianos, fine art, or large collections) can increase the cost and the amount of space you'll need for your move. 

The more stuff you have, the larger the moving truck or container you'll need to move across the country.

Professional movers, moving container services, and even DIY move rental trucks offer extras and add-on services. Some of these (like insurance) are things you might not want to skip. But if you want to make your cross-country move cheaper, avoid adding on too many extras like moving labor or lots of moving supplies you can find for free.

Summer is moving's busy season. So, if you can move across the country in the off-season months during winter or early spring, you'll likely find more affordable rates for all types of cross-country moving. 

That said, unpredictable weather can delay professional movers, moving containers, and even DIY truck moves if road conditions are unsafe due to snow, fire, or storms. So, in some cases, it may be worth it to pay a little more to keep your items intact and on time, whether that's with moving insurance or waiting for stormy seasons to pass.

The cheapest way to move cross-country is to load up your stuff into your own vehicle and go, DIY move style. But for most of us, a DIY move not really an option. 

For those with kids, pets, or just a lot of stuff, the cheapest way to move cross-country is to hire a cheap moving company. 

Here are a few of our favorite options for what is the cheapest way to move across the country.

Renting a moving truck is the classic solution to making a cross-country move cheaper. Depending on the service you go with and the location you're moving to, prices usually linger below $3,000, making it one of the most cost-effective ways to move across state lines.

Penske is a cross country mover who is especially good at making this easy, dropping the average price compared to other moving truck rentals. 

Learn more in our full Penske review.

In terms of pricing and effort, moving containers land between rental trucks and moving companies. The process is simple—just load the container, and the movers will ship it to your new address. If you don't have a permanent place in your new city, you can store it for a monthly fee. 

However, shopping around for them isn't as easy. Most moving container companies need some extra information from you to give you an accurate quote, requiring a few extra phone calls to get a better idea of the price range you can expect for your move. 

Read our full Zippy Shell Review here on Move.

Full-service movers can make a cross-country move a breeze, especially for families with lots of stuff. They offer helpful add-on services like packing, loading, and unloading, so you and your family just have to arrive at your new address and let them do the rest. 

However, working with a professional moving company isn't the cheapest way to move across the country. Depending on when and where you move, prices can range between $5,000 to $10,000. 

Read more about IVL in our full-length review. 

While moving across the country is rarely "cheap", you can make it less expensive by mixing and matching moving services from different movers and services. For example, you can ship bulky items in a smaller container and drive a rental truck with the rest of your things. Or you can load everything yourself and get unloading help at your destination from professional movers.

Military, seniors, teachers, students, repeat customers – discounts are everywhere in the moving industry and all you have to do is ask. Price matching is also a common practice with professional moving companies. So don't stop with the first quote you get. 

Check out our list of all the latest deals from moving companies, truck rentals, and moving containers. 

If a price feels too good to be true, it probably is. It's unfortunately common to find quotes several hundred dollars lower than competitors. Scams in the moving industry can lure you in with these low quotes, leaving you paying much more in the end. 

If you get a quote that seems unusually low, compare it to customer reviews, government reports, and industry trends to get a better idea of what you're looking at.

Summer is the busiest season for moving and with trucks, labor, and containers in high demand, prices tend to go up during this time. If you're able to move during the autumn through early spring months, you can usually get a slightly cheaper rate from any of these services, especially if you're moving across the country.

Downsizing is a good idea whether you're moving across town or across the country. While there's only so much editing you can do, the fewer bulkier items you have, the easier a long-distance move becomes. 

Whether you host a sale, donate to charity, or throw away your old junk, getting rid of that extra stuff you don't need will require less packing and smaller containers or trucks for moving day.

Moving across the country can be expensive. Even with cheap DIY options like truck rentals and shipping containers, you need to save between $2,000 and $4,000 to move across state lines. 

The good news is there are ways to make a big move a little more affordable. By lightening your moving load, shopping around, price matching, and moving in the off-season, you can knock a few bucks off that price.

• U-Haul Truck Rental
• Budget Truck Rental
• Penske Truck Rental
• Enterprise Truck Rental
• Home Depot Truck Rental

• U-Pack
• PODS
• 1-800-PACK-RAT
• U-Haul
• SMARTBOX

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