Long Island NY Moving Costs | 🚚 How Much Do Movers Cost on Long Island? [Tips, Data, Estimates]
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Planning a move on Long Island? Whether you’re buying a home, moving to another town, or even going away to college, you probably already feel overwhelmed by the amount of things to do to get ready. As you juggle working, planning, and prepping, you may be ready to hire professionals to help with the hard tasks. That leads to an important question: how much do Long Island movers cost?
It’s impossible to quote an average cost of movers on Long Island because moving rates and costs are dependent on so many factors. The average nationwide cost of a local move is between $800 and $2,100. That’s clearly a huge range and your cost may be higher or lower depending on factors like difficulty, volume, distance, and dates.
This guide to Long Island moving costs covers everything you need to know to prepare a realistic moving budget and estimate your costs. Just remember this applies only to local moves within 25 to 100 hours. Unlike long-distance moves, local relocations are completed same-day and usually have hourly mover rates, not a flat cost.
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Important Factors Affecting Your Moving Costs on Long Island
When you request estimates from relocation companies, they will need to consider many factors to give you an accurate quote. This may be done through a virtual or in-home assessment and questions about your move.
Just note that these are not the only factors that may be involved to give you accurate Long Island moving company prices. For instance, insurance is important, and the cost depends on the coverage. Mover rates are also very dependent on the location.
When Are You Moving?
You may not have given much thought to your moving dates aside from taking time off work and making sure they are convenient for your schedule. However, the moving date you choose is used to determine Long Island mover rates.
- Weekends are more expensive than weekdays
- Peak moving season (April to September) is more expensive than moves during winter and spring
- Moving at the start or end of the month can be more expensive than mid-month moves
Even changing your moving date by a single day can give you lower Long Island moving company rates.
What Is the Total Distance?
The distance between your origin and destination plays a big role in the cost of moving on Long Island. The relocation company will need to confirm the distance meets their local move requirements as pricing for long-distance moving is typically flat-rate, not hourly. Remember: you will pay for travel time too!
How Much Are You Moving?
The volume of your belongings is a critical factor to get accurate Long Island moving quotes. When hiring hourly movers on Long Island, your total cost will depend on how long it takes to finish your move. The more belongings, the more hours you will pay for.
Keep in mind the volume of items isn’t all that needs to be considered – the type of belongings also matters. Do you have very heavy or fragile items that require additional care, movers, or special equipment? That will add to your cost of movers on Long Island. In some cases, there may be an additional charge for certain items.
Here are some items you can expect to take extra time:
- Appliances
- Large furniture that needs to be disassembled
- Antiques and fragile items
- Artwork
- Pianos
- Heavy and oversized items
How Many Movers Are Needed?
The cost of hiring local movers on Long Island will depend on how many movers are needed for your relocation. Most standard rates include two movers, but you can add additional movers for a higher hourly rate. This increases your hourly cost, but it makes your move faster and more efficient to reduce the number of hours the move takes.
The moving company can help you decide the right number of movers based on the size of your home and how much you are moving. Getting the right number of movers will keep your moving costs as low as possible.
How Accessible Is Your Home?
Ease of access is important at your origin and destination. The time and difficulty of carrying belongings between your home and the truck can dramatically impact how much you pay for Long Island hourly movers.
The type of home plays a major role in the difficulty of your move. Here are some factors that must be considered to give you an accurate quote.
For single-family homes and townhomes:
- How close can the moving truck get to the entrance? Can it be parked on the street or a driveway?
- Do you have a single-story or multiple-story home?
- Do you have a narrow driveway?
- Are there narrow doorways, hallways, or stairs?
For apartments and condos:
- Are there stairs or an elevator? Elevators are less physically exhausting, but they take longer than moving items up and down the stairs.
- What floor are you on?
- How close is your apartment to the elevator or stairway?
- Does the building have special move-in requirements?
- Does elevator time need to be booked?
- Is there a loading dock?
Do You Need Packing Services?
Are you planning to do your own packing, or will the movers do all or some of it? Long Island full-service movers can handle as much of the packing as you want at the same hourly rate plus materials. This saves you time and gives you peace of mind knowing belongings were packed professionally with careful techniques and the correct supplies.
Packing services can be customized to help you stay on budget. You can handle all the packing for the lowest moving costs, opt for partial packing to get help where you need it most, or choose full packing and/or unpacking to have the movers do it all. Of course, this is the most expensive option.
Do You Need Storage?
Are you selling or buying a house with complicated logistics around the timing? If your new home isn’t ready when you are, storage services are a cost-effective solution to manage your move.
Full-service storage with a moving company can include picking up your belongings, storing them securely in a warehouse, and delivering them to your new home on schedule. This may be more expensive than self-storage, but it’s far more convenient without the extra cost and hassle of moving twice. You can even have movers handle storage unit move-in/move-out if you’d prefer to go that route.
Make sure you mention your storage needs when you request estimates as this is not included in Long Island average moving costs.
Average Long Island Moving Costs
To estimate your Long Island moving price, remember that the hours you need to pay movers accounts for the largest share of your total cost. You will receive a quoted hourly rate for a specific number of movers and there may be a minimum number of hours. Adding extra movers means a higher hourly rate but a faster and more efficient move.
Once you have a quoted rate, you can estimate the cost of moving on Long Island by multiplying it by the estimated number of hours your move will take.
Here are some basic guidelines to help.
How much does it cost to move a one-bedroom apartment on Long Island?
The typical one-bedroom apartment takes 3 to 6 hours to move with a team of two movers. That usually means multiplying the standard mover rate by 3 to 6.
How much does it cost to move a two-bedroom apartment?
A larger apartment usually requires a team of three movers, but it will still take 3 to 6 hours to complete.
How much does it cost to move a house on Long Island?
If you have a 3-bedroom home or larger, you can expect the move to take 10+ hours with a large team of 5 or more. A smaller home may only need a team of four movers about 4 to 7 hours.
Tips for Saving Money on Moving Costs
Reduce Long Island moving costs with these tips:
- Donate or sell items you don’t want to pay to move. Check our guide to donating furniture on Long Island for organizations that pick up furniture.
- Handle packing, organization, and prep work you can do yourself. Doing some or all of the packing, disconnecting appliances, and removing furniture legs can save hundreds.
- Getting your home organized ahead of the move makes the packing and moving more efficient.
- Try to book a Long Island moving company for a weekday for lower mover rates.
How to Choose the Best Long Island Moving Company
Price is important, but it should not be the only thing you consider when hiring hourly movers. Protect yourself from hidden fees, lost or damaged belongings, and other issues by looking for the following.
- Licensed and insured to protect you
- Background checked, trained, and uniformed movers
- Positive reviews
- Years of experience with similar relocations
- Low claims rate
- Services you need
- Transparent rates without hidden fees
Founded in 2014, Zippboxx has earned a sterling reputation as the best movers on Long Island. We take pride in offering reliable, all-in-one moving services and competitive rates that make relocating as easy and stress-free as possible. Our vetted, trained movers have earned 5-star reviews on Google and Yelp and we look forward to exceeding your expectations!
Extra Long Island Moving Tips
Make your move as worry-free as possible with these tips:
- Stay organized with a moving binder to keep track of receipts, contracts, leases, checklists, school records, and more.
- Use moving apps to stay organized and donate or sell items. Apps like Sortly help buy transparentpharmacy.net you create an inventory of your belongings, tag box contents, generate QR codes, and more.
- Contact utility companies a week in advance to set up or transfer utilities. Plan to have at least water and power turned on before move-in. Check our guide to Long Island utilities for a complete walkthrough!
- Need guidance on how to tip movers? A general rule of thumb for tipping Long Island movers is $25 per mover or $5 per mover per hour.
- Download our free Ultimate Moving Checklist to stay on top of your relocation!
With Zippboxx, you can get the professional moving help you need without breaking your budget. Give us a call to discuss your move and request a free, personalized Long Island moving estimate today!