Quiet Zeros

Calculators / Home & loans

What this move really costs

Moving articles quote a truck rental and stop there. This adds the packing, the insurance, the storage unit, the gap between move-out and move-in, utility deposits, re-registering a car, relocating a pet — then nets out your employer's reimbursement, after the tax it usually owes. Nothing you type leaves this page.

mi

100 miles or less is priced as a local move; farther is priced as long-distance.

Drives the estimated shipment weight and truck size — everything below scales from this.

Full-service long-distance is priced by weight × distance, the way movers actually quote it — not a flat rate.

$

Varies a lot by provider and credit history — $150–$400 total is typical. Edit freely.

$

Title transfer, registration and license fees together — anywhere from about $80 to $400 depending on the state.

Total one-time cost of this move

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Where the money goes

This is a one-time number.

Data sources & vintage

Moving-cost ranges compiled September 2026 from mover and self-storage industry pricing surveys; the moving-expense tax treatment is confirmed current under the 2025 tax law. These are ranges, not quotes — get 2–3 real mover quotes before you book.

How this is calculated

Transport cost depends on how you move and how far: a DIY truck rental scales with distance and truck size; full-service long-distance movers price by estimated shipment weight × distance, the way real mover quotes work, not a flat fee. Local moves (100 miles or less) use a flat or hourly local rate instead. Packing, insurance, storage, temporary lodging or a home-overlap period, utility deposits, vehicle re-registration and pet relocation are added as flat or scaled estimates you can edit.

An employer relocation payment is netted out last. Since the 2017 tax law suspended the moving-expense deduction for civilians — made permanent by the 2025 tax law — any reimbursement your employer pays is ordinary taxable W-2 income unless they've specifically grossed it up to cover that tax. We assume it's taxed at your marginal rate unless you say otherwise.

This is a one-time number — it doesn't include the ongoing difference in income, property and sales tax between states, which is a separate, permanent yearly effect. Use the link below to see that half of the picture in the Take-Home Pay tool, pre-filled with the two states you picked here.

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