How Much Does It Cost to Move Home Across Town?

Moving home across town soon but are undecided upon the best way to move short distance?

Typically the move across town will be between 1 and 6 miles, and will range from a few boxes with no furniture, to a 2 bedroom apartment move.

Small moves over a short distance can throw up more moving options than a 4 bedroom long distance move, when often the only home moving solution will be to hire a reputable removal company.

But we have news for you. Short distance moves can be more stressful and tiring than a long distance move, mainly because we convince ourselves it will be a breeze. We do not pay attention to the organisation and preparation that a home move deserves, and as a result we, and our possessions, suffer.

So here we will review the average removal costs of the options available to you, show you the best ways to pack and get organised for a short distance move, and share our top tips on the cheapest way to move a short distance.

How Much Does It Cost to Move a Short Distance?

Well, how much stuff do you intend to move? That decision will likely influence which way you transport your things to your new home, and therefore the costs involved.

Just moving a few bags or boxes to your new home? Using a taxi or a car could be a cost-effective option. For anything more than that you may consider renting a van and moving yourself, or hiring the services of a reputable removal company.

Below we give you some idea of the average costs you can expect to pay when moving home using various modes of transport. We have chosen four major cities for this comparison, all of which have fixed tariffs for taxi’s.

Note that taxi’s will charge a waiting time which is normally about £12 an hour.

A 3.5t Luton van will be big enough to move the average 1-2 bedroom property, and carries about 200 standard boxes.

Average Costs for Moving Home across London

Black Cabs charge by the mile, but have no luggage fees.

1 Miles – Monday to Friday £6.00-£9.40 / Weekends £6.00-£9.40

2 Miles – Monday to Friday £9.00-£14.60 / Weekends £9.60-£14.80

4 Miles – Monday to Friday £16.00-£23.00 / Weekends £17.00-£23.00

6 Miles – Monday to Friday £24.00-£31.00 / Weekends £30.00-£33.00

Self-drive Van Hire: A 3.5t van costs about £45.00 for 24 hours hire

Removal Company: Between £40-£60 per hour, per man.

1 Bedroom move: Approx. £160-£360, packing will add about £200

2 Bedroom move: Approx. £240-£600, packing is about £300 extra

How much will it cost to move across Manchester?

Taxi: Standard taxi’s charge £2.30 + 31p per mile

Self-Drive Van Hire: A 3.5t van costs about £40.00 for 24 hours hire

Removal Company: Between £50-£60 per hour, per man.

1 Bedroom move: £200-£360 plus about £200 for packing

2 Bedroom move: £300-£600 and about £300 for packing

What is the cheapest way to move locally in Cardiff?

Taxi: Standard taxi’s charge £4.00 + 25p per mile

Self-Drive Van Hire: A 3.5t van costs about £73.00 for 24 hours hire

Removal Company: Between £40-£50 per hour, per man.

1 Bedroom move: £160-£300 plus approximately £200 for packing

2 Bedroom move: £240-£500 and roughly £300 for packing

Cheapest ways to move home within Glasgow

Taxi: Standard taxi’s charge £2.60 + 28p per mile

Self-Drive Van Hire: A 3.5t van costs about £65.00 for 24 hours hire

Removal Company: Between £40-£50 per hour, per man.

1 Bedroom move: £160-£300

2 Bedroom move: £240-£500

How Long Does it take to move across Town?

There are many things that can affect how long it will take, and therefore how much it will cost, to move home:

• How many boxes are you moving?
• Do you have furniture to move?
• Are you on the 18th floor or 2nd floor?
• How many trips in the lift will your move take?
• How close is your apartment to the lift?
• How close can the removal van park to your door?
• Is a parking permit required?
• Is access to a service lift, or to the street, restricted to certain times of the day?

How long does it take to move home?

• A 1 bedroom property may take 2-3 hours to move
• A 2 bedroom property may take 3-5 hours to move

Removal companies will usually charge you in one of two ways, either by volume (the size of van required to move all your things), or as is usually the case with small moves, by the hour.

Volume charge

• 1 Bedroom property – 250-500 Cubic feet – £250 – £530
• 2 Bedroom property – 500-700 Cubic feet – £500 – £720

Tips for a Cost-Effective Short Move

• Get rid of anything you don’t need to take
• Use up all your food and consumables before moving day
• Use all available space to pack things into
• Find free, but strong boxes at your local grocery store or online
• Cycle boxes are great for packing large, flat screen TV’s into
• Blankets and clothing will protect fragile items just as well as bubble wrap
• Get a number of quotes from professional removal firms so you can compare them

What are the Options for the Best Way to Move Across Town?

Depending upon how much stuff you have to relocate to your new home, there are various options for moving a small distance.

• Car
• Taxi
• Self Drive Van
• Hire a removal company

Tips for Moving a Short Distance to a New Home

No matter how you intend to move your things, by following a few simple rules your home move will be so much easier.

• Declutter your home
• Use a home moving planner
• Leave clothes on hangers
• Don’t box up drawer contents
• Make use of suitcases and holdalls
• Protect fragile items
• Take the time to label moving boxes correctly
• Learn how to load a car properly
• Hire a reputable removal company to move the furniture

Words of wisdom: Items rarely get damaged during transit. They are damaged when handled incorrectly or poorly stacked. Moving 2 or 200 miles, your boxes will be handled the same number of times, the boxes will be stacked the same number of times. It takes as much care to move a short distance as a long distance.

Declutter your Home First

It makes sense that the less you have to move to your new home, the less packing, loading and unloading, and the cheaper your home move will be.

So the first thing to do is sort out anything that you no longer need, want, or that will not be suitable for your new home.

You can do this by selling, giving away to friends or family, by donating to charity, or if the item really is of no use to anybody, throwing it away.

There are many charities and organisations that will collect household things for free, as well as online recycling sites that you can advertise for free on.

Moving Across Town Checklists & Planners

Every home move is a lesson in organization and preparation. The tool you will find invaluable is the home moving checklist and calendar.

Having a home moving plan ensures that you don’t forget to do anything, and will help you keep on schedule. It lists each job that you need to do and when, ensuring nothing is missed.

Changing your address is one task that may not seem that important for a local move, after all you can always pop back to get your mail, but there are other reasons to ensure that you change your address. Preventing identity theft, ensuring you don’t end up paying for bills that aren’t yours, and making sure you don’t miss out on loyalty vouchers or offers.

And one part of organizing your home move that you shouldn’t skip is labelling the boxes or bags with the contents, room they are destined for in your new home, and numbering them.

You should also seriously consider as part of your planning where everything will fit in your new home. There is little point in paying to move things that will not fit into the available space. A floor plan is a great tool to help you do this. Even if you have plenty of room, a floor plan will help you visualize how your new home will look and how to make spaces work for your particular lifestyle.

A moving day essentials box is still a good idea to pack, even for short moves. This contains all the items that need to have easy and quick access to on moving day such as food and water, medication and your home moving binder.

Packing Tips for a Short Distance Move

• Clothes on hangers with will easier to move and organize in your new home if they are left on their hangers. Just slip a bin liner over the top, poke the hanger neck through the top so they can still be hung, then knot the bottom of the sack. When you get to your new home they can be hung up straight away, job done.
• If you are moving dressers, and have clothes in drawers, then is no need to box the contents. You can shrink wrap the drawer to stop the contents from spilling out and just slot them back into the cabinet to save space in the removal van.
• Utilise the space in anything you intend to move. For example, suitcases, bags, bins, even the drum of a washing machine (for light unbreakables) can be used to transport things.
• No matter the distance you intend to move, the act of just moving a fragile item exposes it to the risk of damage. Take the time to learn how to protect your fragile and valuable items before attempting to move them.
• So that you can find things easier, and know which items go into which room in your new home, ensure you label the moving boxes or bags clearly. It will make the unloading process quicker and, if you number the boxes, you can quickly spot if an item has been misplaced or if you need to locate an item quickly.
• Attempting a self-move by car is an option for the smaller home move. You will need to learn how to pack things to fit in the car, safe loading techniques, and safety precautions to take first though.

So, on the face of it, how to move across town is a no-brainer. A self-move seems far more affordable. And to be honest, for small moves that involve no furniture, that is probably the way to go.

Organise and plan your home move, follow the packing guides, and you should safely be able to move whatever boxes and bags you have.

But for moves involving furniture, money is not the only part of the home moving equation.

These are some questions that you might want to ask yourself when considering a self-move vs hiring a reputable removal company:

• Am I physically fit enough to move heavy or awkward furniture?
• Do I know how to move large pieces of furniture safely?
• What is the risk, and cost of damage repair, to my items or home, if I move them myself?
• Have I factored in the cost of moving equipment hire, fuel, and insurance?
• Can I spare the time to move myself?
• Do I have people that I can rely upon to help me move?
• Is the stress of driving a van through the city centre worth saving a few pounds for?
• Do I have the right driving licence for driving a van?
• Does my insurance cover me for a self-move?
• How will I get to my new home having taken the hire van back to the depot?
• How do I organize a parking permit for loading and unloading?
• Where do I park to unload if there are no spaces outside my new home?
• Will I be confident enough to reverse a large van or navigate between parked cars?

Often the answers to these questions will draw you to the conclusion that it is just not worth the stress and aggravation NOT to hire a removal company. They will move you safely and in half the time it will take you and some friends, if they turn up.

If it is the uncertainty of choosing a removal company that will take care of your items and provide you with a stress-free home move, that bothers you, there are steps you can take to find the right mover for your move.

If you have never hired a removal company before you need to be informed as to what to expect, how to compare removal companies, and how to select the best removal company from the hundreds out there. Take the time to choose wisely and your diligence will be more than repaid on moving day.

There really is no substitute for the hard work and skills that a reputable moving company will provide.

Should you hire pros for a short distance move? In most cases, definitely.

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