Moving a 2000 Square Foot House: 101 Guide to Costs and Tips

Planning a move from a 2,000 square foot house? Local moves typically cost $1,500–$5,000, while long-distance moves range from $4,000 to $15,000 or more. Discover how to manage these costs effectively and save money with our detailed guide.

How Much Does It Cost to Move a 2,000 Sq Ft House

This article reviews the ins and outs of moving a 2000 square foot home so that you can project the costs, understand the varying factors leading into the costs, and of course a few iMoving pro experienced mover tips.

Read on to save like an iMoving pro.


Moving On Up and Out

The costs to move a 2,000-square-foot house will vary a lot depending on many different factors. The distance of the move in miles, the moving company you choose and their level of service, the dates and times you choose, and of course any additional services required will affect the costs.

Here’s an iMoving overview of typical moves:


Local Move (Same City or Nearby)

  • Average Cost: $1,500 to $5,000
  • Factors affecting pricing: Prices are usually based on hourly rates for the movers, the number of movers needed, and the time needed to complete the whole move.
  • You also have other VIP services like full packing, or materials delivery that add on other fees.

Long-Distance Move (Across State or Country)

  • Average Cost: $4,000 to $15,000 or more
  • Factors: Distance traveled, the weight of belongings (which goes hand in hand with the size of the house), and additional services such as packing, insurance, and special handling. 
  • Some companies charge a flat fee for crossing state borders and others don’t care and base their rate on miles traveled only.

The Real Factors Affecting Costs

  1. Distance: Longer distances obviously come paired with higher transportation costs. Companies charge by the mile but distance isn’t usually a factor you can control. Choose your company by the lowest rate per mile if this is your biggest worry.
  2. Volume and Weight: The size of the house determines the weight and size of belongings, which impacts the cost. If you have lots of bulky items such as odd-shaped furniture pieces and breakables the costs may rise drastically as the company will need a bigger size truck.
  3. Packing Services: Whether you pack yourself or hire professionals affects the cost. VIP packing can seem expensive, but when you factor in the costs of pet and babysitting care to actually get the packing done stress-free, sometimes it makes more sense to let the professionals come in a wrap things up literally. 
  4. Additional Services: Storage, specialty items (pianos, vases), and assembly/disassembly of your furniture pieces add to the total. Sometimes you can save big by pre-disassembling your wardrobes and beds and telling the movers not to reassemble them. For this, you need to be quite handy and ready to sweat.  
  5. Time of Year: Moving during peak seasons (summer) or holidays will drastically increase costs due to higher demand. The best and cheapest time to move is mid-week in the winter not during the start or end of the month when family demand peaks. 

Cost Breakdown Examples

  • Basic Move: $1,500 to $5,000 for a local move of a basic home of 2000 square feet (two stories) with no additional VIP services.
  • Full-Service Move: $4,000 to $15,000+ for a long-distance move with packing, specialty item handling, and insurance.

iMoving Pro Tips to Reduce Costs for Your Move

  • It's time to dump those unnecessary items in your life: Declutter and sell, donate or simply trash those extra items to reduce volume and weight. Shave off that excess in your life to save time and money. After living years in a 2000 square meter house, we are sure you have plenty of excesses you can part ways with.
  • Compare Quotes: Get multiple quotes from multiple moving companies to find the best value for your money and needs. iMoving makes this part simple, saving you the need to call multiple companies or input your info a million times. Simply put in all your details once and you will end up with multiple quotes from over 1000 trusted local movers.
  • Plan Ahead: Booking as soon as you know your dates can sometimes secure lower rates, especially for long-distance moves. Movers want to know they have a full month of work and will reward you for booking ahead of time during off-peak times. You can ask for discounts.

Additional Thoughts

  • Insurance: Ensure the right insurance coverage for your belongings during transit. Make sure you check the premiums you will be expected to pay should any real damage occur. You can use the movers insurance or opt for your own external.
  • Special Needs: Notify movers about any special needs or access issues at both the current and new locations. If you have pesky stairs or weird access that requires the items to be carried instead of directly loaded onto the truck you should expect added costs. 
  • Make sure you mention your elevator size and stairwell accessibility to your moving company so they can provide you with a proper quote and you can avoid hidden fees.

Wrap Up That Old Home and Start Anew

By considering the factors above and planning accordingly, you can estimate and manage the costs you will incur with moving a 2,000-square-foot house effectively. Don’t be fooled into paying more than you should for your home, even though it is quite big. With knowledge you have power. Let iMoving’s tool be a guide for the probable costs of moving to your new home! Best of luck from the iMoving team!


Frequently Asked Questions

We recommend purging as many items as you feel comfortable with. Whether it be by way of clothing and toy donations or a giant garage junk sale, you will feel more comfortable going into your new home with minimal clutter.

Marie Condo that wardrobe! Think that you are paying by weight for the movers to move additional items you don’t really need. It makes more financial sense to purge now and save today.

Babysit and ask them what they really need. It could be a few hours where you take the kids off their hands so they can pack up the house in peace or even go out for a date night, or it could be a helping hand at home with the actual packing that they need.

Ask them directly and don’t take no for an answer. Try to help them involve their child in the move itself and get them excited about the new adventure.

Sports gear can be packed in many ways and can actually be used as padding for fragile items sometimes. iMoving has options that offer to move any type of specialty item from a grand piano to a giant basketball net.

In general, it’s best to break down larger items into smaller parts and pack them together if possible, but as well we have a full-service option that will handle this for you. If you have fragile surfboards, be sure to bubble wrap them and ideally tie them to the top of your car to keep them extra safe from dings.

Trusted and reliable movers don’t come around every day. iMoving’s marketplace is the top answer for finding the top companies. Yes, we are biased, but honestly, if you ask a focus group of 10 people, at least 9 out of 10 would agree (and the one guy there just never moved homes).

If its trusted and vetted movers you want for your family, only iMoving offers such a wide range of moving companies that can be booked right here and now online.

Not only can you book their services and lock down your date and time, but you can also get a binding quote taking the guesswork out of moving homes.

Read previous reviews from happy and more importantly- unhappy customers! Many moving companies supported by iMoving offer this VIP option and we only work with the best. When booking feel free to call them directly and let them know any queries you have.

Their teams arrive and pack up your whole home quite swiftly. It may be smart to prepare a little in advance and keep aside any precious items that you don't want to end up in the bottom of a box.


Rachel Kaplan

Rachel has spent the last few years writing for moving companies while actually moving across the globe. After many years of moving between many states in the US, she moved abroad to try the remote work life. She’s a pro at moving all her things with her dog and hundreds of plants. Thankfully she’s a minimalist so moves aren’t too much of an issue.

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