When You Should Hire a Mover vs When You Should DIY
Americans Face Higher Costs, Hard Choices, and Multiple Stressors When Moving
In 2011, there were nearly 7,000 moving service providers. Today, that number has risen to over 9,535 companies and some estimate associated franchise businesses total up to nearly 22,000. Moving and storage companies know that their market is saturated. They are also painfully aware that consumers are looking for the best moving companies to go "the extra mile" when it comes to choosing help with their move. That includes offering services like online estimates, booking and flexible moving options, real-time tracking systems, and mobile apps to improve the efficiency and transparency of a customer's move.
Mover services companies also know demand is growing. About 12% of all American households, or roughly 15.3 million, move each year. More people are now relocating to southern states and cross-town moves have rebounded 11% after a four-year freefall. The moving services industry currently anticipates doing an estimated $22.9 billion worth of business in the next three years.
To be sure, moving is not cheap. High moving costs can make it harder for consumers to set up electric utility service once they arrive in their new home. Relocating in the U.S. can range from a $500 DIY move across town all the way up to $15,000 to move across the continent. According to Move.org, a full service local move can cost an average of $7,600.
To help Americans on the move, we reviewed assessments and reports made since 2020 from several major moving industry associations and companies. We then compared moving cost and survey findings to determine which consumers may best benefit from a Do It Yourself (DIY) Move versus hiring a moving company. In this way, we hope to show consumers how their moving choices are changing and how to save money while avoiding the most stress.
Moving Costs Are Moving Higher
The first question most movers ask is which is the cheapest way to move. DIY moves usually tend to be cheapest because you are doing all the work yourself.
Of course, the downside is that you are doing all the work yourself.
In recent years, moving costs have been moving higher no matter if you DIY or hired a moving company. A trio of surveys from 2020 through 2024, show that moving costs have increased over a few short years. In fact, about 20% of all movers will go into debt to cover expenses.
- A 2020 survey of 1,000 movers done by OnePoll for North American Van Lines found the average cost was over $1,500 and included paying an extra $211 to cover unexpected costs during the move.
- In 2023, a Home Bay and Allied Van Lines survey of 2,000 movers found rising costs were reaching more movers. Between 2022 and 2023, the share of households that spent $2,000 on their move rose from 46% to 50%. This held true for all local moves within a 100 mile radius of the old home. Those whose move took them further away were twice as likely to spend $5,000. Similarly, about 53% of movers had unexpected costs. And over half in the survey said the total cost of their move was higher than expected.
- More recently in 2024, an Anytime Estimate survey of 1,000 movers showed average costs had risen even further. Moving companies and truck rental companies charge by volume or weight. Because costs for doing business (i.e., fuel, insurance, maintenance, interest on debt, etc.) had been increasing, truck rates ticked up. Movers with more possessions had to pay more to move them. For these reasons, renters (who generally have less things) paid $1,334 on average while homeowners (who tend to have more) paid $2,907. Moreover, the number of movers facing unexpected costs rose to 78%.
All three surveys found that those who hired moving companies often bemoaned the cost. Still, the 2020 North American Van Lines survey noted that 94 percent of those who had previously hired movers (57.8% of the total sample) felt hiring them was worth every penny. However, assuming this group had an average move turn over of five years, the previous move would have been in 2015 when the average in-state professional move cost only $1,170. This may suggest why some movers rated their movers so high but were surprised by higher than expected costs based on their previous experience instead of comparing the best companies.
DIY Move or Hire a Moving Company: Cost
The number of DIY movers vs those hiring movers is varied and nuanced. . With many moving surveys published by service providers, accuracy can depend on who is supplying the numbers. However, these three surveys do suggest an increase in the number of DIY movers from 30% in 2020 to 40% in 2024.
DIY movers are also now more likely to choose services that make their move more convenient. The 2023 survey shows about 34% of the 616 DIY movers "were most likely" to rent a moving vehicle while 9% would likely choose a moving container service.
According to one moving services analysis in early 2025, about 60% of all movers now go the DIY route. They rely on their own vehicles for transportation (24.7%) or rent a truck (37.5%). Another 15.7% will now use a moving container service, especially for longer distance moves. This shift leaves less than 23% of movers who rely on full service moves.
DIY Move or Hire a Moving Company: Stress
| Stress Rank | Task | Overall % | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|
1 |
Packing |
33% to 48% |
|
| 2 | Sorting/decluttering | 31% - 47%. |
|
| 3 | Unpacking at the new home - (most took over a month to unpack) | 31% |
|
| 4 | Cost for moving services | 25% |
|
Moving can have lots of moving parts. So, it's easy to get overwhelmed. All three surveys ranked the different moving tasks in terms of stress. Overall, the 2020 survey rated moving worse than divorce. and the other two show at least 42% of movers admitted crying.
Research in psychology shows the process of moving is often accompanied by feelings of loss, alienation, and fear of uncertainty. And, when hiring a mover, there is also stress from relying on someone else to move your stuff to your new home. Stressed movers often experience irritability, fatigue, and difficulty concentrating. Therefore, the most common moving tasks can easily become difficult, dreaded, and cause more stress.
The Most Stressful Tasks
The 2024 survey also noted that DIY movers tended to use extra care when moving, resulting in fewer broken items during their move (27%) vs professional movers (43%). Similarly, a 2025 Safeway Moving Poll that examined moving stress among 2,000 Americans found that respondents worried that if they used professional movers, they would have their items broken (45%), be overcharged by the moving company (44%), and have items stolen (36%).
Clearly, a DIY move does not share the same stresses as hiring a moving company. And that's also abundantly clear when it comes to labor.
Physical Stress: Can you move your stuff?
A big factor in deciding whether to DIY or hire a moving company is to decide if you are physically able to do the job. A DIY move can be very demanding, especially when it comes to lifting and carrying boxes, furniture, and appliances up and down stairs. Most who do all of their move themselves will spend between 16 and 24 hours on move day, packing, loading, driving, and unloading.
In comparison, hiring professional movers to help with loading and unloading drastically cuts this down to about 3 hours.
The alternative for DIY movers, of course, is to enlist family members, relations, and friends to help you with moving. About half of DIY movers in the 2024 survey said they had family and friends to help. In general, most will be willing to help, especially if there's a pizza and a cold beverage reward at the end of the job. All the same, expect to be disappointed. The 2025 Safeway Moving Poll found at least 22% have weaseled out of helping others move when asked. And of these weasels, 35% were stood up by others they asked for help during their own moves.
Moving: Stress, Ordeal, and Satisfaction
One emotion many moving industry surveys have covered is the amount of regret DIY movers feel after their ordeal. However, surveys appear to quietly indicate a rise in mover satisfaction with their DIY move.
In the 2020 survey, 43% of those who moved DIY said they would never do it again.
--- But that also hints that 57% didn't rule it out.
In the 2023 survey, 24% of DIY movers regretted not hiring a moving service.
--- But that also suggests 76% did not regret their choice.
In the 2024 survey:
- 87% of those who hired professional movers say moving was stressful, compared to 82% of those who moved themselves.
- On a scale of 1 to 10, DIY movers rated their moving experience a 6.7 on average, compared to 6.5 among those who used a moving company.
- Despite the additional stress and expense, 65% of those who hired a moving company said they would still recommend their moving company to others based on their experience.
- 89% of DIY movers did not regret their decision to do the job themselves.
So, while any move is stressful, DIY movers have more control over the whole process than those who hire a moving company. While that may be a hectic and nerve-racking ordeal to go through, DIY movers seem to be showing signs of being more confident and empowered by it. Ironically, a mix of surveys and industry analysis point out that DIY movers are more likely to purchase "à la carte" products and services (truck rentals, labor, moving storage containers, packing materials) from the moving companies they don't want to hire.
Conclusion:
There's no way to avoid the stress of moving. However, the affordability of moving is becoming increasingly difficult for consumers, especially for renters or first time homeowners. For that reason, it's clear that most consumers can better afford and manage a DIY move much more easily than hiring a moving company. In fact, DIY movers can make their job even easier when they compare and shop the "à la carte" products and services that more moving companies now offer.
Because homeowners tend to have more space and more items than renters, it makes sense for them to hire movers more often than tackling a DIY move. Similarly, people who earn higher incomes will also be more likely to hire a moving service to streamline and speed up the whole process. In short, if you own a home with three or four bedrooms or you're in a professional career where your time is money (or both), then definitely choose a full service moving company. But be sure to shop and compare offers carefully. You'll want to get your money's worth.
Methodology
Researchers reviewed assessments and reports made since 2020 from several major moving industry associations and companies. We then compared moving cost and survey findings to determine which consumers may best benefit from a DIY Move versus hiring a moving company.
Sources
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Bank of America Institute, On the Move: More Movers, Fewer Homebuyers (05/28/2025), https://institute.bankofamerica.com/content/dam/economic-insights/on-the-move-q1-2025.pdf
Better Business Bureau, A Look into the Moving Industry (January 2023), https://www.bbb.org/content/dam/iabbb/marcom-assets/industry-reports/Industry%20Report_Moving-US%202023.pdf
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Home Bay, Half of Americans Are Surprised by How Much It Costs to Move (2/26/2024), https://homebay.com/moving-trends-2024/
Anytime Estimate, 70% of Americans Have Regrets About Moving (2/10/2025), https://anytimeestimate.com/research/moving-trends-2025/
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