Moving Cost Advisor

Guide

How to Move Across the Country: What to Keep, What to Get Rid Of

On a coast-to-coast move you pay to carry every pound about 2,800 miles, so the first decision is what not to take. The rest is timing, transit and storage.

Moving Cost Editorial Team · Pricing model pricing-v1.0 · Estimates last recalculated

The short answer

Get rid of anything heavy that is cheap to replace: older furniture, appliances, books, garage and yard equipment, and duplicate kitchenware. On a cross-country move the price follows weight. In our model, a 3-bedroom move of 2,800 miles is $8,650–$11,500 at the assumed 8,150 lbs; removing 1,000 lbs brings it to $7,700–$10,250, about $1,100 less. Expect a delivery window of 6 to 14 days rather than a single day.

What to get rid of when moving across country

The test for each item is simple: would it cost more to ship than to replace? Heavy, low-value items fail it first. Particle-board furniture, old mattresses, large appliances that may not fit the new kitchen, exercise equipment, books you will not reread, paint and garden chemicals (which movers will not carry anyway) and the second set of everything.

Keep what is hard to replace or worth more than its weight: good furniture, heirlooms, tools you use, and anything with sentimental value.

  • Sell or donate large items before the survey, so they are not priced.
  • Measure the new home first; furniture that does not fit is paid for twice.
  • Use up pantry and cleaning supplies rather than shipping them.

The downsizing math, from our pricing model

In our model, every 1,000 lbs removed from a 2,800-mile 3-bedroom move lowers the midpoint by about $1,100. The saving comes mostly from line haul, which multiplies weight by distance, plus a smaller share of crew time at each end. Selling heavy, replaceable items before the survey is the largest cost lever you control.

Moving Cost Advisor pricing model

Interstate prices are built from weight × distance, so cuts compound over a long haul. Starting from the 3-bedroom profile (8,150 lbs) at 2,800 miles:

  • As modeled: $8,650–$11,500 (midpoint $9,950).
  • 500 lbs lighter: $8,150–$10,900 (midpoint $9,400, $550 less).
  • 1,000 lbs lighter: $7,700–$10,250 (midpoint $8,850, $1,100 less).
  • 1,500 lbs lighter: $7,250–$9,650 (midpoint $8,300, $1,650 less).

A cross-country moving timeline

Eight weeks out, decide what goes and book the survey. Six weeks out, compare written estimates on the cross-country moving costs and book. Two to four weeks out, sell and donate, then pack room by room. In moving week, confirm the pickup date, the delivery window and the driver's contact.

How long do movers take cross country

Our model assumes a 6 to 14 days delivery window for moves of 1,800 miles or more. Cross-country shipments carry the lowest per-mile rate on the rate table, but the total is high because the weight travels a long way and delivery spreads across a window rather than a single date. The carrier gives you the agreed pickup and delivery dates or window in writing, on the order for service; plan to be reachable on every day of it.

Storage in transit

If your new home is not ready when the truck arrives, the carrier can hold the shipment in storage in transit. In our model adding it to the same move brings the estimate to $9,000–$11,950, about $350 more, covering warehouse handling and a typical 30-day period. Ask for it in the written estimate rather than at delivery.

How to pack clothes for moving cross country

Hang what wrinkles in wardrobe boxes, which the crew loads like furniture. Fold the rest into medium boxes or leave it in dresser drawers only if the mover allows it (many do for light clothing; ask). Vacuum bags save space for bedding and out-of-season clothes but do not reduce weight. Pack two weeks of clothes in a suitcase that travels with you, because the delivery window can be long.

What to pack when moving across country

Pack what you will use in the first month and what is expensive to replace. Leave out what is cheap to rebuy at the destination. Carry with you documents, medication, laptops, chargers, keys and a basic kitchen and bathroom kit for the days before delivery.

Regulatory and external sources

What the rules say

Limits of this analysis

  • Figures are Moving Cost Advisor model output for full-service movers at a national-baseline labor index and no seasonal adjustment, not quotes.
  • The weight cuts are applied to the 3-bedroom profile's assumed weight; a surveyed shipment may differ.

Put this into a number

Use the moving cost calculator to see how these mechanics change your own estimate, or read the pricing methodology for the exact inputs we apply.

Related, and deliberately separate

Long-Distance Moving Cost Guide

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How Movers Estimate the Weight of Household Goods

Covers: how shipment weight is estimated and verified on an interstate move.

Moving Containers vs Full-Service Movers

Covers: the cost trade-off between container transport and a full-service carrier.

Questions

What should I get rid of when moving across country?

Heavy items that are cheap to replace: older furniture, appliances, books, yard and garage equipment and duplicates. You pay by weight over the full distance.

How much does getting rid of 1,000 lbs save on a cross-country move?

In our model, about $1,100 on a 3-bedroom move of 2,800 miles ($8,650–$11,500 down to $7,700–$10,250).

How long do movers take cross country?

Our model assumes a 6 to 14 days delivery window for cross-country moves. The carrier's window is written on the order for service.

What is storage in transit?

Warehouse storage while your shipment waits for the new home. In our model it adds about $350 to a 3-bedroom cross-country move.