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What moving costs

Pick the page that matches your move. Each one prints its own sources and the date its figures were checked.

Updated

There is no single price for moving house, so this section splits it the way removalists quote it. A local move is billed by the hour, and the total mostly follows the size of the home, which is why the bedrooms page is the best starting point if you are staying in the same city.

If you already know the city, go straight to its page. There are five: Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Perth and Adelaide. Each uses a different mix of published guides, and each covers the consumer advice from its own state where we could reach it.

Moving interstate is priced differently again, on volume and distance, with a real choice between a truck of your own and a shared one. The interstate page lists nine routes and shows where two guides disagree. Pianos and storage have pages of their own because they are the two extras most likely to change a total. The calculator adds any of these together for your move.

  1. Tool

    Moving cost calculator

    Bedrooms, city or route, and extras like packing, pianos, storage and transit insurance.

    Two movers $100-$180 an hour
  2. By size

    Moving house cost by bedrooms

    Local move totals for 1 to 4 bedrooms, Australia-wide, in Sydney and in Melbourne, with hourly rates by city.

    3-bed local move $800-$2,000
  3. SYD

    Removalist cost in Sydney

    Hourly rates by crew tier, totals by home size and the extra charges Sydney movers add.

    Budget crew $110-$145/hr
  4. MEL

    Removalist cost in Melbourne

    Rates for two and three movers, totals by bedrooms, storage, and what Consumer Affairs Victoria recorded.

    Typical rate $147 an hour
  5. BNE

    Removalist cost in Brisbane

    Brisbane rates and totals, moves to and from Melbourne by truck type, and Queensland's advice on deposits.

    3-bed local move $800-$2,000
  6. PER

    Removalist cost in Perth

    Perth rates and totals, what the long haul from the east costs, and the WA payment rule.

    3-bed local move $840-$2,100
  7. ADL

    Removalist cost in Adelaide

    Adelaide rates and totals, the Melbourne and Sydney routes, and storage prices that break the usual ranking.

    3-bed local move $735-$1,850
  8. Interstate

    Interstate removalist costs

    Nine routes, dedicated truck against backloading where published, and two guides that disagree on Sydney to Melbourne.

    SYD to MEL backload $2,400-$3,600
  9. Piano

    Piano removal cost

    What moving an upright or a grand costs, the stairs and crane charges, tuning afterwards, and interstate add-ons.

    Upright piano $280-$450
  10. Storage

    Storage unit costs

    Median monthly prices by unit size in five cities, and how stored goods are insured.

    Medium unit $210/mo