Moving Cost Calculator
Estimate what movers charge for your distance and home size, the cash you need to move into a new rental, and how long a cheaper rent takes to pay the move back. The math is the same wherever you go; rent is what changes, so pick the state you are moving to and its two-bedroom Fair Market Rent fills in.
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Total Moving Cost
Estimated • Based on your inputs
Monthly Cost Difference
$300.00
Detailed Breakdown
Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only. Results should not be considered financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult a qualified professional for your specific situation.
How this calculator works
The movers line is a planning formula, not a quote or a published tariff: $800, plus $400 per bedroom, plus $0.50 per mile per bedroom. Move-in cash is two months of the new rent (the first month and a deposit of one month) plus $500 for utility hookups. The monthly difference is the new rent minus the current rent. When the new rent is lower, the last line is the number of months those savings take to repay the whole move; when the new rent is higher it reads "Never on rent alone", because rent savings never repay it. Taxes, wages and other living costs are not in the result; the cost of living index in the table below is there for comparison only.
Source: HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents (destination rent and state table); C2ER cost of living index via MERIC (state table) checked
Rent and move-in cash by destination state (HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rent)
HUD Fair Market Rents in force 2026-10-01 to 2027-09-30, statewide renter-household-weighted averages of HUD's county and New England town figures. Move-in cash is the calculator's own line at the two-bedroom figure. The last column is C2ER's composite cost of living index for Q2 2026 (100 = average of participating places), for comparison; it does not enter the calculation.
| State | 2-bedroom FMR | 3-bedroom FMR | Move-in cash at 2BR FMR | Cost of living index (Q2 2026) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $1,175 | $1,505 | $2,850 | 86.0 |
| Alaska | $1,539 | $2,098 | $3,578 | 124.5 |
| Arizona | $1,619 | $2,154 | $3,738 | 108.6 |
| Arkansas | $1,073 | $1,434 | $2,646 | 89.0 |
| California | $2,715 | $3,554 | $5,930 | 140.3 |
| Colorado | $1,944 | $2,573 | $4,388 | 102.7 |
| Connecticut | $2,039 | $2,488 | $4,578 | 103.6 |
| Delaware | $1,753 | $2,154 | $4,006 | 100.6 |
| Florida | $2,005 | $2,583 | $4,510 | 100.8 |
| Georgia | $1,528 | $1,868 | $3,556 | 90.1 |
| Hawaii | $2,487 | $3,369 | $5,474 | 185.8 |
| Idaho | $1,372 | $1,896 | $3,244 | 99.4 |
| Illinois | $1,752 | $2,255 | $4,004 | 94.5 |
| Indiana | $1,320 | $1,666 | $3,140 | 89.7 |
| Iowa | $1,125 | $1,496 | $2,750 | 86.1 |
| Kansas | $1,213 | $1,601 | $2,926 | 87.1 |
| Kentucky | $1,177 | $1,533 | $2,854 | 94.0 |
| Louisiana | $1,177 | $1,508 | $2,854 | 91.3 |
| Maine | $1,755 | $2,255 | $4,010 | 112.9 |
| Maryland | $2,104 | $2,664 | $4,708 | 118.8 |
| Massachusetts | $2,598 | $3,139 | $5,696 | 148.1 |
| Michigan | $1,381 | $1,718 | $3,262 | 92.1 |
| Minnesota | $1,532 | $2,013 | $3,564 | 93.4 |
| Mississippi | $1,095 | $1,383 | $2,690 | 87.4 |
| Missouri | $1,266 | $1,655 | $3,032 | 88.2 |
| Montana | $1,562 | $2,139 | $3,624 | 106.0 |
| Nebraska | $1,274 | $1,682 | $3,048 | 90.1 |
| Nevada | $1,686 | $2,303 | $3,872 | 105.4 |
| New Hampshire | $2,016 | $2,525 | $4,532 | 108.5 |
| New Jersey | $2,321 | $2,852 | $5,142 | 119.2 |
| New Mexico | $1,292 | $1,732 | $3,084 | 90.2 |
| New York | $2,565 | $3,233 | $5,630 | 132.6 |
| North Carolina | $1,460 | $1,844 | $3,420 | 96.7 |
| North Dakota | $1,107 | $1,512 | $2,714 | 90.5 |
| Ohio | $1,294 | $1,627 | $3,088 | 93.0 |
| Oklahoma | $1,141 | $1,520 | $2,782 | 83.0 |
| Oregon | $1,710 | $2,340 | $3,920 | 110.4 |
| Pennsylvania | $1,556 | $1,936 | $3,612 | 95.3 |
| Rhode Island | $1,917 | $2,367 | $4,334 | 110.9 |
| South Carolina | $1,396 | $1,721 | $3,292 | 92.7 |
| South Dakota | $1,191 | $1,589 | $2,882 | 93.5 |
| Tennessee | $1,406 | $1,805 | $3,312 | 89.7 |
| Texas | $1,517 | $1,975 | $3,534 | 90.8 |
| Utah | $1,506 | $2,019 | $3,512 | 98.4 |
| Vermont | $1,816 | $2,302 | $4,132 | 113.4 |
| Virginia | $1,791 | $2,328 | $4,082 | 99.0 |
| Washington | $2,106 | $2,802 | $4,712 | 115.1 |
| West Virginia | $1,040 | $1,342 | $2,580 | 87.0 |
| Wisconsin | $1,275 | $1,630 | $3,050 | 95.7 |
| Wyoming | $1,107 | $1,500 | $2,714 | 94.4 |
Fair Market Rents are HUD's 40th-percentile gross rents (rent plus utilities) for standard-quality units, set for housing programs, so a quoted rent can be higher or lower. The cost of living index averages the urban areas C2ER surveys in each state.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to move to another state?
For a three-bedroom home moved 1,000 miles, this calculator's planning formula gives $3,500 for movers. Moving into a $1,800 rental adds $4,100 (first month, a one-month deposit and $500 for hookups), so $7,600 in all. Movers price by weight, date and access, so get written quotes before you book.
Does the state I move to change the cost?
Not the movers' bill in this model, which depends on distance and home size only. The destination changes the rent, and with it the move-in cash and every month after: the table below gives each state's HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rent for two- and three-bedroom homes, and picking a state fills its two-bedroom figure in.