How much is this going to cost?
There isn’t one useful province-wide price that can answer that question accurately.
A move across Moncton may be priced very differently from a move from Fredericton to Ontario. Two families moving from similar-sized homes can also receive very different estimates because they have different amounts of furniture, different access, different packing needs or simply require different amounts of time and labour.
The more useful question is:
What will my move cost, and what is that number actually based on?
For a local move, the time and crew required are usually major factors. For a long-distance move, shipment weight, distance and the services involved become more important. Packing, storage, access and changes to what is being moved can affect the cost as well.
Understanding those pieces is the best place to start if you want a moving budget you can realistically plan around.
Questions Answered In This Topic:
- Local and long-distance moving costs work differently
- What affects the cost of a local move in NB?
- What affects the cost of a long-distance move?
- Why an in-home moving survey matters
- Why can the final price be different from the estimate?
- What additional moving costs should you ask about?
- Why can two moving estimates be so different?
- How do you know if a moving estimate is realistic?
- What can you do to keep moving costs under control?
- How much should you budget for movers in NB?
Local and long-distance moving costs work differently
The first thing to establish is what kind of move you’re planning.
A local residential move is normally completed within a relatively short period. The cost is commonly tied closely to the time and labour required to complete the job.
A long-distance or interprovincial move works differently. The amount being shipped, the distance it needs to travel and any additional services required all become important parts of the calculation.
That’s why a statement such as “moving costs $X” doesn’t tell you much unless you also know what kind of move that number represents.
| Local move | Long-distance move | |
|---|---|---|
| Major cost factors | Time, crew, amount being moved, access | Shipment weight, distance, services, access |
| Packing | Can add labour and material costs | Can add packing and material costs |
| Property access | Can affect the time required | Can affect handling and transportation arrangements |
| Changes to inventory | May increase the work and time involved | May change the actual shipment weight |
| Best starting point | Understand the work involved | Build an accurate inventory of the shipment |
What affects the cost of a local move in New Brunswick?
For a local move, the amount of work involved has a major effect on the cost.
Moving a lightly furnished one-bedroom apartment is a very different job from moving a three-bedroom home with a basement, garage and years of accumulated belongings.
The number of movers required matters too. So does how efficiently the crew can move belongings between the home and the truck.
Factors can include:
- the amount of furniture and boxes;
- the number of movers required;
- stairs or elevators;
- how far the crew needs to carry belongings;
- parking and truck access;
- furniture requiring additional handling;
- packing that still needs to be completed;
- and the distance between the two properties.
This is why the number of bedrooms alone isn’t enough to accurately describe a move.
Two people can both say, “I’m moving a two-bedroom apartment,” while describing two very different moving jobs.
What affects the cost of a long-distance move?
Long-distance moving adds another major factor: the amount of belongings being transported over that distance.
For East Coast Moving’s long-distance moves, the estimate starts with an inventory of what you expect to take. That inventory helps establish the expected shipment and allows the mover to build an estimate around the weight, distance and services required.
The more accurately that inventory reflects what actually goes on the truck, the more useful the estimate becomes.
For weight-based moves, the final shipment weight can also affect the eventual price.
If the shipment is heavier than expected, the transportation portion of the cost may increase. If it is lighter, that portion may decrease. Other services such as packing or storage can affect the total separately.
The important thing is not memorizing the moving industry’s calculations.
It’s understanding how your estimate works before your belongings are loaded.
Why an in-home moving survey matters
This is one of the most important parts of building a realistic estimate.
East Coast Moving’s normal approach for customers within our service areas is to have a moving consultant visit the home and see what is actually being moved.
There’s a practical reason for doing that.
Square footage cannot show what’s stored in the basement. A quick phone conversation may miss the garage or shed. Two similar-looking pieces of furniture can require very different handling. A driveway, narrow street, apartment elevator or difficult entrance may change how the move needs to be planned.
During an in-home survey, the consultant can look at:
- the furniture and belongings being moved;
- items that are staying behind;
- basements, garages and storage areas;
- heavy, fragile or unusual pieces;
- packing requirements;
- stairs and elevators;
- entrances and carrying distances;
- and truck access.
It also gives the customer an opportunity to ask questions face to face before moving day.
When an in-person visit isn’t practical—for example, when someone is arranging a move from outside the area—a detailed virtual survey may be used instead.
The goal in either case is the same:
Reduce the amount of guessing that goes into the estimate.
For an independent checklist of what to look for when getting estimates and planning a move, see the
Why can the final moving price be different from the estimate?
An estimate is based on the move as it is understood when the estimate is prepared.
If the move changes, the cost can change too.
For example:
- you decide to take furniture you originally planned to leave behind;
- you need professional packing after initially planning to pack yourself;
- the actual long-distance shipment weighs more or less than estimated;
- storage becomes necessary;
- or an access issue changes how the move has to be completed.
Those situations don’t automatically mean something improper has happened.
The important question is whether the difference can be clearly explained and connected to something that actually changed about the move.
If the final amount differs from the estimate, you should be able to understand why.
What additional moving costs should you ask about?
Before deciding whether an estimate fits your budget, find out what has actually been included.
Packing is an obvious example. Some customers do most or all of their own packing to control costs. Others want professional help with fragile belongings, artwork, televisions or the entire home.
Storage may become another consideration if possession dates don’t line up. East Coast also offers storage services when belongings need somewhere to go between one location and the next.
Property access can matter as well. Depending on the move, stairs, elevators, long carries, parking restrictions or a location that a large moving vehicle cannot easily reach may change what is required.
The exact possibilities depend on your move, but there is a simple rule worth following:
Don’t just ask for the total. Ask what the total assumes.
Why can two moving estimates be so different?
You may request several quotes and discover that one is dramatically lower than the others.
That doesn’t automatically mean the lower estimate is wrong.
It also doesn’t automatically mean you’re getting a bargain.
Before comparing the totals, determine whether the movers are actually estimating the same job.
One estimate may assume a smaller shipment. One might include packing while another does not. Crew assumptions may differ. One mover may have identified an access problem that another hasn’t accounted for. Long-distance estimates might be based on substantially different expected shipment weights.
A difference in price becomes much easier to understand once you know what each mover believes they are being asked to do.
Compare:
- What belongings are included?
- How much work or weight is being estimated?
- What services are included?
- What access conditions have been considered?
- What circumstances could change the price?
How do you know whether a moving estimate is realistic?
A realistic estimate doesn’t necessarily mean a number that eventually proves exact to the dollar.
It means the estimate has been built from enough real information that you can understand it and make plans around it.
Before committing, you should be able to answer five questions.
1. What exactly is being moved?
The mover should have a reasonably complete understanding of the belongings involved.
2. How is the price being calculated?
You should understand whether time, labour, shipment weight, distance or another factor is driving the price.
3. What services are included?
Packing, materials, storage or other services shouldn’t simply be assumed.
4. What could legitimately change the cost?
You should know which changes to the move could affect what you eventually pay.
5. Has the mover actually looked closely enough at the move?
An in-home survey, or a detailed alternative when one isn’t practical, can reveal information that a quick online or telephone estimate may miss.
The number matters. How the mover arrived at the number matters too.
What can you do to keep your moving costs under control?
You can’t control every variable, but there are several things you can do.
Decide what is actually moving. Every piece you sell, donate or leave behind is one less item to pack, handle and transport.
Make packing decisions early. If you’re packing yourself, give yourself enough time. If you think you’ll want help with fragile or difficult belongings, discuss that ahead of moving day.
Show the mover everything. Don’t forget basements, garages, sheds or storage areas when the inventory is being prepared.
Explain the destination as well as the origin. Stairs, elevators, parking restrictions and difficult truck access can matter at either end of the move.
Tell the mover when something changes. Adding a room of furniture or changing your packing requirements after the estimate has been prepared is useful information—not something to save for moving morning.
Good information early makes it much easier to build a realistic plan.
So, how much should you budget for movers in New Brunswick?
The most responsible answer is to budget from your move, not from a generic average you found online.
A provincial average can’t see what’s in your basement. It doesn’t know whether you’re packing yourself, whether your apartment has an elevator, how long a local move will take or how much a shipment going across Canada actually weighs.
A useful moving estimate turns those unknowns into something much clearer.
For a local move, that means understanding the likely labour, time and conditions involved.
For a long-distance move, it means developing a realistic picture of the shipment, distance and services required and understanding how the final shipment may affect the cost.
You don’t need to become an expert in moving rates.
You need enough information to answer two questions:
Do I understand what I’m paying for?
And do I understand what could change the price?
If you do, you’re in a much better position to budget properly and compare your options.
