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How Much Does a Local Move Cost in Boston, MA? (2026)
Local moving costs in Boston, MA for 2026 by the hour: crew rates, studio to three-bedroom totals, walk-up time, parking permits, and what a lowball quote hides.
In This Article
How Much Does a Local Move Cost in Boston, MA? (2026)
Two movers and a truck in Boston typically bill roughly $150 to $200 per hour in 2026, and three movers with a truck run about $200 to $270. Nearly every company in the city sets a two- or three-hour minimum, and those two numbers, the rate and the minimum, decide more of your bill than anything else.
The rate looks simple until you count what runs on the clock. Travel time, stairs, the walk from the truck to the door, and a wait for a freight elevator all bill at the same hourly rate as carrying boxes. A local move in Boston is a math problem, and the sections below work through it one apartment size at a time.
Everything here assumes a move within Boston or to a neighboring city inside Route 128, which is how most companies define local. Anything past about 30 miles usually flips to a flat-rate or weight-based quote, and the hourly math stops applying.
The Clock, One Apartment Size at a Time
A studio in Brighton headed to Somerville takes two movers about two to three hours of labor once the truck is at the curb. Add a one-hour travel charge and the two-hour minimum, and the total typically lands between $450 and $750. Studios with a lot of boxes and a fourth-floor stairwell push toward the top of that range.
A one-bedroom runs two movers three to four hours and totals roughly $600 to $950 with travel. This is the size where a third mover often pays for itself, because the rate rises about $50 an hour while the job drops by an hour or more, and the crew is less tired at the end.
A two-bedroom is a three-mover job at four to six hours, which puts the total around $1,000 to $1,700 including travel. Adding a full packing service the day before adds three to five more crew hours plus materials, and lifts the combined bill to roughly $1,600 to $2,500.
A three-bedroom house in Roslindale, West Roxbury, or a full floor of a Dorchester triple-decker takes three or four movers six to nine hours. Four movers with a truck bill roughly $270 to $340 per hour, so the total typically lands between $1,800 and $3,200 before packing.
| Home size | Crew | Hours on the clock | Typical total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 2 movers | 3 to 4 including travel | $450 to $750 |
| One-bedroom | 2 movers | 4 to 5 including travel | $600 to $950 |
| Two-bedroom | 3 movers | 5 to 7 including travel | $1,000 to $1,700 |
| Three-bedroom house | 3 or 4 movers | 7 to 10 including travel | $1,800 to $3,200 |
Travel time is the line people forget. Most Boston companies charge either a flat travel fee equal to one hour of the crew rate, so $150 to $270, or "double drive time," which bills the drive between your two addresses twice to cover the truck's trip out and back. A few charge portal to portal from a warehouse in Woburn or Braintree, which can add two hours before anyone touches a box.
Stairs are where Boston separates from the suburbs. A fourth-floor walk-up in Allston or on Beacon Hill adds an hour or more at that end of the move because every item goes up or down four flights by hand, and the narrow turns on a Pinckney Street staircase slow a crew further. Some companies bill that as time, while others charge a flat stair fee of $50 to $100 per floor above the second, and on a one-bedroom the difference between a first-floor unit and a fourth-floor unit is roughly $200 to $400 either way.
Boston Line Items That Are Not on the Rate Sheet
Boston requires a street occupancy permit to reserve curb space for a moving truck, and the fee runs in the low hundreds once you add the printed "No Parking" signs. You apply through the city's Public Works permit portal several business days ahead, and the signs must be posted at least 48 hours before the move so the space is legally yours on the day. Skip it and the truck double-parks on Commonwealth Avenue while the crew loses an hour and the city writes a ticket.
Cambridge, Somerville, and Brookline each run their own permit systems with their own timelines. Cambridge issues moving permits through its Traffic, Parking and Transportation office and wants about a week's notice, Somerville handles them through its parking office with signs posted two to three days ahead, and Brookline posts the signs itself through its Transportation Division. Fees in all three generally land between $40 and $120 per space per day, and none of them accept a Boston permit.
High-rise buildings in the Seaport and Back Bay add paperwork. Most require the mover to supply a certificate of insurance naming the building, usually with $1,000,000 to $2,000,000 in liability coverage, and a reserved freight elevator window that is often limited to weekday business hours. Some buildings also charge a move-in fee or refundable deposit of $250 to $500, and a mover that cannot produce the certificate will be turned away at the loading dock with the clock still running.
Fuel and truck charges vary by company and rarely appear in the hourly rate that gets quoted over the phone. A flat truck fee of $50 to $150 is common, as is a fuel surcharge of 5 to 10 percent of the labor total, and materials like shrink wrap, mattress bags, and tape are billed by the item at $15 to $60 each. Harbor tunnel tolls on a move to East Boston or Winthrop get passed through as well.
When You Move Changes the Rate
September 1 is the single most expensive day to move in Boston, and it is not close. Roughly two-thirds of the city's leases turn over that day, companies are fully booked by late June, hourly rates climb 20 to 40 percent, minimums stretch to four hours, and deposits stop being refundable. A one-bedroom that costs $700 on a Tuesday in October runs $1,000 to $1,200 on September 1 if you can find a crew at all.
We cover surviving September 1 in depth in a separate article, so the short version here is to book by early July or move on August 28 or September 3 instead. Even a two-day shift away from the first often cuts the rate back to normal.
October through April is the cheap season, and a weekday inside it is the cheapest combination there is. Tuesday through Thursday rates for two movers typically drop to roughly $130 to $170 per hour, minimums fall back to two hours, and a one-bedroom often totals $450 to $650 with a two-bedroom around $800 to $1,300. Some companies also offer a flexible-date discount in January and February if you let them fill an empty morning.
Saturdays carry a premium of roughly $15 to $30 per hour on top of the weekday rate, and they book three to four weeks out even in winter. Sundays are usually priced like weekdays and are easier to get. Month-end and the first of every month see a smaller bump because so many leases in the city run on that cycle, which makes the middle of the month the quietest window.
June 1 is the second-busiest turnover day. Cambridge and Somerville leases, along with many apartments around the Fenway and Mission Hill, turn on June 1, and rates rise 10 to 20 percent for the surrounding week. Book four to six weeks ahead for that window, and compare notes with our other Boston home service cost guides if you are pricing cleaning or junk removal for the same week.
What Massachusetts Requires of Movers
Any company moving household goods within Massachusetts must hold a license from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities, and the MDPU number is required to appear on the trucks and in advertising. A licensed mover must also file a tariff with the department and charge according to it, which is why every legitimate company has a rate sheet listing its hourly rates, minimums, travel charges, and materials prices. You should ask to see it.
The tariff also requires a written estimate before the move and a bill of lading on the day. Basic liability under the tariff is 60 cents per pound per item, so a 40-pound television that breaks is worth $24, and full-value protection is offered separately at roughly $30 to $100 per $10,000 of declared value. The MDPU number can be checked against the department's list of licensed carriers, and the licensed movers in Massachusetts on this site are the ones worth calling first.
A quote of $99 per hour for two movers usually hides most of its cost somewhere else. The common pattern is a four-hour minimum, travel billed from a warehouse outside the city, a fuel fee, tape at $8 a roll, shrink wrap at $40, a stair fee per floor, and a two-person crew on a job that needs three so the clock runs to seven hours. That $99 job routinely comes in near $900, where a company quoting $170 with a clear rate sheet finishes the same one-bedroom for $750.
Before you book, get each of these in writing on the estimate:
- Hourly rate, crew size, and the minimum hours
- How travel time is billed, and from where
- Truck, fuel, and materials charges by item
- Stair, long-carry, and elevator-wait fees
- Valuation option selected and the MDPU number
A mover that will not put those items on paper is telling you something. Cash-only pricing and a demand for a large deposit are the other two signs worth walking away from, because the DPU receives complaints every year about crews that will not unload until the customer pays a total that doubled on the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to move a one-bedroom in Boston?
Plan on $600 to $950 for two movers on a normal weekday, and closer to $450 to $650 on a weekday in February. A fourth-floor walk-up at either end or a September 1 date can push the same apartment past $1,200.
Do I need a parking permit for the moving truck in Boston?
Yes if you want guaranteed curb space, and most Boston movers will not start the clock on a job where the truck has to circle the block. The permit and signs cost in the low hundreds, and the signs need to be up 48 hours before the crew arrives.
How much should I tip Boston movers?
Most customers give $20 to $40 per mover for a half-day job and $40 to $60 each for a full day, handed to each person rather than to the foreman. Water and lunch on a July walk-up move are appreciated at least as much.
Is a three-hour minimum normal?
It is standard for most Boston companies in spring and summer, and it drops to two hours for many of them between October and April. If your studio takes 90 minutes, you pay for the minimum regardless, so a two-hour minimum is worth asking about when you call.