How Much Do Removalists Cost?

Most people ask what a removalist costs before they ask anything else, and it is a fair question. You are trying to work out whether to book a full crew, hire a van and rope in a few friends, or move in stages. The honest answer is that removalist cost is priced per job, because no two moves take the same amount of time.

Streamline Movers has been moving Sydney households and offices since 2010, and every job starts with a free quote. Request a quote or call 1300 221 437 and we will price your move properly, before you commit to anything.

What actually sets the price of a move

Four things do most of the work in any removalist quote. Everything else is detail on top of them.

• Volume: how much you own, which decides truck size and how many trips the job takes
• Crew size: a two person crew and a three person crew move very different amounts in the same hour
• Access: stairs, lift bookings, narrow driveways and street parking all add handling time at both ends
• Distance: a move across the same suburb prices differently to a move across Sydney, and both price differently to a long haul run

A tidy two bedroom apartment with lift access can take a morning. The same amount of furniture up three flights of stairs, with a loading zone half a block away, is a different job on the same day.

How moving quotes are worked out

Local moving quotes are tailored to the truck, crew, access and likely time required. This suits jobs where the volume is clear but the day still holds a few unknowns, such as a settlement running late or a lift that has to be booked in a time slot.

Longer moves and interstate runs are usually quoted as a fixed price, based on the volume you are sending and the route it travels. You know the figure before the truck is loaded.

When you compare two removalists, check what each quote includes before you compare the numbers. Ask whether the truck, crew, trolleys, blankets, straps and travel between addresses are included, and whether any minimum booking conditions apply.

What changes the quote for moving day

• Truck size: a larger truck costs more per hour and often saves money by turning two trips into one
• Crew size: adding a third person changes the quote and usually shortens the job
• Stairs and access: stairs, long carries from the truck to the door, and shared lifts all slow loading down
• Timing: the last weekend of the month is the busiest slot in Sydney removals, so book it early
• Disassembly and reassembly: a bed frame that has to come apart and go back together is time on the job, so mention it at quote stage

Weather is the one nobody plans for. Rain slows a job down because floors get protected and furniture gets wrapped before it leaves the house.

A worked example: a three bedroom home in Northern Sydney

Take a three bedroom house moving from Chatswood to Hornsby, with a single garage of stored gear and a standard driveway.

• Volume: a full three bedroom load, so a large truck rather than two runs in a small one.
• Crew: three movers, because the load is big enough that a two person crew would spend the day walking.
• Access: driveway parking at both ends and no stairs, which is the best case for handling time.
• Extras: a queen bed and a trampoline to dismantle, plus a fridge and washing machine to disconnect and refit.
• Day: a Wednesday in the middle of the month, which is the quietest and easiest slot to book.

Change any one of those and the quote moves. Put the same house at the top of a steep drive in a Northern Beaches street with no truck access, and the crew carries further on every item, which adds hours to the same volume of furniture. That is why we quote on the specifics of your address rather than a price list.

What packing, materials and storage add

Packing is the extra most people ask about. Professional packing and unpacking is priced on how much of the house you want done, so a full pack of a family home sits well above a kitchen and a wardrobe. Unpacking is quoted the same way, with items placed into the rooms you nominate at the other end.

Packaging materials are sold as a fixed price package that covers unlimited boxes, butcher paper and tape, with delivery before the move and pickup afterwards. One figure, no counting boxes at the end.

Storage is priced separately again. Mobile and long term storage uses 11 cubic metre timber modules that are packed once and stay packed, which matters when settlement dates do not line up. Cost depends on how many modules you fill and how long you need them.

How interstate and long haul moves are priced

Interstate pricing is shaped by volume, route and access.  from Sydney run to Melbourne, Canberra, Newcastle, the Hunter Valley, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour, Byron Bay and the Northern Rivers, the Gold Coast, the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane.Interstate and long haul removals

Two things move an interstate figure more than anything else. The first is volume, because a four bedroom home fills far more of a truck than a one bedroom unit. The second is access at both ends, since a regional address with an easy driveway is quicker to unload than an inner city apartment with a booked lift.

Ask about timing at quote stage rather than assuming it. We give you a realistic window for the run and keep you updated, and we will not promise a delivery date we cannot control on the road.

What a Streamline Movers quote includes

A quote should tell you what you are paying for, not just what it comes to.

• The truck size and the number of movers allocated to your job.
• What pricing method applies and exactly what the quote covers.
• Any packing, materials or storage you have asked for, listed separately.
• Handling notes for the awkward items: pianos, fridges, wardrobes, trampolines, gym gear.

Quotes are free, and the more you tell us about access at both addresses, the closer the quote lands to the final invoice.

Related reading

Working out the full budget rather than the removalist line alone? The charges involved in moving house covers cleaning, connections, materials and the rest. For a move inside Sydney, see home removals in Sydney, and for a business relocation see office and commercial removals.