One of the first steps when starting your move is figuring out how you’re going to get your belongings from point A to point B. There are a few different ways you can go about this, depending on your budget.

Hire A Full-Service Moving Company

The first – and probably easiest – option for moving your belongings is to hire movers. Full-service movers will not only transport all of your furniture and boxed up belongings from one house to the next, they’ll also supply all the packing materials, such as boxes and bubble wrap, as well as actually pack up your things. Some movers will even unpack your stuff, if you want them to. The price of full-service movers varies depending on the distance of your move, but will generally run you $2,300 or more.

Use An On-Site Moving Service

If you aren’t interested in paying that much, you can also hire on-site movers that are not considered “full-service,” but keep in mind the services provided by non-full-service companies will vary. Some moving companies may just supply you with “muscle” to help pack your things into your own truck or trailer while others may transport your items but not help pack or unpack them. To find out the services an on-site moving company offers, as well as how much it may cost you, do your research ahead of time and visit the company’s website or give them a call.

Rent A Moving Container

A moving container is an option that many relocating homeowners aren’t even aware that they have. If you’ve ever seen shipping containers stacked on a freighter, your moving container might look a little like that. These large, typically metal boxes can be rented from companies like U-Pack and PODS and will be delivered to your doorstep for you to pack your belongings inside. Once you’ve loaded all your things up, the moving container company will pick up your container and drive it to your new home to be unloaded. If you’re not moving right away, you can also have the company drop your container off at a storage facility for a designated time frame, which can be useful for more complicated moves.

The only problem to keep in mind with a moving container is that some cities may require a permit for you to have one sitting outside your house or in the street, even for a short period of time. Before renting a moving container, you may want to call your city hall and double-check that it will be okay.

According to PODS, the cost of renting a moving container for a long-distance move is generally between $999 and $2,999. Keep in mind with this option you will also need to load all your furniture into the container yourself unless you also pay movers to help.

Use A Truck Rental

Our final option is one of the most commonly used methods for moving furniture over a long distance but not the most favored – which is renting a truck. While you will have to pay for, load, unload and also drive a rental truck yourself, it provides you with space options tailored to your needs depending on how many boxes or pieces of furniture you’re moving – and is not typically more affordable than hiring full-service movers or renting a moving container considering the work and additioanl costs you inquire while attempting a solo move

You can get rental trucks of varying sizes from companies like U-Haul and Penske, with prices varying based on the size of the truck, distance of your move and total rental time. The average cost of a one-way rental truck trip is $1,780, with longer-distance moves costing more depending on how many miles will be traveled this cost is just for the rental, not including gas, tolls, lodging, and time.