Ask five moving companies in Phoenix for a quote and you’ll get five different numbers, five different pricing structures, and at least one that changes once the truck is loaded. That’s not a scare tactic — it’s just how the hourly end of this business tends to work when nobody writes the number down until move day. Here’s what an honest Phoenix move actually costs in 2026, broken down the way we quote it.
Hourly crews for local moves
Most local moves inside the Valley — Phoenix to Scottsdale, Tempe to Gilbert, a one-bedroom apartment in Glendale — get priced by the hour, based on crew size. This is the rate card our dispatcher, Nadia Correll, works from every day:
| Crew size | Rate | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 2 movers | $129/hr | Studios, 1-bedrooms, dorm-size loads |
| 3 movers | $169/hr | 2-bedroom apartments and small houses |
| 4 movers | $209/hr | 3-bedroom homes, heavy furniture, stairs |
| Each additional mover | +$45/hr | Large homes, tight timelines |
The hourly clock starts when the crew arrives and stops when the last box is off the truck — no travel-time padding tacked on afterward, no fuel surcharge that shows up on the invoice for the first time.
Flat rates for 4-bedroom homes and up
Once a home gets past three bedrooms, hourly pricing stops being predictable for anyone — the customer or the crew — so those moves get quoted as a flat rate after an in-home or video walkthrough:
| Home size | Flat rate range |
|---|---|
| Studio | $450 – $650 |
| 1-bedroom | $650 – $950 |
| 2-bedroom | $950 – $1,450 |
| 3-bedroom or larger | $1,450 – $2,100 |
The range inside each row isn’t padding — it’s the difference between a 2-bedroom apartment with an elevator and a 2-bedroom house with a staircase and a shed full of tools. Our in-home estimator, Deke Okafor, walks the space (or does it over video) and gives you one number inside that range before you sign anything.
How the number actually gets locked
This is the part most Phoenix movers skip, and it’s the whole reason Bargain Moving exists. Owner Ray Delgado spent nine years quoting moves for a national van line before he opened his own company in 2013, and he got tired of watching the number climb once a truck was half-loaded and backing out cost more than just paying it.
The number we write down is the number you pay.
So the walkthrough isn’t a formality — it’s the moment the price gets fixed. Whatever Ray or Deke writes on the estimate is what lands on the invoice, whether the job runs faster or slower than expected.
The deposit
Booking a date holds it with a $150 deposit, applied directly to your final invoice — it isn’t an extra fee stacked on top, and it isn’t refunded with a catch. It’s the same $150 whether you’re booking a studio or a 4-bedroom house.
Line items people forget to ask about
- Piano moving: flat $265, piano board and straps included, not walked down a staircase by guesswork.
- Gun safes: $225 – $350 depending on weight and stairs.
- Short-term storage: $105/month for a studio or 1-bedroom load, $165/month for 2–3 bedrooms, $235/month for 4-bedroom-plus.
One more thing worth knowing before you shop around: Arizona doesn’t issue a state moving license, so the word “licensed” on its own means nothing here — any company can print it on the side of a truck. What’s actually assigned is a US DOT and MC number for interstate work, and that’s the credential worth asking to see if your move crosses state lines.
Want your number in writing before the truck ever leaves our lot? Call Bargain Moving at (602) 344-8891 and we’ll get Deke or Ray out for a walkthrough this week.