Removal Costs (2023)

Breakdown of removal costs

With a move on the horizon, the question “how much do home removals cost?” has likely been on your mind, and we’re not surprised. In the interest of getting to the crux of the issue, average costs of removals for a 3-bedroom house can range from $1,500 to $2,200 for a move in the same state, interstate removals costs are a whole other level. That’s a fair amount of moolah!

You might be left wondering how removal costs seem to fall over such a large range. Fortunately for you, we took the time to break down where some of the costs come from.

Remember! 💡 You may not need all the services mentioned and there may be some factors, which we cover below, that push your costs outside of our estimated removal costs range.

Please note: these figures are based on the average moving cost across Australia. You’ll find that removal costs in Sydney, Brisbane, and other large cities will be higher.

Find the perfect removalist for your move

If you’re thinking of going at it alone, you better hope you’re only moving down the street and that some friends and family are willing to help! Home removals aren’t easy. Hence, you should give some consideration to hiring a removalist to do the hard work for you.

So, should you want the assistance, Sirelo can help you find up to 5 removalists that you can then compare in terms of the removalist prices and reviews (you can search for a company and check out their reviews on our platform). To start, just click below!

Average removalists costs

Now that you have a better understanding of how your overall removal costs are broken down, the table below indicates the average removalist prices for various household sizes.

Bear in mind that these figures reflect the costs of removals over a short distance, by which we mean within the same city. Average removalist costs to other cities, let alone states, will be significantly higher.

As we already mentioned, and as you can see from the table, the household size has a sizeable effect on removal costs. While the owner of an average 3-bedroom house will own a volume of around 28m³ of belongings, you might have more or even less.

Curious to find out the volume of your goods? Then use our simple furniture volume calculator!

Factors affecting average removal costs

It’s time to start talking about the factors affecting the average cost of moving in Australia. As we already mention, volume has a big effect on removal costs, the more you own the large a truck you’ll need and the more time it’ll take to load. Another factor, that you probably already guessed, is distance.

However, like most things in life, it’s not quite that simple. There are even more factors that affect home removal costs! Below, we have provided you with a list of other factors that affect removal costs and an explanation:

• Ease of access – Located on a busy street? Can a removal van park near your property? If movers are unable to access your house easily, then you will have to pay higher removal costs and it’ll take longer too. Furthermore, a parking permit could be required and that’ll add $50 on average to your bill.
• Minimum hours – most removalists will charge you for a minimum of 2-4 hours, regardless of whether the time you need is shorter than this. Just something to bear in mind that can be easily added to your cost of moving house.
• Time of move – If your moving date is scheduled for a weekend or other peak times, your removal costs can be higher. Equally, moving during the summer usually comes with extra costs as this is the time when removalist companies are the busiest.
• Storage – While we already mentioned storage in our removal costs, it’s worth bearing in mind that we only factored in the cost for 1 month. However, those who use storage when moving often leave items in storage for longer, and it quickly adds up!
• Special care – if you are moving any items which need specialist care, such as paintings, a piano, or even your pet, expect an additional fee on your removalist prices. That could be an extra $150-$500.
• Insurance – An optional part of any removalist fees, however, it may be best to accept or acquire content insurance from a third party. Most accidents happen on short journeys!

We’ve covered the most common factors that add to the removal costs. However, there may be additional factors that affect the cost of your move, as every move is unique and has its own set of challenges. By now, you should have a pretty solid idea of the costs though, even if it’s more than you expected. 🙂

Save money on your removalists costs

We imagine that reading about all of these expenses has left your head spinning with dollar signs floating around and maybe even thoughts of how to save on your removal costs. But be rest assured, it’s not all bad news.

Fortunately, we, here at Sirelo, want to provide you with some money-saving tips and tricks to drive those pesky removal costs down! Follow these suggestions on how to save on the costs of removalists:

• Move during off-peak times, so avoid weekends and holidays.
• Request quotes from more than one moving company, giving you the option to choose the best company for you.
• Sell belongings that you no longer want; this will lower the volume of your move, and therefore the removal costs. It’s often cheaper to leave furniture behind and repurchase it upon arrival, especially if your journey is on the longer side.
• Consider only hiring a removalist for the bulky items that you can’t move.
• Take on the challenge of packing by yourself! If you make that decision, you might want to read our guide on packing to move house and definitely get insurance. 😅
• Be sure to help your removalist with packing and loading the truck, it’ll speed up the moving process and help reduce your removal costs!
• Save on moving materials where you can: gather boxes from local supermarkets, old newspapers, and pack fragile items in blankets.

Sirelo tip: It might be tempting to hire the cheapest removalist to bring you’re your home removal costs. However, cheaper may come with hidden costs and corners cut that jeopardise your beloved belongings!

So, What’s Next?   

We hope you have a better understanding of how much removals cost. However, we know that your moving journey doesn’t stop here! To ensure you have gathered everything you need to know about moving, not just the average costs of removalists, explore our website for other useful pages. In particular, we recommend checking out the articles we have linked below for you!

One final note: good luck and enjoy! While moving house is, without a doubt, stressful, it’s also exciting. We at Sirelo wish you the best and hope you move with a smile! 😊