A plain-English guide to how local moves are priced: hourly rates by crew size, what the arrival fee is, how long moves really take, and how to keep your total down.
Local moves in Maryland are almost always billed by the hour. So the honest answer to “how much will my move cost?” is: your crew’s hourly rate, times the hours the move takes, plus any fixed fees. Two moves of the same size can cost very different amounts depending on stairs, parking, how ready the home is and how far apart the two addresses are.
At MVD Movers the formula has exactly two parts: an hourly rate for your crew (2 movers or 3 movers) and a one-time 1-hour arrival fee that covers the truck and the crew’s travel from our office to your job and back. There are no fuel surcharges and no stair fees, and the total is calculated after unloading — from the hours actually worked.
This guide explains each part, gives typical time ranges by home size, and lists what makes a move take longer or shorter. For your crew’s current hourly rate, call (800) 657-6959 or use the contact form.
Crew hours + a one-time 1-hour arrival fee, at your crew’s hourly rate. That’s it.
Example
A 2-mover crew works 4 hours from arrival to the end of unloading. You pay 4 hours of crew time + the 1-hour arrival fee = 5 billable hours at your crew’s hourly rate.
Because the total depends on the time actually worked, we don’t give fixed prices in advance. What we do give you up front is the hourly rate for your crew, so you can plan.
How our pricing worksYou choose a 2-mover or a 3-mover crew. Each has its own hourly rate, and you only pay for the time the crew actually works.
One hour added once per move. It covers the truck and the crew’s drive from our office to your address and back to the office afterwards.
The clock starts when the crew arrives at your job and stops when the last item is unloaded. That’s when your total is calculated — together, on the spot.
No fuel surcharges and no stair fees. Pads, shrink-wrap and furniture disassembly are part of the job.
The arrival fee — also called a truck and travel fee — pays for getting the truck and crew to your job and back. It covers the drive from our office to your pickup address, and the drive from your final drop-off back to the office afterward.
It is always one hour, added once per move, at your crew’s hourly rate. It doesn’t grow if traffic is bad on the way to you.
The drive between your old and new homes is different: that happens after the crew has arrived, so it is part of the hourly time on the clock.
Because the total depends on actual time worked, we don’t give fixed prices in advance. We do tell you the hourly rate for your crew before you book, so you can plan.
A 3-mover crew has a higher hourly rate than a 2-mover crew, but it also finishes faster. For small apartments the extra mover usually doesn’t pay for itself; for houses and townhomes it usually does.
| Home size | Typical crew | Typical time on site* |
|---|---|---|
| A few items | 2 movers | About 1–2 hours |
| Studio | 2 movers | About 2–3 hours |
| 1 bedroom | 2 movers | About 3–4 hours |
| 2 bedrooms | 2 or 3 movers | About 4–6 hours |
| 3 bedrooms | 3 movers | About 6–8 hours |
| 4 bedrooms | 3 movers | About 8–10 hours |
| 5+ bedrooms | 3 movers | A full day or more |
*Typical ranges for a fully packed home with normal access, from crew arrival to end of unloading. Add the 1-hour arrival fee once. Your real time depends on the factors below.
There is no extra charge for any of these — they simply take time, and time is what you pay for.
Every move includes furniture pads, shrink-wrap, mattress protection, disassembly and reassembly of standard furniture, and basic liability and cargo coverage. There are no fuel surcharges and no stair fees.
Payment is collected at the end of the move, after the total is calculated. We accept cash, Zelle, Visa, Mastercard and Discover; a 3% processing fee applies to credit cards.
Tell us about your move and we’ll recommend a crew size and give you the hourly rate.
