Find a mover near you
Removalists across Australia
Tap a highlighted state to see its city guides. The box circling the map is a reminder: an interstate move is priced very differently from a local one.
The big picture
A removalist sells you time, not a price
A removalist does not really sell you a price, it sells you time and risk. Local moves are billed by the hour, door to door, so the real cost is how many hours your job takes, which you control more than the hourly rate. Interstate moves are priced on a different model entirely: by the volume of your load and the truck schedule, where flexible dates unlock backloading and can roughly halve the bill. Tap your city on the map to see exactly how movers price a job where you live, or read the interstate guide if you are crossing a border.
The lever you actually control: the hourly rate you compare between quotes is the smallest part of a local move. What decides the bill is how many hours the job runs, and that is set by access (stairs, lifts, parking distance), how packed and ready you are, and above all when you book. Move midweek and mid-month, out of the summer peak, and the same crew costs noticeably less.
How movers price a job
Three things that decide your quote
Get these right and two quotes for the same furniture stop looking so different.
Hours, or volume, not the rate
Local moves are billed door to door by the hour, so the total is hours times rate. Interstate moves are billed by the cubic metre and the truck schedule. Either way, the headline rate you fixate on barely moves the final figure.
Access and how ready you are
Stairs, a slow lift, a long carry from the truck and half-packed boxes all add hours. This is the part you control: pack early, label everything, and clear the path so the crew never waits.
When you book
The end of the month, weekends and the summer peak are when everyone moves, so trucks are scarce and dear. A midweek, mid-month date in the cooler months is the simplest discount there is.
Every city guide
Removalist guides by state
Each guide explains how movers price a job in that city, where the hidden costs hide, and how to bring the total down.
New South Wales
Queensland
Brisbane
South-east Queensland moves, heat, humidity and access.
Read the guideGold Coast
High-rise and canal-estate moves, and the access that drives hours.
Read the guideSunshine Coast
Coastal and hinterland moves on the Sunshine Coast.
Read the guideTownsville
North Queensland moves and the cost of distance up the coast.
Read the guideWestern Australia
Australian Capital Territory
Keep exploring
The removalist is one part of the move
Line up the rest of the move, from the timeline to connecting your new home.
Moving guides & countdown
The mother hub, with the week-by-week moving countdown and every moving guide.
ExploreYour moving checklist
Tick off every task, from change of address to the day of the move.
ExploreConnect your new home
Set up power, gas, water and internet at the new place before you arrive.
ExploreCommon questions
A Selectra expert answers your questions on removalists
For a local move it depends on hours, not distance: a one to two-bedroom move is roughly $300 to $900 and a three to four-bedroom home around $1,000 to $2,500, billed door to door by the hour. Interstate is priced by volume instead: a one to two-bedroom load between the eastern capitals runs roughly $1,400 to $2,200 on a flexible backload, and a large house well over $4,000. Your city guide has the local figures.
Usually, yes. The end of the month, weekends and the summer peak are the busiest and dearest times to move. A midweek, mid-month date in the cooler months is the single easiest way to bring a quote down, because you are competing with fewer other movers for the same trucks.
Less than most people assume. A removalist's standard cover is generally limited to loss or damage caused by their own negligence, not all risks in transit. The gap is filled by separate transit (goods in transit) insurance, which is worth it for a long or high-value move. Always read what is and is not covered before the truck is loaded.
AFRA is the Australian Furniture Removers Association. Accreditation means a removalist meets industry standards for vehicles, equipment, training and insurance, so it is a useful quality signal when you are comparing quotes, especially for an interstate move where your goods are in transit for days.
Interstate removalists sell space on a truck and a slot in a schedule, not hours. The price is built from the cubic-metre volume of your load and how it fits the trucks already running your route. Flexible dates let you backload (pay for spare space on a truck already making the trip), which is where the big savings are. See the interstate removalists guide.