Last updated: August 2026
Moving costs in Chicago, IL
Chicago local moves that stay in Illinois are billed hourly under an ICC-filed tariff. This page collects named Chicago carriers' published totals you can check on their sites, plus a Moving Company HQ Illinois planning model from the statewide hub. It does not present a Chicago citywide average or survey.
Moving Company HQ Illinois model (statewide; not a Chicago survey): a local move in Illinois typically ranges from $700 to $2,400; a typical 2-bedroom around $1,550 — Moving costs in Illinois. As of 2026-08-26 that hub's six city pages are Elgin, Arlington Heights, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, New Lenox, and Minooka. None is Chicago. Do not reuse those suburb totals as Chicago prices.
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Named Chicago published totals (cited spread)
These are one company's published planning figures on the date fetched — not a metro survey and not a quote for your addresses.
| Home size | Moovers Chicago | Windy City Movers | Advanced Moving | The Professionals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1BR | Studio $700–$1,100; 1BR $900–$1,400 | Studios and 1-bedrooms start as low as $407 | Studio/1BR 2 movers 3–5 hrs $400–$800 | Studio $300–$600; 1BR $400–$800 |
| 2 bedrooms | 2BR apartment $1,100–$1,700 | 2-bedrooms start as low as $540 | 2BR 3 movers 5–7 hrs $900–$1,500 | 2BR apartment/condo $600–$1,200 |
| 3 bedrooms | 3BR apt $1,600–$2,500; 3BR home $1,600–$2,600 | 3-bedrooms start as low as $675 | 3BR 3 movers 6–8 hrs $1,200–$1,800 | 3BR house $1,000–$2,000 |
| 4 bedrooms | 4+ bedroom home $2,800–$4,500 | 4+ bedroom homes start as low as $810 | 4BR 4 movers 8–10 hrs $2,000–$3,200 | 4BR+ $1,800–$3,500+ |
| Other | Local residential under 50 miles $1,500–$3,000 | 2+1 minimum (2 hrs labor + 1 hr travel) | average… approximately $1,800; most local $1,020–$2,600 | Packing add-on for a 2BR usually $400 to $1,000, plus materials |
Moovers labels its home-size table "real world estimates… not quotes" and ties local prices to an Illinois filed tariff. Windy City's column is starting-at language plus a published 2+1 minimum (minimum blog); it is not a locked per-crew hourly tariff table. Advanced and The Professionals columns are company blog typicals, not ICC tariff PDFs.
Alliance Moving & Storage homepage: professional movers in Chicago "roughly $1,500 to $2,500"; 2BR apartment "typically $700 to $1,400"; typical hourly 2 movers $120–$170, 3 movers $170–$210, 4 movers $210–$250 (homepage; 2BR blog). Labeled market-range, not Alliance's locked tariff.
Reebie Storage & Moving homepage FAQ: cost "starts at around $300 all the way to at least $1800 for a five-bedroom home"; billed by the hour (reebieallied.com). No Reebie hourly tariff was found on fetched home/about/contact pages. Not a Reebie crew menu.
ILCC numbers on company sites are as printed. Live ICC MCIS search returned reCAPTCHA on 2026-08-26, so this page does not treat those numbers as independently verified licenses. This page does not call any carrier ICC-verified.
Why 2-bedroom numbers disagree
There is no Chicago household survey in the sources used here. A 2-bedroom job can sit in several published bands at once:
- • Windy City Movers starting-at: 2-bedrooms $540 (quote). That is a floor this company publishes, not a typical total.
- • The Professionals typical: 2BR apartment/condo $600–$1,200 (2026 guide).
- • Alliance market range (not Alliance's tariff): 2BR apartment $700–$1,400 (2BR blog).
- • Advanced Moving company table: 2BR 3 movers 5–7 hrs $900–$1,500 (2026 blog).
- • Moovers Chicago typical (not a quote): 2BR apartment $1,100–$1,700 (pricing guide).
- • Moving Company HQ Illinois model: 2 bedrooms $700–$2,400, typical around $1,550, assuming 3 movers and about 7 hours (Illinois cost hub). Not a Chicago survey. Elgin's typical 2BR $1,425 and Arlington Heights' hub typical ~$1,585 are suburb figures. Do not relabel them as Chicago.
Those ranges overlap, but they are different publishers with different assumptions. Inventory, stairs, elevator waits, travel time, packing, and date will move a written estimate inside — or outside — any of them. Use them to sanity-check estimates, not as a substitute for a written ICC estimate (not binding; 110% at delivery).
Moving Company HQ Illinois model (statewide; not Chicago-primary)
Copy these only as Moving Company HQ Illinois planning-model estimates from movingcompanyhq.com/moving-costs/illinois. They are not a Chicago survey.
- Local typical: $700–$2,400
- Typical 2BR: $1,550
- Long-distance range listed on that page: $2,400+
| Move size | Crew / hours (MCHQ assumption) | Planning range |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 2 movers · ~4 hrs | $325–$1,150 |
| 1 Bedroom | 2 movers · ~5 hrs | $475–$1,625 |
| 2 Bedrooms | 3 movers · ~7 hrs | $700–$2,400 |
| 3 Bedrooms | 4 movers · ~9 hrs | $1,075–$3,725 |
| 4 Bedrooms | 4 movers · ~11 hrs | $1,425–$4,925 |
| 5+ Bedrooms | 5 movers · ~13 hrs | $1,925–$6,600 |
Exact quotes depend on inventory, access, date, and services. The same Illinois hub states costs vary by metro, travel distance, snow/ice, basement access, suburban driveways, alley access, and peak summer / end-of-month dates.
Hourly menus named Chicago companies have published
Illinois movers must charge the filed tariff — not a one-off discount (ICC hub; 625 ILCS 5/18c-3206). Local estimates are not binding. Examples you can check:
Moovers Chicago (pricing guide): 2 movers, 1 truck $148–$195/hr; 3 movers $198–$260/hr; 4 movers $248–$330; 5 movers $298–$395; 6 movers $348–$460; 7 movers $398–$525; 8 movers $448–$590. All per hour with a 2.5 hour minimum; first truck included; weekdays at the low end; Friday/weekend/month-start-end at the high end. Extra truck $200. Stairs (third floor walk up) $75–$95. Site prints IL.C.C. 187592 (as printed; MCIS reCAPTCHA on 2026-08-26).
Windy City Movers (Montech Inc.) (quote; minimum blog; terms): starting-at $407 / $540 / $675 / $810; 2+1 minimum (two-hour labor plus one-hour travel). Terms: 2-hour minimum regardless of crew size; travel-fee amount not printed. Service FAQ $120–$180/hr for a two-man crew is labeled typical Chicago, not a Windy City tariff (service). Site prints ILL.C.C 153317 / USDOT 4338139 (as printed). SAFER for 4338139 (as of 08/25/2026) showed operating status NOT AUTHORIZED (snapshot note: does not apply to private or intrastate). Re-check ICC and FMCSA for the route you actually have.
Alliance Moving & Storage (2BR blog): typical Chicago hourly 2 movers $120–$170; 3 movers $170–$210; 4 movers $210–$250. Labeled typical Chicago, not Alliance's locked tariff.
Reebie Storage & Moving (homepage): market typical $300 to at least $1,800 for a five-bedroom; billed hourly. Not a Reebie crew menu.
The Professionals (2026 guide): licensed Chicago movers "$130 to $220 per hour." Company typicals in the table above.
Advanced Moving (2026 blog): $150/hr two-person; $200–$250 three-person; $280–$350 four-person.
Born to Move (hourly rates): Chicago 2-person $100–$140/hr; 3-person $150–$180/hr; 4-person $190–$220/hr.
Well Known Moving (Chicago cost blog): 2 movers $110–$160/hr; 3 movers $150–$200/hr; 4 movers $190–$240/hr; "3 hours on most Chicago books, plus roughly an hour of travel time." Headline 2-mover bands on those pages run from about $100 to about $195. That disagreement is a finding. Do not average it into a fake Chicago survey.
Planning arithmetic (labeled; not a survey)
Using only Moovers Chicago's published formula (2 movers $148–$195 / 3 movers $198–$260, 2.5-hour minimum) from the pricing guide:
| Stated hour assumption | Formula | Planning total |
|---|---|---|
| 2 movers, 2.5-hour minimum | $148 x 2.5 to $195 x 2.5 | $370 – $487.50 |
| 3 movers, 2.5-hour minimum | $198 x 2.5 to $260 x 2.5 | $495 – $650 |
| 3 movers, ~7 hours (MCHQ Illinois 2BR hour assumption) | $198 x 7 to $260 x 7 | $1,386 – $1,820 |
| Same 7-hour 3-mover clock + Moovers third-floor walk-up $75-$95 | ($1,386 + $75) to ($1,820 + $95) | $1,461 – $1,915 |
Hour assumptions are planning inputs. The 7-hour row uses the **MCHQ Illinois model** 2BR hour assumption from [the Illinois hub](/moving-costs/illinois/), **not** a Chicago survey and **not** Moovers' own 2BR typical total (**$1,100–$1,700** on the same Moovers page). These products ignore packing, extra trucks, elevator waits, and rush-hour drive time unless those hours are already inside the assumption. CDOT Moving Van parking, if passed through at the 2025 schedule line: **$25.00 per day per vehicle**. On 2026-08-26 the live PDF was still the **2025** schedule. Confirm before relying on $25.
Long-distance: named-company figures only
No Chicago-wide long-distance average is used here. These are named companies' published numbers:
Moovers Chicago (pricing guide): Illinois 50+ miles $3,000–$4,500; interstate $3,500–$6,000+ (distance/weight, not hourly).
The Professionals list example corridors as company guides, not FMCSA tariffs — e.g. Milwaukee/Indianapolis $1,500–$4,500 (2026 guide).
MCHQ Illinois model long-distance range on the statewide hub: $2,400+ (Illinois hub). Not a Chicago survey.
A Chicago local move that never leaves Illinois is ICC rules. If either address is outside Illinois, FMCSA rules apply (Protect Your Move). Indiana or Wisconsin is interstate even on a short odometer.
Illinois paperwork, 60 cents/lb, and the 110% rule
Before an intrastate Illinois move, a licensed mover must hold an ICC Household Goods License, file a tariff, give you a written estimate (signed, not binding), and give you the Commission's consumer guide (ICC hub; 2026 Consumer Guide PDF; Smart Tips PDF; 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1457.610). Hourly estimates must state hours including travel time.
At delivery, pay up to 110% of the written estimate. If charges exceed that, the mover must unload and give 30 days for the rest (1457.610(d); Smart Tips). Local estimates are not binding.
Default cargo liability is 60 cents per pound per article, or a lump-sum declared value if you pay valuation charges (1457.600). File a written claim with the mover within 90 days of delivery on an in-state job (Consumer Guide). Helpline 217-782-6448; ICC.Moving@illinois.gov.
Check the license in ICC MCIS (Authority Type = Household Goods Movers). Lookup snapshot (2026-08-26): live search and entity profiles returned reCAPTCHA. ILCC numbers on this page are as printed on company sites. This page does not call any carrier ICC-verified. Call 217-782-6448 to verify rates on file.
Interstate: written estimate (no verbal rate quote), bill of lading, inventory, and the federal booklets (FMCSA Protect Your Move; Subpart D). Default is Full Value Protection unless waived in writing (49 CFR 375.201). Non-binding interstate estimates also use a 110% delivery rule. Do not assume Illinois's 60 cents/lb default or 90-day claim clock on an interstate job.
Chicago scale, congestion, parking, high-rises, and winter
Chicago: 2,721,326 residents; 227.7 square miles; 11,948.8 people per square mile (Census Reporter, ACS 2024). Evanston and Oak Park are city-like density; Naperville and Schaumburg are about one-third as dense (same Census Reporter set). A Chicago-to-suburb clock is not a Lincoln Park-to-Lakeview clock.
INRIX 2024: Chicago drivers lost 102 hours to congestion; five of the ten most congested U.S. corridors are in Chicago (I-55 SB Stevenson, two I-90/Kennedy EB segments, I-290/Eisenhower EB, I-90 WB) (INRIX; FOX 32). IDOT: I-290 is LOS D or worse for up to 17 hours each weekday (I-290 exec summary).
Lake Shore Drive. MCC 9-72-020 restricts freight-designed/used vehicles on boulevards (AmLegal). CDOT lists Truck Travel Permit Travel LSD Boulevards at $50.00 on the 2025 fee schedule. Moving vans generally should not treat LSD as a through truck route.
CDOT parking, alderman signs, COI, and winter
CDOT Occupy ROW — Moving Van Parking
$25.00 per day per vehicle, same inside and outside the CBD (2025 fee schedule PDF.pdf); how-to PDF; portal ipi.cityofchicago.org). The City form requires an ICC Vehicle Number. Metered-space lost revenue (MCC § 9-68-080) can stack; no dollar is printed on the Moving Van row.
Alderman courtesy signs are not ticket/tow enforceable
1st Ward: resident self-move signs “are not enforceable by ticketing or tow”; CDOT $25 signs for eligible moving companies are (1st Ward parking). 2nd Ward: commercial movers use CDOT, not the alderman (Hopkins). 47th Ward: office signs are “non-enforceable courtesy”; professionals use CDOT TOW ZONE signs (Martin). That is ward guidance, not a citywide ordinance quoted here as such.
COI and freight windows
COI and freight windows are building rules. The Professionals: most Chicago high-rises reserve freight elevators in 3 to 4 hour weekday windows and typically want a COI with $1 million to $2 million in liability — company experience, not an ordinance (high-rise page). ACM, Tetris, and Affordable City Movers describe the same Loop / River North / Gold Coast / South Loop pattern (freight reservation, dock, COI). A 3-flat walk-up is a different job: Moovers $75–$95 for a third-floor walk-up; Tetris describes Lincoln Park/Lakeview/Logan Square two-flats and three-flats without elevators (Tetris).
Winter
NWS O’Hare 1991–2020: January mean 25.2°F, January snow 11.3 in, annual snow 38.4 in, July mean 75.4°F, 16.7 days/year with highs ≥90°F (NWS Chicago normals). Ice, snow, and lake-effect change carry time and truck positioning. Peak demand: Moovers Friday/weekend/month-end tiers; The Professionals June–early September; Tetris last 3–5 days of the month (especially April 30, July 31, August 31, September 30) plus campus calendars.
Neighborhood planning questions (not building facts)
Ask the property; do not treat mover checklists as facts about a specific building.
- Loop / River North / Gold Coast / South Loop: Ask COI additional-insured wording, freight-elevator window length (often 3-4 hours, often weekdays only), dock height, and whether street permits even matter vs. the dock. For lakefront Gold Coast, ask whether LSD is a legal truck approach (MCC 9-72-020).
- Lincoln Park / Lakeview: Ask floor count, alley vs curb, permit-zone rules, DePaul/Wrigley calendars.
- Wicker Park / Bucktown / Logan Square: Ask alley passable width and one-way width for a box truck; 1st Ward courtesy signs vs CDOT $25.
- Hyde Park: Ask campus/building move dates vs late-August/September turnover; elevator vs walk-up greystone.
- Pilsen / Bridgeport: Ask alley vs front stairs; Tetris describes wider alleys than dense North Side corridors, but stairs still matter.
- Suburbs (Evanston, Oak Park, Naperville, Schaumburg): Ask how travel time on I-90 / I-290 / I-55 is billed. Do not use MCHQ Elgin or Arlington Heights pages as Chicago prices.
Compare these planning figures with a written estimate
Cost ranges help you budget. An Illinois mover still owes you a written estimate before the move starts; that estimate is not binding, and you should be prepared to pay 110% at delivery. Use the quote steps above (Move Details / Contact / Confirmation), then verify the performing carrier in ICC MCIS or FMCSA.
See also: Moving costs in Illinois, movers in Illinois, movers in Chicago, best movers in Chicago, movers in Naperville, and movers in Joliet. Elgin, Arlington Heights, Elmhurst, Glen Ellyn, New Lenox, and Minooka cost pages are suburb hubs, not Chicago prices.
Sources
- Moving Company HQ: Moving costs in Illinois
- Moovers Chicago pricing guide
- Moovers Chicago FAQ
- Windy City Movers quote
- Windy City Movers minimum blog
- Windy City Movers terms
- Windy City Movers service
- Alliance Moving homepage
- Alliance 2-bedroom Chicago blog
- Reebie Allied homepage
- The Professionals 2026 Chicago pricing guide
- The Professionals high-rise
- Advanced Moving Chicago 2026
- Born to Move hourly rates
- Well Known Moving Chicago cost
- Tetris local moving Chicago
- ACM high-rise
- Affordable City Movers 2026 permits
- ICC Household Goods Movers hub
- ICC MCIS search
- ICC Smart Tips PDF
- ICC 2026 Consumer Guide PDF
- 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1457.610
- 92 Ill. Adm. Code 1457.600
- 625 ILCS 5/18c tariff charging
- FMCSA Protect Your Move
- FMCSA Subpart D
- 49 CFR 375.201
- Census Reporter Chicago
- NWS Chicago O'Hare normals
- INRIX 2024 U.S. scorecard
- FOX 32 congestion recap
- CDOT 2025 Permit Fee Schedule PDF
- CDOT Occupy ROW Moving Van how-to PDF
- CDOT permit portal
- Chicago Municipal Code 9-72-020
- 1st Ward parking
- 2nd Ward resident permits
- 47th Ward moving sign
- SAFER USDOT 4338139
Compare movers in Chicago
Cost ranges are a starting point. Compare licensed local and long-distance movers before you book.