Apartment moves, studio to 3 bedrooms
The core Chicago job: a two- or three-person crew, a box truck and an hourly clock. The floor, the stairs and where the truck can stop decide more of the bill than the furniture does.
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Apartment movers in Chicago: costs and your building's rules
What an apartment move costs here this year, how to check an Illinois mover's license, and the insurance, elevator and parking steps your building expects.
Free, no obligation. We are paid by the licensed movers we introduce you to, never by you. We do not move anything. How that works.
$547–$1,400published 2-bedroom move, 5 Chicago sources
110%of the written estimate: the most due at delivery (ICC)
60¢ / lbdefault liability per article on an Illinois move
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Free and no obligation. Tell us about the move and we route it to a licensed Chicago mover.
Every figure is sourced and dated. No price here is ours; each names the Chicago source and the date we read it.
License checked first. No mover receives a request from us until we have matched its license against the ICC register.
No invented reviews or staff. We publish no testimonials, ratings or crew bios, because we have none to verify.
We are a publisher. We do not move, store or insure anything; the mover does. How we are paid.
The short answer
How much do apartment movers cost in Chicago?
A local apartment move in Chicago is published at about $242–$600 for a studio, $242–$800 for a one-bedroom, $547–$1,400 for a two-bedroom and $1,000–$2,231 for three bedrooms in 2026.
Crews bill by the hour: one Chicago mover prints $120–$170 an hour for two movers and $170–$210 for three. Stairs, elevator waits and street parking decide where you land. These are 5 named sources' figures, not our quotes.
Sources and dates are listed under the cost section and in our editorial policy. Page last reviewed .
Why use this site
What you get before the truck arrives
Six things this page does that a booking form on a moving company's website does not.
Sourced prices
Every range names its Chicago source and the date we read it.
License checked
Movers are matched against the ICC register first.
Crew estimator
Crew size, hours and a published band for your apartment.
Building checklist
The COI, elevator, dock and parking items to line up.
No fake reviews
We publish no testimonials, ratings or staff we cannot verify.
Built for May 1
Written for a city where leases turn over on the same days.
What it costs
Apartment moving costs in Chicago, 2026
Chicago movers price a local move by crew and hours, so the size of the apartment sets the crew and the building sets the clock. The ranges below are what Chicago movers and cost publishers printed this year.
None of it is our price. We publish a figure of our own only once we hold twelve dated Chicago estimates for that apartment size. Our editorial policy explains the method.
| Apartment | Typical crew | Published range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 2 movers, 3–4 hours | $242–$600 | 4 |
| 1 bedroom | 2 movers, about 4 hours | $242–$800 | 4 |
| 2 bedrooms | 3 movers, 5–6 hours | $547–$1,400 | 5 |
| 3 bedrooms or more | 4 movers, 7–8 hours | $1,000–$2,231 | 4 |
FreightWaves and MoveAdvisor print averages, not ranges; they sit inside each band. The 3-bedroom row mixes 3- and 4-bedroom figures from one source. Crew and hours are from moveBuddha and MoveAdvisor.
What moves the number
| Two movers and a truck, per hour | $120–$170 |
| Three movers, per hour | $170–$210 |
| Stairs, where billed per flight | +$50–$75 |
| Elevator access, where charged | +$50–$100 |
| Full packing, 2-bedroom, plus materials | +$400–$1,000 |
Each adder has one source, so treat them as the least settled figures here: crew rates from Alliance Moving & Storage (2026-01-09); stairs and elevator from moveBuddha (2026-07-02); packing from The Professionals Moving Specialists (2026-06-23), with $50–$300 in materials.
Every source behind these ranges
| Source | Page dated | Range published | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Professionals Moving Specialists (Chicago), 2026 pricing guide retrieved 2026-09-24 | 2026-06-23 | $300–$2,000 | Studio $300–$600, 1 BR $400–$800, 2 BR $600–$1,200, 3 BR $1,000–$2,000. Licensed movers $130–$220 an hour depending on crew and season. Full packing for a 2 BR adds $400–$1,000 plus $50–$300 in materials. |
| Alliance Moving & Storage (Chicago), 2-bedroom cost guide retrieved 2026-09-24 | 2026-01-09 | $700–$1,400 | 2 BR $700–$1,400. Crew rates: 2 movers $120–$170 an hour, 3 movers $170–$210, 4 movers $210–$250. Weekday winter moves 20–30% below peak. |
| moveBuddha, Chicago moving cost calculator retrieved 2026-09-24 | 2026-07-02 | $242–$2,231 | Studio and 1 BR $242–$519, 2 BR $547–$841, 3–4 BR $1,264–$2,231. Studio 2 movers about 3 hours; 1 BR 2 movers about 4; 2 BR 3 movers about 5; 3 BR 4 movers about 8. Stairs $50–$75 a flight; elevator access $50–$100. |
| FreightWaves Checkpoint, Chicago moving costs retrieved 2026-09-24 | 2026-05-15 | $364–$1,889 | Average same-city move: studio $364, 1 BR $505, 2 BR $817, 3 BR $1,889. Many movers start with a base charge of about $220 before hourly labor. |
| MoveAdvisor, Chicago movers cost retrieved 2026-09-24 | undated | $510–$1,795 | Averages: studio or 1 BR $510 (2 movers, 4 hours); 2 BR $1,150 (3 movers, 6 hours); 3 BR $1,795 (4 movers, 7 hours). |
Apartment move estimator
Chicago movers bill a local move by crew and hours. Pick your apartment and building, and this shows the crew size and hours Chicago sources print, the hourly band that implies, and the published range for that size. It is a check on an estimate, not an estimate.
Crew and hours by size: moveBuddha (2026-07-02) and MoveAdvisor (undated). Crew hourly rates: Alliance Moving & Storage (2026-01-09), one source. Stairs and elevator adders: moveBuddha, one source. Packing: The Professionals Moving Specialists (2026-06-23), printed for a 2-bedroom. Drive time and half an hour per flight of stairs are our own assumptions, because the clock runs for both.
Your crew and hours
2 moversabout 5 hours
Hours the sources print for this size, plus drive time. A walk-up or a long carry adds more.
Hourly band for this crew—
Published range for this size$242–$800
Stairs or elevator—
Packingnot selected
Published 2026 figures from named Chicago sources, not our prices. A written estimate outside the band is not wrong, but it should say why.
Get quotes for this moveMovers, labor or a truck
Three ways to move an apartment, and who is liable
Full-service movers bring the truck and crew and carry the liability. In Illinois they must be ICC-licensed, give a free written estimate and cover at least 60 cents a pound per article. This is the only option where a building's COI and a CDOT permit are the mover's job.
Labor-only help loads and unloads a truck you rent. The ICC license covers carrying goods for hire, so a crew that does not drive is outside it. Ask what insurance they carry and whether your building will accept their certificate.
A rental truck is cheapest on paper, but the parking, stairs, elevator booking and any damage are yours. Residents moving themselves can use free ward signs, which Chicago will not enforce.
Illinois Commerce Commission, "Household Goods Movers", retrieved 2026-09-24; Illinois Commerce Commission, "The Consumer Guide to Household Goods Movers in Illinois" (2026), retrieved 2026-09-24; City of Chicago CDOT online permit portal (permit type listed); fee and 48-hour rule from the 44th Ward alderman's office, retrieved 2026-09-24 (verify).
Billed by the hour
Inside Cook and the six collar counties, a licensed mover may bill by workers and hours even past 50 miles. The lowest hourly rate is not always the cheapest move.
May 1 and October 1
From at least the 1840s to the late 1940s, Chicagoans moved on a single Moving Day, usually 1 May and also 1 October, because that was when leases expired. Many Chicago leases still turn over on those dates. (verify)
The winter parking ban
From 1 December to 1 April, parking is banned from 3 a.m. to 7 a.m. on 107 miles of Chicago main streets, snow or not. Violators are towed: a $150 minimum tow fee, a $60 ticket and $25 a day in storage.
Services
What you can request quotes for
Nine kinds of Chicago move, each with the question worth asking first.
Condo moves
Associations set their own move rules: weekday windows, a move-in fee or deposit, elevator pads and a certificate of insurance. Ask management for the move-in packet before you book.
Get condo quotesHigh-rise and downtown moves
Towers in the Loop, River North and Streeterville often mean a loading dock booking, a freight elevator slot and a long carry. Ask what happens if the crew overruns the window.
Get high-rise quotesWalk-ups and small moves
Two-flats, three-flats and courtyard buildings with no elevator. Stairs are billed as extra time or per flight, so give the mover the floor at both ends.
Get walk-up quotesPacking services
Full, partial or fragile-only packing, usually the day before. Packing labor and boxes are billed apart from the move, so ask for both lines in writing.
Get packing quotesMoving and storage
For the gap between two leases, common around May 1 and October 1. Ask what the mover charges to unload into storage and to reload, not just the monthly rate.
Get storage quotesCollege and student moves
Small loads on fixed dates near Northwestern, Loyola, UChicago and DePaul. Book early for the weeks around term start and end, when crews run short.
Get student quotesSenior moves and downsizing
Moving from a family apartment to a smaller unit or a community with its own move-in schedule. Packing, sorting and a fixed arrival window matter more here than speed.
Get downsizing quotesMoves out of Illinois
Leaving the state is regulated federally, not by the ICC. The mover needs a USDOT number with household goods authority, and pricing moves to weight and distance.
Get long-distance quotesThe rules that change your move
Six rules a Chicago move must respect
Each one names the authority and the day we read it.
Illinois movers need an ICC license
Any business or individual that moves household goods for hire inside Illinois must hold a Household Goods License from the Illinois Commerce Commission, under 625 ILCS 5/18c-1101 and following. Licensed movers file their rates with the ICC in a tariff and keep insurance on file with it.
Illinois Commerce Commission, "Household Goods Movers" — source, retrieved 2026-09-24. ICC license search.
You pay at most 110% on delivery
A licensed mover must give a free, written estimate. It is not binding. At delivery you can be required to pay up to 110% of the written estimate; the mover must then unload and give you 30 days to pay any balance.
Illinois Commerce Commission, "The Consumer Guide to Household Goods Movers in Illinois" (2026) — source, retrieved 2026-09-24
60 cents a pound unless you pay more
Unless you pay for more protection, an Illinois mover's liability is 60 cents per pound per article. Movers must acknowledge a written claim within 30 days and pay, settle or deny it within 120 days.
Illinois Commerce Commission, "The Consumer Guide to Household Goods Movers in Illinois" (2026) — source, retrieved 2026-09-24
Leaving Illinois? Federal rules apply
A move from Illinois to another state needs a mover registered with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration under a USDOT number, with household goods operating authority. Under 49 CFR 375.201 the default is full-value liability; lower released-rate coverage applies only if you waive full value in writing.
FMCSA "Protect Your Move" (fmcsa.dot.gov refused our requests) and 49 CFR 375.201 via Cornell LII — source, retrieved 2026-09-24
Street space needs a CDOT permit
Chicago's Department of Transportation issues a "Moving Van Parking" permit to occupy the public way through its online permit portal. For about $25, CDOT provides enforceable signs to eligible moving companies for the day of the move; free ward-office signs are for residents moving themselves, cannot be enforced, and must be posted at least 48 hours ahead.
City of Chicago CDOT online permit portal (permit type listed); fee and 48-hour rule from the 44th Ward alderman's office — CDOT portal, ward page, retrieved 2026-09-24
Your deposit clock starts on move-out
Under Chicago's Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance, a landlord must give an itemized statement of damages within 30 days of the day you move out, and return the deposit and any interest, minus unpaid rent and damages, within 45 days. Units in owner-occupied buildings of six or fewer units are exempt.
City of Chicago, Residential Landlord and Tenant Ordinance summary (Municipal Code 5-12-080) — source, retrieved 2026-09-24
Before moving day
What your building and your mover both need
Chicago moves go wrong at the door, not on the road. Line these up a week ahead, at both addresses.
- The certificate of insurance naming your building or its manager as certificate holder, at the limits they set. Ask for their sample.
- The elevator reservation and its time window, with pads booked. Ask what an overrun costs.
- Loading dock or alley access: dock hours, truck height, and whether the alley fits a box truck.
- Street space: who applies for the CDOT moving-van permit, and signs up 48 hours ahead.
- The estimate type, written and signed, with crew size, hourly rate, minimum and travel time.
- The license number: ICC for a move within Illinois, USDOT for one out of state.
- Your valuation choice in writing: 60 cents a pound, or paid higher coverage.
- Move-out photos and a forwarding address, which start the deposit timeline.
Check a license in a minute
Open the ICC license search and search the name or number on the estimate. Confirm an active household goods license and look at the complaint count. Leaving Illinois? Check the USDOT number at FMCSA.
What happens next
From this form to a booked move
You send the request
ZIPs, date, size and the building details. About a minute. Nothing is shared until you submit.
We check and route it
We match your ZIP and date to a mover whose license we have checked. If none covers it yet, we email you and say so.
You get written estimates
Crew, hourly rate, minimum and travel time on paper, so estimates compare line by line.
You book the mover
The contract is with the mover, not with us. Send them your building's COI sample and elevator window.
Moving day
Check the inventory, note damage on the paperwork before you sign, and keep your estimate for the 110% rule.
Service area
Where we route requests, and what differs
Chicago and nine suburbs where we can say something true about the local rules. Parking, county and the ICC rate rules change; the move does not. Coverage is confirmed by ZIP when you send a request.
CityChicagoCDOT moving-van permit for enforceable signs; winter overnight ban on 107 miles of main streets.
Cook CountyEvanstonCity MVSC permit holds street space for $120; staff post the zone 48 hours ahead.
Cook CountySkokieVillage rules on trucks parked on residential streets; ask Parking Enforcement before moving day. (verify)
Cook CountyOak ParkNo street parking 2:30–6 a.m. on any street without a permit, trucks included. (verify)
Cook CountyDes PlainesIn Cook County, so the ICC rate exemption for in-town moves does not apply; the rate is the mover's filed tariff.
Cook and DuPageElk Grove VillageStraddles Cook and DuPage; which side your building is on decides whether the ICC in-town rate exemption can apply.
Cook CountySchaumburgAbout 25 miles out, yet inside the seven-county area, so a move to the city can still be billed by the hour, not by weight.
DuPage CountyLombardOutside Cook: an in-town move is exempt from ICC rate rules, though the mover must still be licensed.
DuPage CountyDowners GroveSame DuPage rate exemption for in-town moves; a move into Chicago is hourly under the ICC tariff.
DuPage and WillNapervilleNo street parking 2–5 a.m. under city code; police grant temporary overnight permission. (verify)
Check my ZIP The form accepts Chicago-area origin ZIPs (600–608) and says so if yours is outside them. Sources: Evanston, Oak Park, Naperville, ICC rate rules, retrieved 2026-09-24.
Questions
What Chicago renters ask before they book
How much do apartment movers cost in Chicago?
Published 2026 Chicago figures run about $242–$600 for a studio, $242–$800 for a one-bedroom, $547–$1,400 for a two-bedroom and $1,000–$2,231 for three bedrooms. Crews bill by the hour, so stairs, elevator waits and parking move the total. These are named sources' figures, not our quotes.
How far ahead should I book for May 1 or October 1?
As early as you can once your lease is signed. Chicago leases have turned over on those dates since the 1840s, and weekend and month-end slots go first. A mid-month weekday is the easiest date to book and, per one Chicago mover, can cost 20–30% less in winter.
What is a certificate of insurance and why does my building want one?
It is a document from the mover's insurer naming your building or its management as certificate holder, at the liability limits the building sets. Most managed buildings will not book the elevator or dock without it. Ask management for their sample and send it to the mover a week ahead.
Do I need a parking permit for a moving truck in Chicago?
To hold street space legally, yes. A moving company applies to CDOT for a Moving Van Parking permit, about $25, for enforceable signs. Residents moving themselves can get free ward signs, which must be posted 48 hours ahead but cannot be enforced. Confirm with CDOT or your ward office.
Do movers charge more for a walk-up?
Usually. Stairs add time on an hourly bill, and one Chicago cost publisher prints $50–$75 a flight where movers charge per flight. Tell the mover the floor and whether the building has an elevator at both ends, so the written estimate reflects it.
How do I check that a Chicago mover is licensed?
Search the company in the Illinois Commerce Commission's Motor Carrier Information System for a household goods license, or call the ICC at 217-782-6448. For a move to another state, look up its USDOT number with FMCSA instead. The ICC says hiring an unlicensed mover is against the law.
Can a mover charge more than the estimate?
The estimate is not binding, but at delivery an Illinois mover can require only 110% of the written estimate. It must then unload your goods and give you 30 days to pay the rest. That rule only protects you if the estimate is written, so keep your copy.
Is apartmentmoverschicago.com a moving company?
No. This site is an independent lead-generation publisher. When you request quotes, your details go to one or more licensed movers who pay us for the introduction. We do not move, store or insure anything, and we say so under every button.
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