($622+) Des Moines, IA to Montgomery, AL Movers

Full-service moving costs from Des Moines, IA to Montgomery, AL

Full-service movers handle loading, transportation, and unloading on the 935-mile move from Des Moines, Iowa, to Montgomery, Alabama, with costs ranging from $2,152 - $8,555. You can have movers pack your boxes for an additional $251 - $1,676. Like most long-distance moves, your price is determined by the total weight of your belongings and the distance between Des Moines and Montgomery. Local movers in Des Moines typically start around $737 as a base rate plus $142/hour per mover.

Here's a breakdown of full-service moving costs by home size from Des Moines to Montgomery:

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $2,152 - $4,862
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $2,698 - $6,033
• 4+ bedrooms: $4,223 - $8,555

Packing, storage, shuttle fees, and added coverage can stack on top of the base price. See the full add-ons and specialty services table below for what each runs from Des Moines to Montgomery.

Specialty moving services from Des Moines, IA to Montgomery, AL

Specialty needs vary by market — 58% of Des Moines movers offer storage-in-transit, compared to 85% nationally. In Montgomery, 100% of movers offer the same service.

What are the best full-service movers from Des Moines to Montgomery?

Look for Alabama Trucking Association membership as a baseline when comparing movers in Alabama beyond this list.

1. Safeway Moving (4.9/5 stars): Safeway Moving is our pick for best overall value. Flat-rate pricing, 24/7 support, and 30 days of free storage make Safeway the clearest value on this list.
2. American Van Lines (4.9/5 stars): American Van Lines is the most experienced mover on this list. AVL has been moving customers since 1995 and uses full-time in-house crews trained on high-value items like art and antiques.
3. Allied Van Lines (4.2/5 stars): Allied Van Lines is best for contents coverage. One of the largest van line networks in North America, Allied offers fragile-only packing, 24/7 monitoring, and an optional full-value protection plan against damage, loss, and breakage.

Moving container costs from Des Moines, IA to Montgomery, AL

Moving containers from Des Moines, Iowa, to Montgomery, Alabama, cost between $1,162 and $3,886. You load everything on your own schedule (U-Haul gives you 3 days and PODS gives you 30). When you're ready, the company takes care of getting the container from point A to point B. Need more time than that? Extra storage in Des Moines typically runs around $60/month.

Take a look at moving container pricing by home size from Des Moines to Montgomery:

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $1,162 - $2,263
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $1,601 - $3,053
• 4+ bedrooms: $2,033 - $3,886

What other costs come with moving containers?

• Storage: Small containers (7 - 8 feet) run about $63 per month after the initial period, while larger units (12 - 16 feet) cost around $126 per month.
• Access: Make sure your container company has a storage facility reasonably close to your new home in Montgomery, AL, if you need to retrieve anything while items are still in storage.
• Moving labor: Since you're responsible for loading the container yourself, many customers bring in hourly help. Based on moveBuddha data, hiring 2 movers for approximately 5 hours costs about $587 in Des Moines, IA. Compare the best labor-only movers nationwide
• Added contents protection: Full-value protection goes beyond the standard minimum and covers repair, replacement, or reimbursement at declared value. Pricing is typically 1% - 2% of your total shipment value, about $500 - $1,000 on a $50,000 move.

What are the best moving containers Des Moines to Montgomery?

1. Units Moving and Portable Storage (4.3/5 stars)
2. U-Pack (5.0/5 stars)
3. MovingYourself (5.0/5 stars)

Moving truck rental costs from Des Moines, IA to Montgomery, AL

A rental truck is the cheapest way to cover the 935 miles from Des Moines, Iowa, to Montgomery, Alabama, running $648 - $1,754. It's also the most hands-on option, and the base rate doesn't include:

• Fuel for the drive: $249 - $285
• Daily insurance: $25/day
• Equipment rentals: $6 - $17
• Des Moines daily rental rate: $19 - $39
• Per-mile fee beyond your free allowance: $0.69 - $1.19

These are typical moving truck rental costs from Des Moines to Montgomery based on home size:

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $648 - $1,301
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $707 - $1,444
• 4+ bedrooms: $887 - $1,754

What other costs come with rental trucks?

• Lodging: Overnight accommodations on longer drives average around $126 per night. Most long-distance moves with rental trucks require 1 - 3 overnight stops.
• Equipment: Tow dollies, auto trailers, and specialty moving equipment can add between $54 and $272 to your total.
• Additional insurance: Daily protection upgrades typically add about $30.
• Gas: Plan on spending $249 - $285 in fuel for the 935-mile move, depending on your truck's fuel type.
• Moving labor: Hiring a crew instead of doing the loading yourself typically costs around $587 in Des Moines, Iowa, for a 2-person crew and 5 hours of labor.

What are the best moving truck rentals from Des Moines to Montgomery?

1. Budget Truck Rental (4.3/5 stars)
2. Penske Truck Rental (4.0/5 stars)
3. U-Haul Truck Rental (4.2/5 stars)

The best truck rental companies for this route, based on moveBuddha's ratings.

Freight trailer costs from Des Moines, IA to Montgomery, AL

Freight trailers are a good fit for medium-to-large moves where you need more space than a container but don't want to drive a rental truck from Des Moines, Iowa, to Montgomery, Alabama. The trailer is delivered to your address, you load it, and the carrier takes it the rest of the way.

Unlike truck rentals with flat rates, freight trailers scale with your shipment. Every additional section of trailer space you fill increases your total. Most long-distance moves using this method run roughly between $1,207 and $2,322.

Take a look at freight trailer costs based on home size for moves from Des Moines to Montgomery:

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $1,121 - $1,997
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $1,207 - $2,322
• 4+ bedrooms: $1,642 - $3,173

What other costs come with freight trailers?

• Moving labor: Freight trailers don't include loading help. In Des Moines, Iowa, hiring 2 movers for about 5 hours typically costs $587.
• More space: You only pay for the trailer footage you use, but underestimating your load can add roughly $63 - $126 per additional foot to your total.
• Time of year: Rates tend to climb during peak moving season (mid-May through mid-September) when trailer demand is at its highest.

What are the best freight companies from Des Moines to Montgomery?

1. MovingYourself (5/5 stars): MovingYourself is the pick for best for large moves. The company is well-regarded as a top moving container option for its load-it-yourself, we-drive-it model, and that same model makes it a strong freight option for larger homes that benefit from the company's 53-foot trucks and footage-based pricing.
2. U-Pack (5/5 stars): U-Pack offers the best value freight trailer on this route. Alongside their flagship container service, U-Pack provides a top-notch freight trailer option that follows the same model: no deposits, no upfront fees, and pricing based on the linear footage you actually use.
3. Ruan Transportation Management Systems (4.5/5 stars): Ruan Transportation Management Systems is the best locally owned freight company on this list. Locally owned and based facilities mean accessible support staff and area-specific scheduling flexibility that national-only freight carriers typically don't match.

Cost of living: Des Moines, IA vs Montgomery, AL

Good news for your budget: Montgomery isn't meaningfully more or less expensive to live in than Des Moines. Cost of living index runs 79 there against 87 here, and rent, income, and tax rates all fall in a comparable band. Focus your planning on the move itself rather than a change in monthly expenses. Walkability and safety scores land in a similar range too - 45/100 and 57.8/100 here versus 26/100 and 34.75/100 there.