My Ohio to Nevada move cost $4,945, not the $3,520 I was quoted

Megan L. move with MovingPlace

Better Moves Project · as told to moveBuddha

Cincinnati, OH → Reno, NV

Megan L.June 2023MovingPlace

I was quoted
$3,520
3-bedroom, 2.5-bath home
I actually paid
$4,945
+$1,425 in add-on fees
Distance
2,155 mi
Long-distance, interstate

  • I compared three quotes before I hired MovingPlace for my Ohio to Nevada move.
  • My final bill landed $1,425 over the estimate because of add-on fees I didn’t see coming, including the extra truck space I ended up needing once we started loading.
  • I shared all of it, my quotes, my bills, and my ratings, as part of moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project.

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This account is based on a conversation with Megan L., who moved from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Reno, Nevada, in June 2023 using MovingPlace. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

My move from Ohio to Nevada

My husband got the call in March 2023: a new residency position had opened up, and it meant packing up our family of four and moving from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Reno, Nevada. We had a three-year-old and a one-year-old, so this was never going to be a simple move.

Megan L. and her family preparing for their move from Cincinnati, Ohio, to Reno, Nevada, with MovingPlace

We were leaving a three-bedroom apartment for a four-bedroom home, so I was excited about the extra space. I was also terrified about driving more than 2,000 miles with two toddlers, so finding a mover I could trust with the rest of the logistics mattered more than anything. We had about nine rooms of belongings to move, roughly 6,000 pounds packed into 60 boxes.

I started by comparing quotes through moveBuddha’s Moving Cost Calculator to see what a move like mine should actually cost before I called a single company.

My MovingPlace experience at a glance

MovingPlace handled the truck and the driving. Everything else on moving day, labor included, was on me to coordinate.

  • Communication: MovingPlace stayed in touch by phone and email through the whole process, and I never had to chase anyone down for an update.
  • Pricing accuracy: My final bill came in $1,425 over the quote, mostly because I needed more truck space than I originally estimated. That’s common when you’re guessing your own volume instead of letting a professional measure it.
  • Professionalism: The drivers who showed up were professional from start to finish.
  • Timeliness: MovingPlace arrived right on time, inside the window they gave me.
  • Loss and damage: MovingPlace didn’t damage a single item. The third-party labor company I hired separately wasn’t nearly as careful.
  • Would I use MovingPlace again? Yes. Working with MovingPlace was the easiest, least stressful part of my entire move.
+$1,425
over my original MovingPlace quote

Find out what a move from Ohio → Nevada actually costs before a mover tells you.

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Why I chose MovingPlace

I loved MovingPlace’s “you load, we haul” setup. I figured I could save money by hiring separate companies, MovingPlace for the truck and transport, and a local labor crew to load and unload it. They quoted me for 14 feet of truck space, less than I expected to pay, and their customer service felt genuine instead of pushy. I talked with them about ten times before booking, just to make sure I understood exactly what I was paying for.

The drawback was mine to own. Piecing together a move with multiple companies turned out to be far more difficult than I expected. My labor company was more expensive than I’d budgeted, and they damaged several pieces of my wooden furniture, something MovingPlace had nothing to do with.

A crew member loading a moving truck during Megan L.'s move with MovingPlace

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My move at a glance

Here’s the quick breakdown of my Ohio to Nevada move, from the date we moved to what MovingPlace actually charged.

Move date June 15, 2023
Moved from Cincinnati, Ohio
Moved to Reno, Nevada
Distance 2,155 miles
Move size 3 bedroom, 2.5 bathroom (1,445 square feet)
Moving company MovingPlace
Moving quote $3,520
Actual cost $4,945

On average, moveBuddha users save more than 30% by comparing movers before booking. I compared three quotes before I hired MovingPlace, which is the only reason I didn’t end up paying close to $10,000 like one of the full-service bids I received.

Quotes I compared

I started planning thirteen weeks out and spent two weeks comparing bids in an Excel spreadsheet before I picked a mover. I gave each company the same inventory list, but it’s worth flagging that MovingPlace isn’t the same kind of service as Safeway or Trinity, something Matt ran into on his own MovingPlace move too. MovingPlace only provides the truck and the drive, while Safeway and Trinity bundle in loading and unloading labor. Keep that in mind when you compare the quotes below.

Company Estimated volume or weight Estimated cost
MovingPlace 14 feet of truck space (8 feet wide by 9 feet tall) $3,520
Safeway Moving 1,180 cubic feet, 8,260 pounds $9,945.77
Trinity Relocation Group 873 cubic feet, 6,111 pounds $8,848.18

Pickup day

The labor company I originally booked canceled on me nineteen hours before my reservation. The second company I called canceled twelve hours before the move. By the time the third company actually showed up, I was just relieved to have anyone at all.

A dresser wrapped and prepared by movers during Megan L.'s move from Cincinnati, Ohio

MovingPlace, on the other hand, was rock solid. They arrived right at 9:50 a.m., inside the window they’d given me, and had kept in close touch in the days leading up to moving day.

The one complication MovingPlace couldn’t help with was my apartment complex. Their commercial trailer couldn’t fit in the lot, so I had to rent a U-Haul to shuttle everything to a trucking depot. If you’re in a smaller complex, check your property’s policies and roadway sizes before booking a commercial-size truck. Between the shuttle run and a surprise second load, it took eight hours to get everything loaded and on its way.

I also ended up taking sixteen feet of truck space instead of the fourteen I’d estimated, which is what pushed my final bill above the quote. I pitched in and helped load boxes myself to keep things moving, which also gave me more say over how my belongings were handled.

Delivery day

It took two weeks for MovingPlace to get everything from Cincinnati to Reno, and they stayed in close contact with me the entire time. Everything arrived on schedule.

Boxes and furniture packed inside a moving truck during Megan L.'s move to Reno, Nevada

MovingPlace dropped the trailer in front of our new house, and the third-party company I’d hired handled the unloading. That’s when I found the damage: they’d loaded my wooden furniture at the bottom of the truck, and nearly every piece came out damaged. I’d signed a waiver with that crew, so I can’t file a claim against them directly. I may end up filing through my own insurance instead.

My renters and valuable personal property policies through USAA already covered the move, so I didn’t need to buy separate moving insurance. If you already carry a solid policy, it’s worth reading through it before you hire anyone. It could save you from paying for coverage you already have.

Final thoughts

MovingPlace knocked this move out of the park. I wasn’t thrilled about the gap between my quote and my final bill, but that’s what happens when you estimate your own weight and volume instead of letting a professional do it. I’ve since learned that a Zoom estimate or an in-home estimate gets you a far more accurate number.

Almost everything that went wrong on my move came down to the third-party labor I hired separately, not MovingPlace. Looking back, whatever I saved by piecing together my own move wasn’t worth the stress it caused. If I had it to do over, I’d hire one full-service mover who could handle transport and labor together, or at least ask more questions about whether MovingPlace’s trailer would actually fit at both ends of my move.

MovingPlace is still worth it if you’re moving long distance, you can load and unload the truck yourself, and the commercial trailer will actually fit at both your locations. See what your own move would cost with moveBuddha’s Moving Cost Calculator.

My ratings

Here’s how I’d rate MovingPlace on a scale of one to five:

  • Communication: 5
  • Timeliness: 5
  • Quote accuracy: 4
  • Overall experience: 5

More moving resources

Tips for future movers

These are the practical steps we recommend based on Megan L.’s experience:

  • Get a Zoom or in-home estimate: Letting a professional measure your volume in person or over video gets you a far more accurate quote than estimating it yourself.
  • Hire one full-service mover for transport and labor: Piecing together separate companies for the truck and the loading crew adds risk and stress. Full-service movers that handle both in one contract are worth the extra cost.
  • Check your complex’s truck access before booking: Confirm your apartment or neighborhood’s policies and roadway sizes can accommodate a commercial-size trailer before you book one.
  • Review your existing insurance first: Your renters or homeowners policy may already cover moving damage, so check before paying for separate moving insurance.
  • Get involved on moving day: Helping load your own belongings gives you more say over how they’re handled and can help the move go faster.

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Ryan Carrigan
Ryan Carrigan is the co-founder of moveBuddha and a leading voice in the moving industry, helping hundreds of thousands of Americans make smarter, safer relocation decisions each year. With more than a decade of experience analyzing moving companies, pricing trends, and industry regulations, Ryan brings hands-on industry knowledge and data-driven insight to every guide and review. His research has been featured in Forbes, Consumer Reports, The New York Times, and NBC News.

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