DIY Move vs Hiring Removalists: What It Actually Costs
Updated 9 July 2026
The sticker price of truck hire makes DIY moving look like the obvious cheap option. Once you add up everything else involved, the gap to a fixed-price removalist is often smaller than people expect — and sometimes it's not there at all. Here's the honest breakdown.
What a DIY move actually costs
| Item | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Truck/ute hire (1 day) | $80–$180 |
| Fuel | $30–$60 |
| Packing materials (boxes, tape, wrap) | $50–$120 |
| Feeding/thanking helpers | $50–$100 |
| Rough total | $210–$460 |
That's before counting: your own labour (a full day, sometimes two), the physical toll of lifting heavy furniture without the right equipment, and the real risk of damaging your belongings, a rental wall, or your back.
What you're not pricing in
- Your time. A DIY move for a 2-3 bedroom home commonly takes a full day, often spilling into a second for unpacking and returning the truck.
- Injury risk. Moving heavy furniture without proper technique or equipment (trolleys, straps, ramps) is one of the most common causes of moving-day back injuries.
- Damage risk. No transit insurance means any scratch, crack or dent — to your furniture or the property — is entirely your cost to absorb.
- Truck hire excess. Rental trucks usually carry an insurance excess of several hundred dollars if anything happens to the vehicle itself.
Where DIY genuinely makes sense
A small, single-level move (a studio, or a few pieces of furniture between nearby addresses) with willing, physically capable helpers can be a legitimately good DIY candidate — the risk is low and the job is short. It's the equation that changes as home size, stairs, and distance increase.
Where a fixed-price removalist starts winning on real cost
| Factor | Tips the scale toward |
|---|---|
| 2+ bedrooms of furniture | Removalist — the time/risk trade-off shifts fast |
| Stairs or a lift involved | Removalist — proper equipment removes injury risk |
| Specialty items (piano, pool table) | Removalist — DIY risk here is genuinely high |
| Corridor move (Brisbane–Gold Coast) | Removalist — one dedicated truck, one day, done |
| Small/studio, willing helpers, short distance | DIY can be reasonable |
See the real number for your move
Rather than guess which side of that table you're on, get an actual fixed quote and compare it directly to your realistic DIY budget, time included. Sometimes DIY wins. Often, once everything's counted, it's closer than the truck hire sticker price suggested.
Frequently asked questions
Is it cheaper to move yourself or hire removalists?
For a small, single-level move with willing helpers, DIY can be genuinely cheaper on paper. Once you factor in your own time, fuel, potential damage, and the physical toll, a fixed-price removalist is often closer in real cost than people expect — especially for anything bigger than a studio or 1-bedroom.
What does a DIY move actually cost, all in?
Budget for truck hire ($80-$150/day for a ute or small truck), fuel, packing materials, and realistically a case of drinks or a meal for any friends helping. A day of DIY moving for a 2-3 bedroom home commonly lands in the $200-$400 range once everything is counted — before factoring in your own time or any damage.
Get your fixed quote
Fixed-price, fully insured Brisbane to Gold Coast removals — quoted in 30 seconds, confirmed before moving day.