Americans Now Spend Over $2K to Move -- And 7 in 10 Still Have Moving Regrets

Amid high moving costs and stress levels, only 33% of Americans believe it's a good time for a cross-country move.

ST. LOUIS, Feb. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Americans spent $2,050 on average to move in 2024, but 70% admit they have regrets about their move, according to new research from Anytime Estimate, an online publication owned by Clever Real Estate that connects readers with expert real estate advice.

A majority of Americans (54%) who moved last year thought a change in location would fix their problems, but 29% admit they're not happier after the move.

With nearly 3 in 4 movers (78%) experiencing unexpected costs, it's no surprise that 60% feel moving is unaffordable. In fact, 39% say moving worsened their finances.

Those moving more than 100 miles racked up a whopping $3,291 in average moving costs, while those moving fewer than 100 miles spent $1,666.

Meanwhile, people who hired movers spent about $2,907 on their move — more than double the $1,334 DIY movers averaged. Despite 3 in 4 Americans (73%) saying moving companies overcharge and about half (49%) believing they're dishonest, 43% still hired them.

Nearly all recent movers (92%) faced challenges, with handling stress (48%) ranking No. 1 and 42% admitting they cried during the moving process.

In fact, 1 in 3 Americans say moving is more stressful than planning a wedding (35%), and 1 in 5 say it's more stressful than divorce (19%).

The survey also found that 46% of unmarried couples faced moving conflicts, compared to 28% of married couples, with women twice as likely as men to consider ending a relationship as a result of a move together (16% vs. 8%).

With finances a major point of stress, most respondents prioritized cost (54%) over location (46%). The majority (76%) of recent moves were local, with 42% staying in the same city.

If money weren't a factor, Americans would prefer to move to Florida (36%), Hawaii (35%), and California (34%). However, North Dakota (2%), which Americans ranked as the least desirable state, actually had the highest percentage of inbound moves of any state.

Read the full report at: https://anytimeestimate.com/research/moving-trends-2025/

About Anytime Estimate
Anytime Estimate is a web property of Clever Real Estate, an online platform that connects home buyers and sellers with top-rated agents at a discounted rate.

Clever Real Estate is a technology company that produces educational real estate content reaching over 10 million readers annually, and its nationwide agent matching service has a 5.0-star Trustpilot rating across 3,300+ customer reviews. Since launching in 2017, Clever has reached $12.1 billion in real estate sold, matched 149,000+ customers with realtors, and saved consumers over $180 million on commission fees. Clever's network spans 15,000 agents across all 50 states.

Please contact Nicole Lehman at [email protected] with any questions or to arrange an interview.

CONTACT: 
Nicole Lehman
Clever Real Estate
[email protected]
724-719-0406

SOURCE Anytime Estimate