Moving costs
Hourly vs fixed price removalists: which is cheaper?
By the Outer Space Removals teamUpdated November 2026 5 min read
Removalists either charge by the hour or give you one fixed price. Neither is always cheaper: it depends on how ready you are, how easy the access is and how much certainty you want. Here’s how each works and how to choose.
How hourly works
You pay for the time the crew works. Ours is $154/hr Monday to Thursday and $165/hr Friday and Saturday for a truck and two movers, GST included, with a 1.5-hour minimum and billing in 15-minute steps. The clock starts when we arrive, and the first 30 minutes of travel each way are on us.
You only pay for what you use, so a well-prepared move with easy access is usually cheapest this way.
How a fixed price works
You tell the removalist exactly what’s moving and how they get in and out at both homes, ideally with a short video, and agree one price before moving day. If the day runs long, the price doesn’t change.
A fixed price has to allow for things going slower than planned, so it’s usually a little above the hourly cost of a move that goes perfectly. What you buy is certainty.
Prefer one number upfront? Get a fixed price in about 5 minutes.
When each one wins
| Your move | Usually better |
|---|---|
| Small move, easy access, everything packed | Hourly |
| You want to know the exact cost upfront | Fixed price |
| Big home, lots of stairs, hard to estimate | Fixed price |
| You might not be fully packed in time | Fixed price, with packing done beforehand |
| Business or office move | Hourly, with partner rates for regular work |
What to check in a fixed price
- Is it based on a real inventory and the access at both homes? A fixed price without those details usually hides a big buffer.
- What isn’t included? Items added on the day, extra stops and work after 5pm are usually charged separately.
- What happens if the access is different from what you described? Stairs or parking you didn’t mention can change the price.
- Is packing included? Packing is often quoted separately, by the hour.
Our approach
Choose either. Pay by the hour, or fill in our fixed-price form for your home move and we’ll agree one price before moving day. Both come with our Happy Client Guarantee: if you’re not happy on the day, tell our office and we’ll put it right, or you only pay our cost price.