How Much Does an International Move Cost?
The honest answer is that an international move is priced by volume — how many cubic metres (m³) of belongings you are shipping — combined with distance and transport mode. Everything else on a quotation is a variation on those two facts. A three-bedroom house going from Helsinki to Madrid and the same house going to Sydney share almost nothing in price: one is a road groupage load, the other sea freight with customs clearance at both ends.
This page explains what actually drives the number, how to read a quotation line by line, why two companies can quote wildly different figures for the same move, and roughly what the market charges. It is not a calculator and will not pretend to be one — when you want a real figure, Flyto has a live quoting tool linked at the end.
Why “cost per room” is a misleading way to price a move
Many websites quote a flat price per bedroom. It is convenient shorthand and a poor predictor: two identical flats can differ by 15 m³ depending on whether the occupants own a piano, a workshop of tools, or almost nothing. Carriers charge for the space you occupy in a lorry or container — so volume, not room count, is the unit that matters.
A rough way to estimate your own volume
Use the figures below as an order-of-magnitude starting point only. They assume normal European furnishing density and no cellar, garage or workshop.
- Studio or one-room flat: roughly 8–15 m³
- One-bedroom flat: roughly 15–25 m³
- Two-bedroom flat: roughly 25–40 m³
- Three-bedroom house: roughly 40–60 m³
- Four-bedroom-plus house: 60–90 m³ and upwards
- Add for extras: a garage, loft or basement commonly adds 5–15 m³
These bands are wide on purpose. A pre-move survey — video or in person — supersedes any table, and any reputable mover will insist on one before fixing a price. Self-estimate low and the quoted price will not be the price you pay on collection day.
What you are actually paying for: the price components
An international quotation is a stack of separate services, often supplied by different companies in different countries. Understanding the stack is how you compare offers meaningfully.
| Component | What it covers | What makes it go up |
|---|---|---|
| Origin packing and materials | Cartons, wrapping, blankets, tape, protective crating | Full pack instead of self-pack; many fragile, glass or art items; bespoke crating |
| Origin labour and loading | Crew time to wrap, carry and load the vehicle | Stairs without a lift, long carry from door to vehicle, narrow street needing a shuttle van, dismantling of large furniture |
| Export formalities | Documentation, packing list, export declaration where required | Leaving the EU customs territory; restricted or dutiable goods; incomplete inventories |
| The freight leg | The actual transport: road groupage, sea LCL (shared container), sea FCL (your own 20ft or 40ft container), or air freight | Distance, chosen mode, fuel and shipping-line rates, peak season, sailing frequency on the route |
| Port and terminal charges | Handling in and out of the terminal, documentation fees, container release | Port congestion, demurrage and storage if clearance is delayed, higher-cost terminals |
| Destination clearance and broker fee | Import declaration, customs broker, presenting the inventory and residence documents | Non-EU destinations, missing paperwork, physical inspection, goods not qualifying for relief on personal effects |
| Delivery and carry-in | Local transport to the address, unloading, placing furniture in rooms, basic reassembly | Upper floors, no lift, restricted access, remote delivery region, second delivery attempt |
| Storage | Warehouse space between collection and delivery | Duration, volume, handling in and out, climate-controlled space |
| Insurance | Cover for loss or damage in transit, based on declared value | Higher declared value, all-risk rather than limited cover, high-value single items |
Get your fixed price (2 min) →
Cost drivers, ranked by how much they move the number
- Volume. The single largest factor. Reducing 45 m³ to 35 m³ before you ship is usually the cheapest saving available to you.
- Distance and mode. Road groupage across Europe, sea LCL for smaller overseas loads, a full 20ft or 40ft container for a whole household, air freight when speed matters more than budget.
- Access at both ends. Stairs, no lift, a narrow or pedestrianised street, a long carry, or a street that will only take a small shuttle vehicle all add crew hours and sometimes an extra vehicle.
- Season. Late spring through August is peak for household moves in Europe, and ocean rates have their own peaks. Flexible dates are worth real money.
- Awkward items. Pianos, large artworks, safes, marble tables, motorcycles and vehicles need special handling, crating or separate shipping arrangements.
- Customs complexity. Moving within the EU avoids import formalities entirely. A non-EU destination introduces declarations, broker fees and — in some countries — duties or taxes on parts of your shipment.
- Storage and insurance level. Both are legitimate costs; both are often left out of the cheapest quotation.
What is usually NOT included by default
This is where an attractive quotation quietly becomes an expensive one. Check whether each of these is priced in or excluded:
- Parking permits or street reservations at either address
- Long-carry charges when the vehicle cannot park near the door
- A shuttle vehicle where a large lorry cannot access the street
- Dismantling and reassembly beyond simple bed frames and tables, or an external lift where furniture will not fit through the stairwell
- Destination duties, taxes and any inspection fees levied by customs
- Waiting time when the property, keys or lift are not available as booked
- Storage beyond a short free period, and handling in and out of storage
- Insurance above a basic, limited-liability level, and disposal of packing materials after delivery
Why quotes differ so much between companies
When three quotations for the same move arrive at very different prices, it is rarely because one company is three times better. It is almost always because they assumed different things:
- Volume. One surveyed properly and one guessed low over the phone. The low guess wins the comparison and loses it on collection day.
- Scope. Full packing versus you packing your own cartons is a substantial difference in labour and materials.
- Insurance. Basic liability cover and all-risk cover at declared value are not the same product.
- Exclusions. Terminal fees and destination clearance are sometimes shown as “payable at destination” in small print rather than in the headline number.
- Access. A quote written without knowing there is no lift on the fourth floor is not a real quote.
The defence is simple: compare like for like. Ask each company for the same volume, packing scope and insurance basis, plus a written list of exclusions.
Indicative market ranges
These are wide, general market ranges across European and overseas relocation — not a Flyto quotation and not a price list. They exist to help you sanity-check an offer, nothing more.
- Intra-European road groupage: commonly around €80–€200 per m³ depending on distance, route volume and access — short cross-border hops at the low end, long north–south or peripheral routes at the high end.
- Overseas sea LCL (shared container): typically a higher per-m³ figure than European road, because fixed handling and clearance costs spread over a smaller load. Small overseas shipments are disproportionately expensive per cubic metre.
- Overseas sea FCL (full 20ft or 40ft container): priced per container rather than per m³, so the per-m³ rate falls sharply once you fill it. A 20ft holds roughly 25–30 m³ of household goods; a 40ft roughly 55–60 m³.
- Air freight: generally several times the cost of sea, and priced on chargeable weight rather than volume alone. Sensible for a few urgent cartons, rarely for a household.
Anyone giving you a firm price before knowing your volume, your access at both ends and your destination’s customs regime is guessing. Sometimes the guess is generous to win the booking, and the correction arrives later.
How to get an accurate figure
An accurate figure needs four inputs: a realistic volume, both addresses with their access conditions, your date window, and the scope of service you want. With those, a quotation can be itemised line by line rather than presented as one unexplained number.
Flyto Relocation is a European relocation company established in 2018, with our own hubs in Northern, Central and Southern Europe and vetted partners overseas. We arrange freight through carrier partners rather than owning ships or aircraft, and we price against the components set out above.
Get a real, itemised figure for your own move — not a market average — using our online moving advisor: Get your international moving quote.