Short answer: a local truck rental typically costs $30–$150 for the day plus mileage. A one-way long-distance rental typically costs $1,500–$4,000 including fuel, depending on truck size and distance.
Sizing the truck correctly
| Home size | Typical truck length |
|---|---|
| Studio / 1 bedroom | 10 – 12 ft |
| 2 – 3 bedroom | 15 – 17 ft |
| 4+ bedroom | 20 – 26 ft |
When your inventory is borderline between two sizes, sizing up costs less than a second trip.
What the headline rate doesn't include
- Insurance / damage waiver — often a meaningful daily add-on most people end up buying.
- Furniture pads, dollies, and straps — frequently rented separately, not bundled with the truck.
- Fuel — trucks this size get poor mileage; budget more than you'd expect for the distance.
- Per-mile fees — common on one-way long-distance rentals on top of the base rate.
The real comparison to full-service
A truck rental is reliably cheaper on the invoice than hiring full-service movers for the same move. What it doesn't show is the cost of your own time, the physical labor of loading and unloading (or paying separately for help), the driving — especially multi-day driving for a long-distance move — and the risk of an accident or damage while you're the one behind the wheel.
See the full-service number before deciding
Even if you're leaning toward a rental, it's worth running your route and home size through the calculator above to see the real full-service range — sometimes the gap is smaller than expected once you factor in hired loading help, and sometimes it confirms DIY is clearly the better call.