Moving Interstate: Costs, Timing and Your Moving Checklist

Reviewed by Michael Dunstan, Managing Director of Palmers Relocations | Originally published 12 October 2021 | Updated 10 November 2026

At a glance

• Plan collection and delivery separately. Your own arrival, access to the new property and furniture delivery need to work together.
• Give your mover a complete picture. Include garage contents, outdoor furniture, stairs, parking restrictions and anything needing special handling.
• Compare the whole moving budget. Allow for your own travel, accommodation, packing, storage and the first days in your new home.
• Keep essentials with you. Pack for the period before your belongings arrive, including medicines, documents and everyday necessities.
• Look into state requirements early. Biosecurity rules, vehicle registration and driver licensing need their own preparation.

Moving interstate starts with a big decision. Perhaps there is a new job waiting, family you want to be closer to, or a place you have pictured living for years.

Then you look around the house.

The sofa needs to get there. So do the beds, the kitchen cupboards’ worth of belongings and everything that has quietly accumulated in the garage. You also need somewhere to sleep when you arrive.

It is a lot to coordinate, but you can make it manageable by working through the decisions in the right order. Start with your dates, decide what is coming and build the moving arrangements around the life you need to keep running.

Start with when you can leave and when you can move in

Before choosing a moving date, establish when you must hand over your current home and when you will have access to the next one.

Those dates might line up neatly. They might also leave a week between settlement and getting the keys, or a longer period in temporary accommodation while you find somewhere permanent.

Write down:

• when your current home must be empty;
• when you and your household plan to travel;
• when the new property becomes available;
• any work, school or building-access commitments;
• how much flexibility you have.

Share the uncertain parts with your mover too. “We have applied for a rental but haven’t signed yet” is useful information.

If there is a gap, discuss storage and temporary accommodation while you still have time to compare the options. Keep the belongings you will need during that gap separate from the main shipment.

How much does moving interstate cost?

There is no single useful price for an interstate move. The amount you are taking, the route, property access, dates and additional services all influence the cost.

Two homes with the same number of bedrooms can contain very different amounts of furniture. One might have a spare room and a small balcony. Another has a packed study, outdoor setting, workshop and years of stored boxes.

Start with our moving cost calculator for an indicative estimate. A formal quotation can then account for your inventory, access and service requirements.

Build a budget for the whole move

Alongside the removal quote, allow for the expenses involved in getting your household settled:

Avoid filling the budget with furniture purchases before you know what you need. A few days in the new home can tell you more than a floor plan about where a desk or extra cabinet will work.

Decide what deserves a place in the new home

Walk through each room before requesting your final quote.

Include the cupboards, shed and outdoor areas. It is easy to remember the dining table and overlook the shelving, bicycles and boxes behind it.

For larger pieces, consider the new property as well as the move itself. Will the fridge fit its recess? Can the sofa pass through the entrance? Does the spare bed still make sense if the next home has one fewer bedroom?

The furniture that matters to you is worth planning around. Items you no longer use deserve a decision before they are packed.

Our guide to reducing waste when moving can help you organise selling, donating and recycling while there is still time.

Interstate Moving Service

Compare quotes with the same details in front of you

A useful quote should make it clear what you are paying for and what could change the price.

Give each company the same inventory and access information. Then compare collection and delivery arrangements, packing, storage, payment terms and any additional charges.

The NSW Government’s removalist guidance recommends an itemised written quote and a contract that records the service, inventory, addresses, timing and possible storage costs.

Pay particular attention to assumptions. If a quote assumes easy ground-floor access, but delivery involves stairs and a long walk from the vehicle, resolve that before booking.

Photographs of the driveway, street and route into the home can help explain access. For apartments, find out about lift bookings, loading areas and permitted moving hours.

How long does an interstate move take?

The timing depends on your route and the service booked. Establish what the quoted timeframe covers, including whether it describes transport between locations or delivery into your home.

Palmers offers shared-space, Faster and Dedicated / Sole-use options, with availability depending on the route and move. Shared space may suit a flexible schedule; a faster option may be worth considering when timing has a greater effect on your plans. You can compare them on our interstate moving service page.

Talk through any dates that are especially important. A delivery window affects accommodation, leave from work and how you manage the first few days.

Before booking onward travel, understand how delivery will be arranged and what happens if access to your new home changes.

Work out who is packing what

Packing a whole home takes time, particularly when everyday life is continuing around it.

You might prefer to pack gradually yourself, have help with fragile belongings, or arrange professional packing for the household.

For Palmers interstate moves, packing is not included as standard. You can pack your own belongings, purchase cartons or add a professional packing service. The agreed quote should make the arrangement clear.

Whichever approach you choose, label cartons by room and contents. “Kitchen: plates and bowls” will be more helpful on arrival than “Kitchen 12”.

Keep furniture fittings in clearly labelled bags, and agree where they will travel. Finding the bed bolts matters rather more when it is getting late, and everyone wants to sleep.

What should stay out of an interstate shipment?

Look through the garden, pantry and garage early.

Australian Interstate Quarantine explains that moving interstate can involve restrictions on plants and produce. Requirements depend on what you are taking and where it is going.

For plant goods and regulated equipment, consider the states or territories along the route as well as the destination. The interstate quarantine guidance explains how to establish the relevant conditions.

Outdoor equipment deserves attention too. For example, Western Australia’s personal goods guidance covers cleaning outdoor items and completing a personal goods declaration with your removal company.

Transport restrictions are another part of preparation. Our dangerous goods moving guide explains the household products to discuss before packing.

If you are unsure about an item, leave it accessible until you have an answer.

Understand the protection for your belongings

Make time to understand what applies if something is lost or damaged.

Removalists are not legally required to provide insurance for your belongings. Consumer guarantees apply to removalist services, but they are separate from insurance and contractual warranties. The NSW Government explains these distinctions.

Read the terms of any cover or protection offered. Find out about exclusions, excesses, valuation requirements, owner-packed cartons and any period in storage.

Keep the paperwork somewhere you can reach it during the move. Photographs of valuable or fragile items and an accurate condition record can also be useful.

Prepare for the days before delivery

Imagine arriving at your new address before the main shipment. What would you need that evening and the next morning?

Keep those belongings with you.

Medicines, identification, chargers, work equipment, toiletries and enough clothing for the expected gap belong in your personal luggage. Add children’s comfort items and anything needed for pets travelling with you.

If you will be staying in the property, think through bedding, towels and a simple meal. A kettle is only helpful if you also have a mug.

Keep this luggage in a clearly separate area on collection day so it stays with you.

Organise the address changes that come with changing states

Start an address-change list before departure, then work through it as your arrangements become definite.

Include your employer, banks, insurers, subscriptions and relevant government services. Arrange electricity and internet around when you can occupy the property, and discuss the handover with the agent or seller.

Vehicle registration and driver licence

Treat these as separate tasks. Their deadlines can differ.

For example, Queensland generally requires a vehicle moving from interstate to be registered there within 14 days when it will be garaged at a Queensland address, subject to applicable exceptions. Its registration guidance explains the requirements.

Queensland’s licence transfer rules use a three-month residence period for Australian citizens and specified resident visa holders.

Use your destination authority’s instructions for your circumstances rather than assuming one deadline applies across Australia.

Electoral enrolment

For an eligible permanent address change, the AEC says you can update your enrolment after living at the new address for at least one month. Put a reminder in your calendar so it remains on the list after unpacking.

Your interstate moving checklist

Make the next step a conversation

You do not need every detail settled before speaking with Palmers. Start with where you are moving, what you expect to take and the dates you are working towards.

Tell us what is uncertain too. A rental still being finalised, a settlement gap or a difficult driveway all help us understand the arrangements your move needs.

Explore our interstate moving services or contact the Palmers team to work through your plans.