We Moved a Studio Apartment from Denver to Brooklyn. Here's What It Actually Cost.
- charlesconigliaro
- Mar 7
- 5 min read
Written by Azuraye Wycoff - Small Haul Colorado Branch Owner Submit your inquiry here for a free custom quote
Last spring, one of our customers, Maya, called us with a familiar problem.
She'd landed her dream job in Brooklyn. She had 30 days to get there. And she had a studio apartment's worth of stuff — a bed frame, a dresser, a small couch, a desk, boxes of books, and a very opinionated cat named Reuben.
Every national moving company she called either quoted her thousands of dollars for a full truck she didn't need, or told her a small load "wasn't worth their time." One company ghosted her entirely after the quote call.
That's exactly why Small Haul exists.
We moved Maya — studio apartment, Denver to Brooklyn, 1,780 miles — and we're going to tell you exactly what it cost and why. No hidden fees. No vague estimates. Just the real numbers and what drove them.
The Load
Maya's inventory was what we'd call a medium studio: not a bare-bones college move, but not a packed two-bedroom either. Here's what we hauled:
Queen bed frame + mattress
6-drawer dresser
Small sectional sofa (the tricky piece)
Desk + office chair
2 bookshelves
14 medium boxes
6 wardrobe boxes (she had opinions about her wardrobe)
Miscellaneous: lamps, a floor mirror, bike, and Reuben's elaborate cat tree
Total estimated cubic footage: 420 cu ft
That's less than a quarter of a standard moving truck. With a traditional mover, Maya would have paid for the whole truck anyway — or been crammed in with strangers' furniture on a shared load with no guaranteed delivery window.
The Full Cost Breakdown
Item | Cost |
Dedicated 2-person crew for full travel time | $3,500 |
Truck rental | $2,500 |
Loading/unloading labor (3 hours, 2 movers) | $380 |
Specialist Fee for sectional couch + 5 flight walk-up | $75 |
Packing materials (boxes, wrap, tape) | -$150 (Maya did herself) |
Disassembly/reassembly (bed frame, shelves) | -$115 (Maya did herself) |
Long-distance fuel & toll surcharge | $320 |
Liability coverage (full replacement value) | $180 |
Total | $6,955 |
For comparison: Maya got quotes from two national carriers. One came in at $7,000 flat for a dedicated truck, but with a 12–21 day delivery window), and Maya really didn't want to rush to set up her apartment before starting a new job in a new city. The other quoted $4,990 with a shared load — which meant her furniture might arrive anywhere in a 14-day window, mixed in with three other families' belongings. And their online reviews shared a few horror stories about a shared truck.
We moved Maya's to Brooklyn in 4 days with a dedicated truck and crew. Not a thing was damaged. Reuben was fine. (He traveled separately, by plane, because cats.)
What Actually Drives the Cost of a Long-Distance Small Move
If you're planning a similar move, here's what will move the needle on your quote — in plain English.
1. Time
We price by time, not pounds. This matters because you can decrease the time by doing the packing and supplies yourself. And you won't get penalized for having heavy stuff.
2. The sofa question
Oversized or awkwardly shaped furniture — big sectionals, upright pianos, California king mattresses, L-shaped desks — adds complexity. For Maya, her small sectional added a $75 Specialist fee to ensure we put a highly experienced Crew Captain because of the 5-flight stairwell at her Brooklyn walkup. We'll always tell you upfront.
3. Origin and destination accessibility
Denver loading was easy — ground floor unit, parking lot. Brooklyn was a narrow street with a fourth-floor walkup. That's real labor, and it's factored into the quote honestly. If you're moving into a building with an elevator, that typically saves you money.
4. Packing: DIY vs. full service
Maya chose to purchase her packing supplies and do all her own: kitchen with fragile items, clothes and books. That hybrid approach saved her about $265 compared to full-service packing. If you're organized and have the time, packing yourself is a legitimate way to trim the bill.
5. Timing
We moved Maya mid-month on a Tuesday. Peak moving season (late May through August), weekends, and end-of-month dates all carry a premium — typically 10–15%. If your schedule is flexible, that flexibility is worth money.
What the Big Guys Won't Tell You About Small Moves
Here's the dirty secret of the moving industry: full-service national carriers lose money on small loads. Their trucks are built for 3-bedroom houses. Their logistics are designed for volume.
So when you call with a studio apartment, one of three things happens:
They quote you for way more space than you need and hope you don't notice.
They put you on a "consolidated" load — your stuff shares a truck with other people's, your delivery window balloons to two weeks, and if something gets damaged, good luck sorting out whose insurance covers it.
They just don't call you back.
Small Haul was built specifically for jobs that the big guys don't want. One-bedroom apartments. College move-outs. The "I only have a few things but they're going far" situation. We run leaner, we price honestly, and a small job is never beneath us — it's our whole thing.
So, Is a Small Long-Distance Move Worth It?
For Maya, the equation was simple. She got a guaranteed 4-day delivery window with a dedicated team the whole way through, but paid less than what a national carrier would have offered with a 12-21 day delivery window. And she didn't have to rent a truck and drive it herself across Kansas (we've driven that stretch — you don't want to do it alone).
The only scenario where a DIY rental makes more financial sense is if you have flexible time, strong friends willing to help on both ends, and genuinely enjoy driving a 20-foot truck through the the crazy streets of New York. Some people do. Most people don't.
Get a Real Quote (Not a Runaround)
If you're moving out of Denver or Boulder — whether you're headed to Brooklyn, Austin, Seattle, California, or anywhere in between — we'll give you a straight answer and a real number. No pressure, no bait-and-switch.
We serve all of Colorado with a focus on Denver and Boulder, and we handle moves of all sizes — local and cross-country.
Because no move is too small. Especially yours.
Small Haul is a Colorado-based moving company specializing in small and mid-size moves, locally and across the country. Based in Boulder, serving Boulder County, Denver County, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, and beyond.
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