Whether you’re looking to leave New York City behind or breaking away from snowy Upstate New York, North Carolina may be the right place for you.

As the 28th largest state in the United States, North Carolina is home to a host of major cities, a flourishing job market, and several diverse regions — from mountain to coast.  The state is rich in history, culture, and opportunity, especially if you’re looking to relocate to warmer climates.

Each year, thousands of new residents discover North Carolina for the first time.  Overall, the population in the state has grown by about 10% over the last decade, and that number is expected to increase.

This guide will talk you through the key details of the moving process and provide resources to help you start planning your relocation.

Let’s get started.

NY to NC: Average Moving Costs

The cost of your relocation depends on a wide variety of factors, including where you’re relocating from, the distance you need to cover, and your final destination.

North Carolina shares a similar land mass with New York, but the state is much wider than it is tall.  Relocating from NYC to Raleigh (500 miles) is likely to produce a different moving estimate than relocating from Albany to Asheville (820 miles).

On the whole, it’s almost always cheaper to rent a moving truck and move yourself rather than hire a moving company to handle your relocation.  

A truck rental will run anywhere from $2500 to $3000 when relocating from NY to NC (plus fuel costs), and you’ll pay for your savings in time and labor.  It takes time to pack items, load your truck, and relocate to your new home.

But the truth is that a full-service move may be out of reach for most people.  Including packing, shipping, and unpacking, a professional relocation service can cost tens of thousands of dollars — even more, if speed is a priority.  

On average, it’s very uncommon for a long-distance move to cost less than \$5,000.  Moving a fully furnished home over a long distance can cost upward of $15,000 or more.

While you’ll ultimately have to determine your budget well before your moving date, you may still have an opportunity to take advantage of some moving services and keep costs low.

Lowering costs

Let’s take a look at a few ways to keep costs low during the moving process.  Even if you’re comfortable paying thousands for a full-service move, there are still ways to drive costs down when picking your long-distance movers.

Price matching

Though it may not be immediately obvious when selecting movers, many moving companies will price match with competitors.

If you can find affordable movers within your service area, request a moving quote from several movers using the same basic guidelines and use this to overcome high costs.

This process may not be as easy as simply requesting a quote.  Many movers will want to provide an accurate estimate by visiting your home to take inventory or by asking you to submit an itemized list of furniture.

The quoting process is made even more complicated by COVID-19, but many companies have adapted to this new reality.  Your Hometown Mover and other moving companies have implemented Live Video Estimate, where a live operator can guide you through the steps required to inventory the items in your home.

Gathering accurate estimates can be a time-consuming process, but it can help you save thousands in moving costs by driving the price down among competitors.

Moving labor and packaging services

If you’re comfortable driving your own truck, you may be able to offset the cost of your relocation while still keeping to a tight schedule and avoiding most of the heavy lifting.

For many moving companies, the biggest time sink for a move is the logistics that take place behind the scenes.  Everything from the way the truck is loaded to time commitments for drivers increases the overall cost.

However, if you can drive your own truck, you can remove the lion’s share of your relocation fees by paying only for the services that you need.

Rather than paying for a full move, search for companies who hire out their movers on an hourly or daily basis and hire them to help you load your truck.

The movers will apply their professional expertise to your problem, help you pack and load your contents, and leave the rest of the relocation to you.  When you arrive at your destination, hire movers in your local area to repeat this process, and settle into your new home.

Keep in mind that by-hour services like this typically handle specific aspects of your move.  You’ll need to handle everything that isn’t included in that agreement.

However, if you’re on a budget and willing to do some of the work, this is a good middle ground to consider when factoring for cost.  This can be a lifesaver for New Yorkers living in Brooklyn, the Bronx, and any of the other five boroughs where moving furniture requires traversing multiple floors and narrow corridors.

Your Hometown Mover offers compartmental services to help you get started.  Explore our packing services and moving labor options to learn more.

Financing options

Rarely, you may find financing options available to handle full-service relocations.  These “move now, pay later” options allow you to finance the cost of your move over a set term and pay it back with a small amount of interest.

Unfortunately, these options are very limited and have become even more scarce with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transit times

Depending on your starting point, New York and North Carolina are anywhere between 500 and 800 miles apart, with moves from New York City being shorter but potentially costing more due to the higher cost of services.

Because of the distance and labor involved, many moving companies will estimate delivery between 7 and 14 business days from the day of pickup.

The reason for the delay is because many traditional moving services take the contents of your move to a warehouse after they pick it up. At the warehouse, they combine it with other shipments bound for the same destination in order to reduce costs.

While this is an effective (and profitable) strategy for the moving company, it also adds additional lead times to your relocation.

Can I request expedited delivery?

If you don’t want to wait a week for your home to arrive at your new location, ask your provider about expedited delivery options.

Expedited services typically offer turnaround times of 1 to 3 business days, but this is done by avoiding the traditional warehouse consolidation that takes place with standard delivery. Once your goods are picked up in New York, they’ll be relocated directly to your North Carolina home.

As you might expect, expedited services can add thousands to the cost of your relocation, and — depending on the shipper — they may only save a day or two on delivery times.

Be sure to clarify with your shipper before you commit to an expedited delivery schedule.

Shipment tracking

One of the key differences between local and long-distance moves is the amount of time your goods are in transit.

With local moves, you may always know where your goods are located.  If you pay movers to relocate to the other side of town, you may even be able to follow the moving truck from departure to destination.

With long-distance moves, that’s impractical.  Your journey to your new home is far different from the one that your goods will take.  For this reason, it’s common for customers not to know where their shipment is actually located during transit.

This can add additional frustration to your move because you don’t know when your goods will arrive.

Your Hometown Mover solves this problem by offering GPS real-time tracking information on every shipment.  Our software updates every single minute, so you’ll always know where your goods are located.

Insurance

One of the most important decisions you can make when relocating over a significant distance is what type of insurance to purchase.

While most moving companies do everything in their power to protect your items and create a worry-free moving experience, accidents do happen — and they can cost.

Here’s a brief overview of how insurance works and how your items are valued by most companies.

Basic liability insurance

Many moving companies offer basic liability insurance as part of their standard moving package.

While this might sound acceptable, these insurance rates are based on the weight of the item rather than its perceived value.  By using this form of insurance, you may be putting the value of your shipment at risk.

For example, if you were given a basic liability rate of \$.60 per pound and a valuable painting or precious jewelry was lost or damaged in the move, you would only receive a fraction of the cost when filing your claim.

Premium move coverage

For full-value protection, be sure to take advantage of a premium insurance option.  This type of insurance is based on the value of your items rather than the weight.

However, securing premium coverage requires additional work.

When using premium insurance, you’ll need to provide the estimated value of your items to your moving company.  The company will calculate a price based on the value of the move.

Often, this includes a deductible that must be paid before a full payout is issued.  If your shipment is lost or destroyed during transit, you can receive the full value of your items (less deductibles).

Using premium insurance is a much better option if you have large antiques or lightweight valuables, where the value of the item is worth more than its weight.

Careful consideration should be given to high value items like oil paintings and antiques when packing for your move.  Your Hometown Mover offers custom crating and packing solutions to ensure that your valuables arrive safe and sound.

Moving vehicles and boats

While many of the major cities in North Carolina support a serviceable transit system, it won’t compare to public transit in NYC. Even the train lines in Charlotte and the bus routes in Raleigh may come with long and inconvenient delays.

For New Yorkers who want to explore everything that North Carolina has to offer, a car will be a necessary investment.

If you already have a car, the most practical way to relocate your vehicle is to drive it down the East Coast. This may not be viable if you’re not interested in a long road trip or if multiple vehicles are involved in your move.

When moving by yourself, you can attach a rig to the back of your moving truck and pull your car along with you. Be aware that this drastically extends the length of your vehicle and may create additional difficulty if you’re unfamiliar with driving larger vehicles.

When working with professional movers, relocating vehicles requires specialized equipment that most professional moving companies won’t have on hand. Instead, your movers will contract out with an auto-transporter or rigger to fulfill this need.

It’s important to note that, because this shipping is handled by a third-party company, your vehicle may not follow any traditional delivery schedule outlined by your moving company. This means that vehicle delivery may be excluded from any expedited delivery windows or that, if those services are offered, they may incur additional costs.

Road Gradation

In most parts of North Carolina, self relocation is no more difficult than anywhere else in the country.

However, the roads in the mountainous regions throughout the western part of the state are a special exception. The highways often require travel at steep inclines that can be difficult for larger vehicles.

If relocating to Asheville and the surrounding area take extra caution when approaching the city along steep roads or when driving oversized or unfamiliar vehicles.

North Carolina Resources

Depending on your relocation plans, North Carolina can offer a wide variety of different living experiences.  The mountains are famous for hiking, ziplining, and stable weather while the coast offers a close-up view of the Atlantic Ocean.

Overall, the state offers a great quality of life, as well as a wide variety of career opportunities.  On the whole, home and real estate prices have increased steadily since 2013 and are expected to rise.

Cost of living

By and large, the cost of living in North Carolina is mostly on par with living expenses in Syracuse, Rochester, and Buffalo.

New York residents residing in the Hudson Valley, Central New York, or the Capital District will already have a good idea of how to forecast expenses.  New Yorkers living in NYC can stand to make considerably less while maintaining the same standard of living.

Regions

Roughly, North Carolina is divided into three main regions:  The Coast, Mountains, and Piedmont.

Each area within North Carolina offers a different experience in terms of landscape and lifestyle, and where you ultimately choose to live will define your experience in the state.

Keep in mind that, although the state offers wide regional diversity, it may be impractical to visit other regions of the state on a whim due simply to the amount of travel time involved.

For example, a trip from Asheville to Durham takes between three and four hours, but a trip to Carolina Beach, just outside of Wilmington, may take closer to six hours.  

Many of these trips will require an overnight stay, especially if you want to get the most out of your visit.

Coast

The easternmost region of the state is home to Wilmington, NC, as well as the famous Outer Banks and North Carolina’s “Golf Coast.” You’ll find everything from quiet beaches and quaint, small towns, all the way to historic Civil War sites and water sports.

If you’re moving from NYC or the ADK, and you’re looking for a quiet change of pace, this slice of paradise may be just what the doctor ordered.

Mountains

If you’re looking to break away from flat land and foothills, the mountains of North Carolina may be a place to call home.  This region backs up against the Great Smoky Mountains and is home to the tallest peaks in the Appalachian Range.

Asheville is centrally located in the mountains, providing easy access to snowboarding in the high country, as well as fishing, hiking, and touring throughout the Cherokee region.

Piedmont

The central region of the state is home to large cities, prestigious universities, and urban lifestyles.  Charlotte, Greensboro, and Pinehurst reside here.

Raleigh, the state capital, is almost a region unto itself.  This city, along with Durham and Chapel Hill supports the Research Triangle, which includes North Carolina State University, Duke University, and UNC-Chapel Hill.

Weather considerations

It’s worth pointing out that every region in North Carolina is prone to a different set of weather conditions.

In the coastal and midland regions, hurricanes, tornadoes, and flooding can be a regular hazard.  Slow-moving storms can batter the coast and cause massive property loss in a short amount of time.

Meanwhile, the mountainous regions of the state can experience snowfall and wildfires.  For most New Yorkers, the amount of snow in NC is mild, but a few areas in the High Country might surprise you. 

As always, research these hazards before relocating so that you can prepare appropriately in advance.

Coronavirus considerations

North Carolina’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic has been dramatically different from the New York response.

While New York became the epicenter of the pandemic from March to April 2020, federal officials have since worked diligently to minimize infections.

In North Carolina, leeway has been provided to many businesses since the early days of the pandemic.  Restaurants remain open, as do fitness centers and movie theatres, though most businesses are subject to limited capacity and other requirements.

Face coverings are required in public spaces when it is not possible to maintain social distancing.

While indoors, in-home gatherings are limited to ten people, but social gatherings like church services, weddings, and funerals are exempt from this order.

If you’re planning to move before the pandemic is resolved, be sure to check local and state resources so that you can stay compliant with local mandates.

FAQ

What is the average cost to move from NY to NC?

Relocating from New York to North Carolina is likely to cost anywhere from $3,000 to $6,500 if you complete the move yourself.

A similar move, when conducted by professional movers, will cost tens of thousands of dollars more.

What is the cost of living like in NC?

If relocating from Manhattan, costs in North Carolina will be substantially lower outside of the city.

When relocating from other major cities, like Albany or Buffalo, the cost of living will be roughly equivalent to what you’re currently paying.

Can I finance my move?

Financing options are rare in the moving industry, but some companies offer these options to help customers handle out-of-pocket costs.

Your Hometown Mover offers financing options through our Move Now, Pay Later program.

You can also look at taking a loan through a third-party lender, like a bank, to cover the cost of a move rather than financing the move through your moving company.

Should I be concerned about the weather in NC?

The weather in North Carolina varies by region.  The western part of the state can see snow and freezing rain in the winter.  The coast is prone to hurricanes.

Be sure to check the weather for your area and take appropriate precautions well in advance of any major weather event.

Should I use insurance for my move?

Yes!  Most moving companies offer basic liability insurance (payout based on weight) and premium insurance (payout based on value).

While premium insurance can be more frustrating to get because you’ll need to submit an inventory list of all your items, it’s worth the value if something goes wrong.

YHM is a NY to NC Moving Company

Even with great resources available to you, moving from New York to North Carolina can be a massive undertaking, but you don’t have to do it alone.

Your Hometown Mover can help!  With locations in New York and South Florida, our teams can work with you to create a long-distance moving solution that makes sense for your family.

We offer guaranteed pricing and offer expedited delivery within 1 to 3 days for many moves.  Get a free moving quote today.

Our team will do the heavy lifting so that you can spend less time worrying about your relocation and more time enjoying your new home.