What an apartment, condo, or Boston high-rise move costs
Apartment and condo work has a logic of its own, and on the South Shore it really comes in two flavors that price out very differently. One is the three-decker walk-up: a second- or third-floor unit in Wollaston, Quincy Center, or Houghs Neck where the cost lives entirely in the staircase, the narrow turns, and the long carry out to a truck stuck on a permit-parking street. The other is the elevator building: a Boston high-rise or a Marina Bay condo where the cost lives in the rules instead, a Certificate of Insurance filed with management, a held freight-elevator window, and a move-in slot the building enforces to the minute. We quote both square and hand you the whole thing as one written flat rate.
| Apartment / condo type | Crew & truck | Typical flat rate | Access notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio walk-up (2nd-3rd floor) | 2 movers, 1 truck | $600 – $900 | Tight triple staircase, permit parking reserved |
| 1-bedroom condo with elevator | 2 movers, 1 truck | $900 – $1,500 | Freight-elevator window reserved |
| 2-bedroom three-decker floor | 2 – 3 movers, 1 truck | $1,500 – $2,500 | Three flights, long carry to a permit street |
| 2-3 bed Boston / Marina Bay high-rise | 3 movers, 1 truck | $1,500 – $4,100 | COI filed, elevator slot and dock window booked |
Why an elevator building is not the bargain it looks like
It is a common assumption that an elevator unit beats a walk-up on price because there are no stairs to climb. Now and then it does, but the building’s own rules tend to swallow the savings. Boston towers and a lot of the Marina Bay and Seaport condos insist on:
- A Certificate of Insurance lodged with management days ahead, which we take care of so the lobby never turns the crew back.
- A reserved freight-elevator window, frequently a two- or three-hour block. Miss it and you are waiting, or rebooking the day.
- A loading dock or assigned entrance, often paired with a timed move-in slot the building holds you to.
How we keep the number straight
On the walk-ups we price the genuine labor of the staircase rather than springing a flat per-flight charge on you. On the high-rises the COI and the elevator window are already sitting in the figure. Either way, once we know the building you get one flat rate in writing. It is our own W-2 crew on the job, never day-labor, and on coverage we stay with the plain facts: basic released-value protection runs at the federal $0.60 per pound, with full-value protection at roughly 1 to 3 percent of declared value if you want it. Give us the building and the floor and we will put a real flat number on it.