The decision to move from NYC to Chicago can be triggered by any of various reasons and events. There are many benefits in the Windy City. Some of the most commonly mentioned ones include its affordability, open lakefront and the many options for transportation. Chicago is less crowded than New York and is much cleaner. The availability of housing adds to the enjoyment of relocation to Chicago. Here are some factors to consider when planning a move from NYC to Chicago, Illinois.
What Are Estimated Costs for A New York City to Chicago Move?
The mileage from New York City to Chicago is under 800 miles, but it involves crossing several state lines, classifying it as a long-distance move. The use of an online price quote tool for a NYC to Chicago move depends on the mileage and the size of the move as the two major components of developing a cost estimate. Working with a free online tool to obtain an estimate is a starting point to begin budgeting for your move. The distance of the move is accurate within a few miles, but the size of the move can vary greatly, depending upon the number of items that you transport and their weight. The size of the move is also affected by the amount of self-packing you are prepared to do.
Some of the factors that you have no control over are the layout of the house or apartment and whether or not the movers will need to transport furniture up or down stairs. The distance of the moving trucks to the door is another feature that can require cost adjustments. Parking for the mover’s truck can be subject to city or county regulations and permits, increasing incidental costs.
When you schedule your move affects the cost. Because the most popular times to move are during the warm season months, the prices often are higher. Prices may be higher if your moving date falls on the first of the month, or on a weekend.
Cost to Move a Car from NYC to Chicago
When you are moving from New York City to Chicago, you may have wondered about the need to continue with car ownership. If you look at the cost of vehicle ownership in the two cities, it may help you to determine whether you should continue. Costs and regulations are different in each city. Some of the costs are licenses, registration, insurance and inspection fees. Donating a vehicle no longer needed is one way to downsize.
If you determine that having an automobile in Chicago is preferred, you will need a way to get it from New York. Driving is one option, but it may mean a tiring trip with a car containing pets, children, and perhaps a few treasured items that didn’t go with the movers. An alternative which may work well for you is to hire an auto transport company to do the vehicle move for you.
A transporter will need auto transport insurance and an inspection prior to the pick-up. Pictures of the condition could be helpful if any damages occur during the transport. Claims for damages are not common, fortunately.
Some Tips to Save On the Cost of Moving from NYC to Chicago
While a move from NYC to Chicago may seem daunting in terms of the services needed, it also requires consideration of the costs. No one wants to spend money on unnecessary factors connected to the move, but you also don’t want to be foolish in giving up important tasks which will need to be addressed. Here are some tips which may help reduce the overall cost of your move without sacrificing peace of mind and quality of service.
Organize and Discard: Since the price of a move is dependent upon the number of items that are moved, reducing the number of items going to your new residence will be one way to save money. You can accomplish the
task of limiting the number of possessions that will be moved through a process of organizing and downsizing. Most people will admit that they don’t use everything in their household. If you have items which have not been used in six months or longer, you may want to think about taking action to eliminate them from your moving plans.
The help of a professional organizer can be useful in the process of downsizing or eliminating unwanted, outgrown, worn out items. You may want to list items for sale on an online forum, or organize a yard sale to gain some incidental funds for the move.
Self-Packing: When you are searching for some ways to trim the costs of your long-distance move, consider doing the packing yourself, but paying the professional mover to transport your packed boxes. This process has additional benefits other than just saving money. If you organize and pack your items logically and carefully, unpacking and settling in will be much easier and less stressful. The process of thinking about where items will be placed and labeling them accordingly can make short work of settling in to your new location. You just need to remember to keep track of what is in each of the boxes and label the box carefully.
When you are packing the boxes, take care to consider the weight of the items in each box. They will need to be packed in a way that protects against wear and breakage. Specialized boxes for glassware can help to keep your china safe. Wardrobe boxes make emptying a closet easy.
When you do your packing, be sure to allow enough time in advance of the move. The professionals can pack much more quickly than you, but they generally don’t take the time to organize the items as they are being boxed.
One important box to prepare for is the ‘Essentials” box. This is intended to include all of the things that you are most likely to need in your new location, but don’t want to spend time opening boxes to find them. The list of essentials will vary from household to household, but typically includes items like coffee, toothbrushes, bedding, and snacks.
Be sure you take the time in the days leading up to Moving Day to back up the files on your computer. Place critical information on external storage so that it can be accessed quickly for information you might need. Remember to take care of the family pets when movers are in the house. Stressed animals can run away, or be accidentally injured by people coming and going.
Picking Your Moving Day: Some seasons are busier than others for moving companies. Because of weather, school vacations and other reasons, more people move during the months from late spring to early fall. Households that can arrange their relocation at other times may be able to achieve a discount from the movers.
Is Chicago A Good Place To Live?
Chicago, Illinois, is known for its clean and open lakefront, for good transportation, and for its affordability. As a large urban center, Chicago has many of the same cultural and lifestyle benefits as NYC, but at a lower cost. If these features appeal to you, then Chicago is a wonderful place to live.
Overall, Chicago, Illinois, is 36.3% cheaper than New York, New York. The main component in the cost of living difference is the Median Home Cost. In Chicago, the Median Home Cost is 55 percent cheaper than in New York City.
Choosing The Best Moving Company
There are many moving companies taking part in the industry today. Choosing the best one means that you need to do some due diligence. Most businesses today, regardless of the industry have an online presence and there are ratings attached to the company name and website. A company data set is available on the SAFER. There you can find registration and licensing information for legitimate movers. Safeway Moving has positive reviews across the internet and was recognized as the mover with the best overall value among the five hundred businesses reviewed by MoveBuddha.org
Moving With Safeway
Safeway Moving Systems INC, (USDOT# 3756000), is a leader in the industry, with trained personnel, a large inventory of trucks and capacity across the United States. The veteran owned company has quality standards at each part of the process. Affordable pricing is another factor that is appealing to customers looking for the highly rated firm. A move to Chicago from New York City can be much more efficient and comfortable with the help of the Safeway Moving Systems team.
