How Much Does Piano Moving Cost? [2024 Data]

Piano Moving Cost Calculator

Calculations are based on the cost of moving a grand piano 150 miles, which is a long-distance move. Moving a grand piano requires an average of four professional movers, with two hours for removal and delivery each. Calculations rounded to the nearest whole number.

How Is Piano Shipping Cost Calculated?

The piano's size, type, and weight affect shipping costs, as does the distance the instrument must travel. For example, lightweight upright pianos that you can easily roll out the door usually cost less to move and ship than heavy grand pianos that require multiple professionals and specialized equipment to move. 

Additionally, if you're moving a piano across the country, you can expect to pay more than if you're moving it down the block. It typically costs $1.50 to $2.50 per mile to move a piano locally, and $2.50 to $10 per mile for a long-distance move. That said, some companies offer flat-rate shipping for long-distance moves, which might be more cost effective depending on how far you are from your final destination.

Piano Moving Cost Factors

Protecting your piano during a move is a top priority because it has sentiment or income tied to its safe arrival. It's crucial to communicate the piano’s details (size, weight, make, model) clearly with a moving company near you so you can get the most accurate pricing. Your schedule and an accurate description of the challenges the movers will face while moving the piano are also essential details regardless of whether the move is down the street or across the country.

Types of Pianos

Pianos come in different sizes based on their style, and these dimensions help to calculate costs when hiring professional movers. Grands are longer and likely have to be partially disassembled, while verticals are top-heavy, which can lead to damaged feet (piano feet, that is!) during the move if you’re not careful.

Vertical Pianos

Vertical or upright pianos have a vertical soundboard, making them very space-efficient. While vertical pianos are still delicate and weighty, they are easier to move. If you have a capable team to help, you may handle short-distance moves as a DIY project. However, you’ll have to take special care when lifting to avoid damaging the feet.

Vertical pianos vary in type from the compact spinet (no longer in production and may require special care) to the full upright, which can size up to a “vertical grand” size. Costs vary from around $150 to $300 for short-range moves and $500 to $800 for long-range moves.

Sometimes a separate class is made for “digital” pianos that use acoustic soundboards, but this factor doesn’t affect the size as much as other factors. However, the extra hardware in a digital piano may weigh more, increasing overall moving costs.

Grand Pianos

Grand pianos use a larger horizontal soundboard. This type of construction is more delicate  and much rarer in the average home. When homeowners need to arrange transportation for these instruments, grand piano costs can be significantly higher than vertical models, especially over long distances, ranging from $350 to $650 for short-range moves and up to $2,000 or more for long-range moves.

Distance of the Move

Moving companies will often quote you an hourly rate, usually with a three-hour minimum; the average time it takes to prepare the piano for the move. Keep in mind that not all piano moves are equal. A baby grand needs much more finesse than an upright that rolls easily out of the front door. 

Hiring a local moving company is less expensive. The cost to move a piano locally is $1.50 to $2.50 per mile and $2.50 to $10 per mile for a long-distance move. Current gas prices will affect these rates.

Location

Location affects piano moving costs in two important ways. First, the moving costs will typically vary based on gas prices, which vary greatly by location. Second, it’s more expensive to move a piano in a city or busy town due to higher costs of living and complex, often tight streets, which lead to extra fees. Rural moves or moves across simple, large roads can cost much less.

Steps and Obstacles 

Moving a piano requires a great deal of effort and skill to avoid damage. Adding obstacles like stairs increases moving fees. The cost of going up steps is $5 to $10 per step or $40 to $100 per staircase. Some moving companies will also charge additional costs for other hindrances like tight corners, narrow doorways, and awkward pathways into your home.

Floor Types

Moving a piano, even when handled carefully, poses a risk to floors, especially hardwood floors and other flooring that can be accidentally dented or scratched. If movers encounter wood, stone, ceramic, or vinyl flooring, they will take extra time to lay down pads or runners, and possibly put on protective booties so their shoes don’t create any damage.

These steps help protect the floor and the piano, but they take additional time and may incur extra fees. Line items for floor prep and protection may add $50 to $100 to the bill, depending on flooring needs.

Expedited or Emergency Moves

Emergency moves happen when you need a piano moved immediately, regardless of scheduling. In some cases, pianos don’t need to be shipped immediately but they require expedited shipping to speed the process up.

Some movers will handle emergency and expedited moves, but you should always contact them and ask first. An immediate emergency move often doubles the ordinary costs of moving a piano. 

International Moves

An international move takes longer and also requires additional work like adding extra padding and securing the piano to move across borders. Additional permits may be needed, depending on the final destination, and movers will pass those costs down to the owner. You can expect an international piano move to cost up to $5,000 with these prep and shipping considerations.

Dismantling and Crating Services

Grand pianos need some dismantling before crating and shipping. The dismantling price is $100, and crating adds about $800 more but increases to $1,200 if you prefer heated crating. Usually, movers wrap verticals in moving blankets to ship.

Insurance

Insurance is typically free for a piano valued at $5,000 or less. But if your piano is worth more than $5,000, the movers will charge $10 to $15 for every additional $1,000 value.

Storage Costs

In many cases, a new home isn’t quite ready for a piano yet. That means the piano needs to spend some time in storage before moving it to its new home. The storage unit needs to be large enough to accommodate a piano and include climate control to prevent damage. Renting a storage unit costs $240 per month on average, or $1 to $1.80 per square foot.

Tipping

Don’t forget to include the professional movers’ tips into your budget. You can take between 5% to 10% of the piano moving cost, and split that amount among the movers when they’re finished. Tipping movers costs $4 to $10 per hour, $10 for half day moves and $20 for full day moves per mover. Having cash on hand divided into envelopes will make the tipping process easier.

DIY vs. Professional Piano Moving

Simply put, you should choose professional piano movers because they have more experience. They also have the proper tools and a trained crew to avoid damage. Remember, pianos weigh from 900 to 1,300 pounds, an awkward, tough haul for anyone, especially for an inexperienced group of friends you’ve plied with pizza and beer to help. 

When choosing a piano moving company near you, always research whether the company has appropriate insurance to handle any type of accident, from injuries to scratches in the piano’s finish. The moving company should have three types of insurance: worker’s, property, and piano. Inspect your contract or bill of lading to understand who will handle the piano (and their training) and the repair and reimbursement policies.

Below, we’ll cover the costs if you are absolutely determined to move the piano yourself, and have a group of people who are willing to help out. It creates some new risks, but you can save money. 

Cost to Move a Piano Yourself

Push friendship to the max and ask your most loyal friends to help move your piano. But, make sure the entire group is physically prepared and has the right tools needed to get the job done. Your toolkit should begin with the two most important pieces of equipment: a dolly and hump strap. Also, start thinking of a very generous thank you gift for your fellow piano movers. 

Depending on if you have a vertical or grand piano, you’ll need other specific tools to move the piano and avoid damage, not to mention back injuries.

Vertical Piano Moving Tools

Grand Piano Moving Tools 

Packing Supplies 

After all of the strenuous lifting and carrying, you’ll still need transportation. If you don’t own or can’t borrow a large enough vehicle, you’ll have to rent a truck or van. A rental truck for a local move starts at $20.00 per day plus an additional $1.10 per mile driven.

Cost of Add-Ons When Moving a Piano

Depending on your circumstances, you might end up paying additional costs for miscellaneous items, including rush and rescheduling fees, piano tuning, and the cost to move related items, like a piano bench.

Ongoing Expenses

After you finish your piano move, there are a few ongoing expenses to consider. Here’s additional costs to look out for:

• Tuning fees: Experts recommend tuning a piano about once per year, and particularly several weeks after the piano moves. Tuning costs between $200 and $300 on average, and tuners may charge more in more urban areas. 

• Regulations: Regulations refer to minor repairs to correct physical imbalances in hammers or felts and similar problems—like a more in-depth, corrective version of tuning. Full regulations typically only happen every several years, and tend to be significantly more expensive than tuning.

How to Save When Moving a Piano

Looking to reduce costs when moving a piano, even when hiring professionals? Start early and follow a few steps to help reduce expenses on your end:

• Shop around: Look up pricing information for local piano movers. You don’t necessarily need an in-home estimate either. A phone and online investigation can yield several different fee structures you can compare to see which works best for your piano’s size and moving date.

• Prepare for moving: Clear away all obstacles from the piano’s room to the door. Lay down covers on vulnerable flooring for ramps. If possible, you can move the piano closer to the entryway to cut down on work inside the home. For larger pianos, you should remove your front door from the jambs for clearance. Movers can handle this step, but you can save time and make sure your door is properly cared for.

• Prepare the piano: Preparing your home (especially your floors) can help save time and fees, but don’t forget to prepare the piano itself. You can save money by wrapping the legs, lid, keys, and sides with padding and blankets tightly secured with packing tape. We don’t suggest moving the piano much yourself, since it can be easy to damage with minor mistakes (especially the legs). If you’re confident, you can take the legs off the piano and bind them separately, but this step raises the risk of causing damage.

• Package services together: When possible, try to bundle services like dismantling or tuning the piano after a move with the same service. Many piano moving companies offer service packages, and it’s an easy way to save.

How Angi Gets Its Cost Data

Home is the most important place on earth, which is why Angi has helped more than 150 million homeowners transform their houses into homes they adore. To help homeowners with their next project, Angi provides readers with the most accurate cost data and upholds strict editorial standards. We survey real Angi customers about their project costs to develop the pricing data you see, so you can make the best decisions for you and your home. We pair this data with research from reputable sources, including the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, academic journals, market studies, and interviews with industry experts—all to ensure our prices reflect real-world projects. 

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