Most international moves from the United States land somewhere between a few thousand dollars and well into five figures. The final number depends on how much you ship, how far it travels, whether it goes by sea or air, and how many services you add on each end. No honest company can name your price without knowing your inventory, so this guide shows you how the price is built, what quotes often leave out, and how to compare offers on equal terms.
We are Orange Movers, a licensed and insured moving company in Fort Lauderdale serving Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties. South Florida is one of the busiest starting points for overseas moves, so these are questions we hear often.
TL;DR
- Ocean freight is the usual choice for a full household. Air freight is much faster but costs far more per pound, so it suits only a few essential items.
- Carriers generally bill by the volume or weight of your goods, so every item you do not ship lowers the bill.
- A quote that covers only the shipment can leave out port handling, destination delivery, duties, insurance and packing. Ask for each in writing.
- Get several written quotes based on an in-person survey of your belongings, not a phone guess.
- Ask any company to show its Federal Maritime Commission license or registration before you pay a deposit.
Table of Contents
- What an international move typically costs
- What drives the price
- Sea freight versus air freight
- Costs that quotes often leave out
- How to get quotes you can compare
- Ways to lower the bill
- Our perspective at Orange Movers
- Start with a plan for your move
- FAQ
- Sources
What an international move typically costs
There is no single national price list, and the published figures vary widely because they describe different shipments. Here is what the sources we checked say, and how to read them.
Angi's 2026 container shipping data puts the average cost of shipping a moving container internationally at $4,150, against $3,000 domestically. That is the container leg only. It is not a door-to-door household move with packing, loading, customs paperwork and delivery.
A full-service move costs more, because those services add labor, materials and handling on both ends. As a planning frame, here is how the total scales with the size of the home:
| Home size | Typical shipping method | What pushes the price up |
|---|---|---|
| Studio or small apartment | Shared (consolidated) container or a few crates | Long distance, full packing, stairs or no elevator |
| 2-bedroom | Shared container or 20-foot container | Bulky furniture, appliances, storage before departure |
| 3-bedroom | 20-foot or 40-foot container | Delivery to an upper floor, crating, insurance |
| 4+ bedroom house | 40-foot container, sometimes more | Vehicles, pianos, artwork, long-term storage |
We deliberately do not print dollar ranges for each row. Rates move with the destination, the season and the carrier, and a range copied from somewhere else would give you false confidence. A written quote on your own inventory is the only number that counts.
What drives the price
Wise's guide to moving overseas lists the main cost categories for a US resident: destination and distance, shipment volume and weight, transport mode, packing, storage, customs, taxes, insurance, agent fees and settling-in expenses. Here is how each one plays out in practice.
Volume and weight
The Federal Maritime Commission notes that international movers usually base charges on the volume or weight of the goods shipped. That makes your inventory the biggest lever you control. A sofa you replace at your destination for a few hundred dollars may cost more to ship than to buy again. Walk through each room and decide what goes, what is donated and what is sold before anyone measures anything.
Destination and route
Distance matters, but ports and routes matter more. A major port with frequent sailings is cheaper to serve than a small port reached by transshipment. Inland delivery at the other end adds a separate charge, and some destinations need a second carrier for the last stretch.
Shared container or full container
If your belongings do not fill a container, a shared (consolidated) shipment lets you pay for the space you use. Full containers cost more in total but give you a fixed loading date, fewer handling stages and one sealed box from our dock to the destination. Past roughly a two-bedroom household, a dedicated container often becomes the simpler choice.
Timing and market swings
Container rates swing with supply and demand. Angi cites the Freightos Baltic Index to show the global average for a 40-foot container at about $9,700 in March 2022 and under $3,400 in February 2024. Your quote is only good for the window printed on it, so ask how long the rate is held.
Sea freight versus air freight
Sea freight carries the bulk of household moves because it costs far less per pound. The tradeoff is time: ocean transit plus port clearance commonly means several weeks before your goods reach you.
Air freight is billed by chargeable weight, which is the greater of actual weight and dimensional weight. It makes sense for a short list of items you cannot do without in the first weeks: work equipment, documents, medications that are legal to import, a child's essentials.
Many families split the shipment. Essentials go by air, and furniture and household goods go by sea. Split shipments let you keep the main load as large as it needs to be while avoiding weeks without the basics.
For a few suitcases or boxes, a courier-style option can beat both. If you are sending luggage ahead for a long trip rather than moving a household, managed luggage shipping handles door-to-door delivery, including the customs steps that apply to bags crossing a border.
Costs that quotes often leave out
The headline number on a quote is usually the freight. These are the lines to ask about one by one.
Packing and crating
Export packing is tighter than a local move because boxes get stacked, lifted by cranes and shipped for weeks. Full packing, fragile-item packing and custom wooden crating for artwork, pianos or glass all add cost. Our local packing pricing guide, South Florida packing costs, shows how packing is typically priced and which documents to ask for.
Packing also affects your coverage. The FMC warns that standard coverage may be restricted if the mover did not perform the professional packing.
Port and terminal handling
The FMC advises reading estimates and contracts carefully to see which charges are included or excluded, and notes that port terminal handling charges are often excluded. Ask whether the quote is port-to-port, door-to-port or door-to-door. These are three different prices for three different jobs.
Customs, duties and taxes
According to the FMC, duties levied on a shipment are generally the consumer's responsibility, and some movers offer customs-clearance services and paperwork assistance. Every country sets its own rules on what household goods enter duty-free, how long you must have owned them and what documents you need. Check the destination government's official customs page, or ask the destination agent, before you finalize your inventory. Prohibited and restricted items, such as certain foods, plants, firearms and some electronics, are the usual surprises.
Insurance
The FMC points out that many carriers limit their liability for loss or damage. A carrier's default liability can be a small fraction of what your belongings are worth, so ask for the limit in dollars and decide whether separate transit coverage is worth the premium. Read what it excludes, especially for items packed by you.
Storage and delay
If your housing at the destination is not ready, your container may sit at a port or warehouse. Storage and demurrage charges add up daily. Plan for a buffer, and ask the quote to state what free time you get.
Staying connected on arrival
This one is small but real. Your US phone plan may bill steeply abroad during the weeks before you sort out local service. International roaming costs are worth reviewing before you fly, so a data bill does not undercut the budget you worked hard on.
How to get quotes you can compare
- Build one inventory. List every item, noting large furniture, appliances and anything fragile or valuable. Give each company the same list.
- Ask for an in-person or video survey. The FMC recommends getting several written quotes based on an actual onsite inspection of your belongings. A quote given from a room count alone is a guess.
- Request the scope in writing. It should state the service type (door-to-door or port-to-port), packing, loading, origin and destination fees, customs help, insurance and storage.
- Check licensing. The FMC requires companies that ship household goods or automobiles to or from the US by ocean vessel to be licensed or registered, and it lists licensed or registered, bonded companies. Look the company up before you pay.
- Compare the unknowns. Where one quote says "not included," ask for an estimate of that line from every other company, so you compare equal scopes.
- Read the cancellation and rate-hold terms. Know your deposit conditions and how long the price holds.
Ways to lower the bill
- Ship less. Sell or donate bulky furniture that is cheap to replace. This lowers volume, the main input into your price.
- Be flexible on dates. A sailing date that is not tied to a week-long deadline gives the carrier room to offer a better rate.
- Use a shared container if your load is small.
- Pack yourself, but know the coverage tradeoff. Self-packed boxes cost less to prepare but may limit what insurance covers. Many people pack low-risk items such as linens and books themselves and leave fragile pieces to professionals.
- Clear access issues early. If you live in a Fort Lauderdale high-rise, Brickell condo or Boca Raton community with elevator reservations and certificate-of-insurance rules, handle them before loading day. A truck held waiting costs money. Our guide to certificates of insurance for high-rise moves explains what buildings usually ask for.
Our perspective at Orange Movers
Most cost surprises in international moves do not come from the ocean leg. They come from the first and last mile: a truck that cannot reach a loading dock, a building that requires paperwork nobody collected, a crate that was packed the night before, and an inventory that grew after the quote.
That is where a South Florida crew earns its keep. We know how buildings in Fort Lauderdale, Pompano Beach, Boca Raton and across Broward, Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties handle elevators, loading zones and parking, and we plan the origin side before the container is ever booked. Our crews are uniformed, background-checked, licensed and insured, and you have a single coordinator to answer questions rather than a chain of handoffs.
We also believe a price should be explained, not just stated. We tell you which items drive volume, which services you can skip and which lines we cannot control, such as destination duties. We do not push add-ons you do not need.
— Orange Movers Team
Start with a plan for your move
If you are moving overseas from South Florida, our international shipping service covers the planning, packing and loading on this side. We also offer full-service packing and unpacking and storage and warehousing if your move date and your destination housing do not line up. Tell us what you are shipping and where, and we will walk you through a written estimate based on your actual inventory.
FAQ
How much does it cost to move overseas from the US?
It depends on the volume or weight of your goods, the route, the transport mode and the services you add. A container's freight alone averages around $4,150 according to Angi's 2026 data, and packing, port handling, customs and delivery come on top. Get written quotes based on an inventory survey for your real figure.
Do movers charge by weight or volume for international moves?
Usually one or the other. The Federal Maritime Commission says international movers generally base charges on the volume or weight of the shipment. Ask which method your quote uses and how overages are handled.
Is it cheaper to ship by sea or by air?
Sea freight is cheaper for a full household, while air freight is faster and costs far more per pound. Many people send a few essentials by air and the rest by sea.
Who pays customs duties on household goods?
Generally you do. The FMC says duties levied on a shipment are typically the consumer's responsibility. Some movers help with clearance paperwork, and the destination country's customs agency sets the actual rules.
How far ahead should I request quotes?
Start as soon as you know your destination, ideally two to three months before your target departure, so you can schedule surveys, compare scopes and still have time to reduce your inventory. Container sailings and building reservations both take lead time.
Sources
- Moving Dos and Don'ts, Federal Maritime Commission
- How much does it cost to move overseas? Wise
- How Much Does It Cost to Ship a Moving Container? Angi