5 Cheap House Movers in Singapore & Other DIY Moving Services

Moving is an exhausting affair. It’s a massive project as you have to pack your possessions in boxes and luggage (or garbage bags), track, move from A to B and finally, unpack. 

The cost of hiring a house mover is not insignificant as it could potentially go up to the thousands. If you have a Class 3 license and are a seasoned driver, you can even rent a small Toyota Dyna and drive it around yourself for under $100 (from Carousell). Prices for professional movers on Carousell start from $148 for no labour and $288 for manpower.

Otherwise, we’ve rounded up the top 5 cheap house moving companies to entrust your worldly goods to. Prices per 14-foot truck start from $158.

Thinking of doing it yourself? Instead of making multiple trips with a rental van or using a car-sharing vehicle, take a look at alternative moving services first. You can get 1 van and 1 mover from $23 per trip, which makes moving more cost-efficient and less labour-intensive.

Top 5 cheap house movers in Singapore (2022)

House movers Singapore	Price per 14-foot truck
The Helping Hand Moving Services	By quotations only
Cheap Movers Singapore	$158 – $258
KNT Movers	By quotations only
Elite Movers	By quotations only
Shalom Movers	By quotations only

The Helping Hand Moving Services 

The Helping Hand Moving Services have been around for more than 20 years. Their workers are able to move large items through tight corners with dexterity. Before moving, workers will wrap large items such as sofas and mattresses with giant cling wrap to protect them from dirt and damage. Overall, they’re affordable and the service is excellent and speedy.

While the staff will not help to pack, they provide up to 20 free boxes for you to do it as well as help you dispose of unwanted things. 

One interesting thing to note is that The Helping Hand started as a Christian halfway house that rehabilitates ex drug addicts. The team consists of ex-offenders that are closely supervised by a senior staff. So when you hire them, you’re giving them work opportunities that help them reintegrate to society.

Tel: 6283 2204 or submit an online form to get a price quotation

Cheap Movers Singapore 

With a name like that, you won’t be disappointed with Cheap Movers Singapore‘s budget prices. One good thing about them is that they’ll attend to you even if it is a small move. Cheap Movers Singapore also does packing and unpacking and is available on short notice.

Tel: 6854 4955

KNT Movers 

KNT Movers are reputed to be good at helping people relocate overseas. They have a wide range of services including packing and unpacking, disposal, short-term storage, disassembly and assembly, and piano-moving.

One bonus point about KNT Movers is that they provide complimentary boxes without limit. Once they assess how many things you need to move, they will deliver the required number of boxes to you complete with tape and labels.

Tel: 6747 6636 or submit online form here

Elite Movers 

Elite Movers come highly recommended because they’re affordable, fast and reliable. They have experience helping homeowners of HDB flats, condos and landed property move.

They’re equipped with cranes, special ramps and dollies to help you move challenging items like pianos and organs, as well as disposal and storage services. They also provide complimentary boxes, tapes and labels. 

They have 3 types of moving services:

• basic moving
• packing and moving
• packing, moving and unpacking

Tel: 6242 4886

Shalom Movers 

Shalom Movers is aiming to be the number one mover in Singapore. Their staff are professionally trained staff to move art pieces, antiques and pianos with care.

Before moving, a surveyor will come to assess your moving needs and give you an accurate quotation. You’re charged based on the number of items moved no matter how large or heavy it is, which makes it more cost-effective. 

We especially like the fact that they have a packing and unpacking service, which helps you save time. Also, if your new place can’t accommodate everything, you can store some stuff with Shalom Movers temporarily.

Tel: 6287 6117 or WhatsApp +65 9233 8117

DIY moving services (driver and van/lorry only) 

If you think that you can handle the packing and moving yourself, you can hire only a lorry and a driver and save money. Here are some platforms and services you can go to:

Carousell (from $40) 

While traditionally an online platform for people to sell their secondhand stuff, now you can find house movers and delivery services on Carousell. The good thing is that the prices are transparent and they average at only $40. The bad thing is, you might not know if they are scams. See the last section on how to safeguard yourself if you want to try an unknown mover.

Cost: from $40 

Cheapest Mover SG (from $70 for 5 boxes) 

Cheapest Mover SG offer the lowest rates as a company – but there is no labour included in those price. There is an option to add labour assistance if you need it, though. The service is chargeable by the hour, so prepare the items to be moved beforehand so that the time taken during the move is kept to a minimum.

We like that it has come up with a comprehensive and transparent table that displays all the surcharges so there are no hidden costs. Parking and ERP costs are charged separately, but at least they’re upfront about it.

Moving costs start from $70 for up to 5 boxes or luggages with a van to transport your stuff. If you have lots of stuff, you can pay $280 for 40 boxes or luggages. Anything more would be charged at $7 per box or luggage.

They also provide vehicle rental if you want to DIY. Rent a van at $40/hr or a lorry at $55/hr. Top up $20/hr and $45/hr for 50% help.

Cost: From $40 per hour for van / $55 per hour for lorry 

TheLorry.com (from $25)

TheLorry.com is an online platform that matches customers to house movers and drivers. All you need to do is to key in where you want your stuff picked up and where you want it to be dropped off. Select a vehicle, either a van, 10-foot lorry or a 14-foot one, and get an instant quote.

You can then add services such as manpower at $54 per person and disassembly and assembly of furniture at around $50. Do note that surcharges apply, such as if the move takes more than 1.5 hours.

With over 200 experienced lorry and van drivers, the service is pretty prompt.

Cost: From $169 for entire van (suitable for single bedroom)

Rentalorry (Quotes only)

Rentalorry provides moving services as well as just the vehicle with one mover. The website is not too comprehensive – you’ll have to call in to get quotes for the services you need. But based on some quotes that we got, it’s about $60 per trip for a van and $100 to $180 per trip with a lorry.

Cost: Get your quote here

GoGoX (from $23 per trip)

GoGoX is a Hong Kong-based on-demand logistics company that matches users with a network of drivers who do same-day deliveries. Apart from delivery of documents and parcels, they also have rental of vans and lorries as well as moving services.

A simple moving service which includes the rental of 1 van and 1 driver-slash-mover will cost you $38- $57.

Cost: $24 to $38 for 1 van 1 driver, top up $15 for door-to-door service

$42 to $71 for a 10ft lorry, top up $30 for driver to help you to move

$80 to $104 for a 14ft lorry, top up $50 for driver to help you move

Lalamove (depending on distance)

Lalamove is another Hong Kong start-up that does on-demand logistics, matching users to drivers for same-day, even within-the-hour, deliveries. Instead of charging by parcels, Lalamove charges by the vehicles and distance. So if you are moving to a nearby location, you might save with Lalamove. 

You book the type of vehicle based on how much you want to move. For example, for anything 8kg and lighter, you can use a motorbike. The fee is a base cost of $10 plus $0.30 for every kilometre. Vans have a base price of either $30 or $38 (depending on size) and $0.50 per kilometre. The standard 14-foot lorry has a base of $79 and $0.75 per kilometre.

All this comes with the driver who will help at no extra charge unless you’ve hired a lorry. In that case, you need to pay an extra $30 for his help and $40 for another pair of helping hands.

This service is great for the Marie Kondos of the world who have pared down their earthly possessions to only those things that “spark joy”. Or, if you live not too far from where you want to move.

Prices start from from $15. They also offer helpers for a fee.

You can track your driver in real time through their app and get a delivery record. So if you have furniture and other bulky items, Lalamove is a better choice than GoGoVan.

Cost: Van base fare $30 + $0.50 per km, lorry base fare $79 + $0.75 per km

5 things to look out for when choosing an unknown mover

If you’re trying out a super cheap moving service from a company that you may not be familiar with, look out for these 5 things:

Reviews: Are there blogs or reviews on the company you’re intending to hire? Even when the service is cheap, do a simple Google to see it’s a treasure or a terror. If you’re particularly risk averse don’t go for companies with no reviews.

Check out their expertise: Can the movers negotiate tight corners? How adept are they at dismantling and assembling furniture? Do they know how to handle antiques or art? Do they know how to move a piano? Ask them for their training and expertise in these areas.

Ask questions about worst-case scenarios: Are your items insured? What happens if the house movers get hurt on the job? What if there is a delay that is not your fault? What if something (mysteriously) goes missing? Will there be a supervisor on hand at all times? Can the movers understand English (if you are hopelessly monolingual)?

Know all the (hidden) charges: You’ll definitely need cling wrap, bubble wrap or boxes when you are moving. Check if the company provides them as a complimentary service, and if not, how much you’d have to pay for them.

Are there additional charges for moving pianos and organs, hoisting, or going up stairs? Is there a time limit that they impose? Are there additional costs for disposal of items?

Get it in writing: Once you receive the quotation, make sure that all possible costs are itemised. If the mover said that the things would fit, and then later on declare that you would need another truck, a written agreement will safeguard you from additional costs.

Have you moved recently and did you use professional house movers? Leave a comment below to share your experience. 

Main image credit: Phil King via Flickr