Moving to Tamp Cost from Nashville TN (Tampa: apartment, car insurance)

[allencoded]

My wife and I are moving from Nashville, TN to Tampa, FL. I am trying to be as realistic as possible on the moving costs but seeing how the two of us have never move to another state before we want to make sure we have the costs covered. My company will not be paying for my relocation as it was by our choice to do so. We have a two bedroom apartment current but plan on selling most stuff off to cut it down to a one bedroom apartment.

Has anyone on here made the move from this distance and have any estimates on what they paid to move or any hidden costs to watch out for advice? I am estimating about $3k just for the moving expenses.

[gulfer]

Check out Budget, Penske, and U-Haul and you will be surprised at the different rates. Expect to pay first months and security deposit, possible utility deposits as well. Registering vehicles the 1st time is expensive.

[sportsterjohn]

As an IT consultant, I move around a lot. I am actually coming back to St. Pete after leaving last year to go up to Atlanta. Here is a cost breakdown. Uhaul truck will cost you between 500-600 depending on the size. For a 2 bedroom, you should be ok with a 20ft. The 24ft is costing me about 575 that is with an add on for insurance. You may have to pay a deposit on your electric, I think I paid about $200 last time. I didn't need deposits for anything else. I do remember my 1st cable bill (brighthouse was high as it had a bunch of set up type fees). The Uhauls will get 10-12mph so figure about 700 or so miles from Nashville. I am also using movers to load and unload. A team of 2 for 2hrs should be plenty. Expect to pay between 100 and 150 at each end. The DMV will hurt. To register my 2011 car, may 2005 car and my 2008 Harley, it cost about 1k. For me, I have more cars than drivers so I will have to ride the HD down the week before I move and fly back. The flight was 120. Car insurance will triple. I paid 98 a month for the cars and 300 a yr for the bike. In Tampa, my insurance for 3 three vehicles is about 280 a month. Cigarettes are about 1 more a pack and gas is a bit higher then Atlanta. Per my wife, normal food items are close to the same. Expect your electric bill to be higher as you will be running the AC more then in TN.

[allencoded]

Thanks for all the replies. I had forgotten all about registering a car.

[FloridaKash]

You may also want to look into ABF U-Pack. You pay per lineal foot of trailer space you use. You pack it up yourself and they do they driving. It costs a wee bit more than a uhaul, but you don't have to do the driving and can drive your own car. Might not be fore you, but just wanted to let you know of the option. We have used them multiple times and I will use them again should I move out of state.

[allencoded]

The ABF U-Pack sounds awesome. I will have to look into that.