Last-minute moves don’t have to be chaotic. At Big Apple Moving, we specialize in same-day and emergency relocations across NYC—making the process fast, smooth, and stress-free. Whether you’re facing an unexpected move or need help today, our experienced team is ready to act. We handle your belongings with care, especially fragile items, and ensure everything gets where it needs to go—safely and on time. When time’s tight, you can count on us to deliver.
Need to move now? Call Big Apple Moving for expert help today.
Quick answer: We can often move a studio or one-bedroom the same day if you call before roughly 11am, and most short-notice jobs booked in the afternoon go out the next morning. A same-day studio move typically runs $400 to $700 and a one-bedroom $600 to $1,100, on our standard hourly rates, which start at $150 an hour with no minimum number of hours. Weekends, the last week of the month and the end of August are the hardest slots to fill at short notice — not because of price, but because crews are already booked.
How fast
Can You Move Me Today?
Usually, yes — with one honest caveat. Same-day moving is a question about crew availability, not about whether we offer the service.
What decides it is how early you call and how big the job is.
1Call before about 11am and same-day is realistic. A studio or one-bedroom with a two-mover crew is the job most likely to go out the same morning. The earlier the call, the better the odds.
2Call in the afternoon and we will usually offer you tomorrow morning. That is not a brush-off. Loading a truck properly takes hours, and a crew starting at 4pm on a fourth-floor walk-up finishes in the dark.
3Larger homes need a day or two even at short notice. A three-bedroom needs a four-mover crew, and four movers do not usually come free at two hours’ notice. We will tell you honestly rather than take the booking and send too few people.
What we will not do: take a same-day booking we cannot staff properly. A crew of two sent to a three-bedroom job because that is who was available is how a move runs eleven hours and costs double.
What it costs
What Does a Same Day Move Cost in NYC?
Same-day moves are priced on our standard hourly rates. Here is what that works out to by home size.
| Home size |
Typical crew |
Typical hours |
Estimated total |
| Studio |
2 movers |
3 – 5 hours |
$400 – $700 |
| 1 bedroom |
2–3 movers |
4 – 6 hours |
$600 – $1,100 |
| 2 bedrooms |
3 movers |
6 – 8 hours |
$1,000 – $1,800 |
| 3 bedrooms |
3–4 movers |
7 – 9 hours |
$1,700 – $2,800 |
| 4+ bedrooms |
4–5 movers |
9+ hours |
$2,500 – $4,500 |
There is no minimum number of hours, on same-day jobs or any other. Market-rate estimates for a local move within the five boroughs, not guaranteed quotes.
What short notice actually costs you is choice, not rate. These are the same hourly rates published on our hourly movers page. What you give up at short notice is choice of date, of time slot and sometimes of crew size. At peak times a short-notice booking may carry a premium, and we will tell you the number before you book rather than after.
Where the industry does add fees. Across the market, last-minute rescheduling typically costs 5 to 15 per cent of the bill, peak-season moves between June and August run 10 to 25 per cent higher, and weekend slots run 15 to 25 per cent above midweek. Companies that price by the hour are more likely to add an urgency fee than companies quoting a fixed price. Ask which you are being given.
Weekends and holidays
Do You Move on Weekends, Holidays and at the End of the Month?
Yes. We run moves seven days a week, including weekends and public holidays.
The honest part is that these are the slots that fill first, so short-notice availability is tightest exactly when most people want it.
Weekends
Saturday is the single busiest moving day in New York and Sunday is not far behind. We run both. A same-day weekend booking is possible but it usually depends on a cancellation, so call early.
The Last Week of the Month
Most leases turn over on the 1st, which makes the final three or four days of every month the hardest to book at short notice. If your move is flexible by even two days, mid-month is easier and the crews are less rushed.
Holidays and the End of August
We work public holidays. The end of August is the tightest week of the year in New York, because the academic calendar and the lease calendar land together. Short notice in that week means next-day at best.
Within 24 hours
I Need Movers Within 24 Hours — What Happens Now?
Call us. A 24-hour move is one of the more straightforward urgent jobs, because a full day is enough to assign a crew properly rather than scrape one together.
1One phone call, five minutes. The two addresses, the floors, whether there is an elevator at each end, and roughly how many rooms. That is enough to size the crew and give you a number.
2We confirm the crew and the arrival window in writing. Not “sometime tomorrow” — a window.
3If your building needs a certificate of insurance, we issue it at no charge, same business day. This is the step that most often blocks an urgent move. Managed buildings will not let a crew past the lobby without one.
4The crew arrives with materials on the truck. At short notice most people are not fully packed, so we bring boxes, paper and tape as standard rather than making it a separate errand.
The thing that actually stops a 24-hour move is usually not us. It is almost always a building requirement — a COI, a reserved elevator window, or a move-out slot the building has not approved. Call your building manager in the same hour you call us.
Short notice
What Counts as Short Notice?
For us, short notice means anything booked inside 72 hours of the move.
Same day means today. Next day means tomorrow morning. Here is what each realistically looks like.
Today
Call before roughly 11am. Best odds for a studio or one-bedroom with a two-mover crew. Anything larger is unlikely but worth asking, because cancellations happen.
Tomorrow
The most reliable urgent booking. A full day is enough to assign the right crew size, issue a COI and get materials on the truck. Most “emergency” moves are better served by tomorrow than by today.
Inside Three Days
Effectively a normal move with a compressed run-up. Everything is available including packing, and there is no meaningful difference in how the job runs.
Why people call
The Reasons People Need Us at Short Notice
Most urgent moves are not emergencies in the dramatic sense. A closing date moved. A landlord would not extend by four days. A roommate left and the lease had to end with the month.
A mover cancelled the night before and stopped answering the phone — which is the call we get most often at the end of the month, and the one we can usually help with fastest, because the apartment is already packed.
None of these need explaining when you call. Tell us the two addresses, the floors and the date, and we will tell you what is possible.
Same Day and Last Minute Moving in NYC — Frequently Asked Questions
Availability, cost, cut-off times and what to have ready.
How quickly can I schedule a same-day move in NYC? +
You can schedule a same-day move in NYC with Big Apple Moving as long as availability permits. Simply call or request a quote, and our team will work to accommodate your move on the same day.
Is there an additional cost for same-day moving services? +
Same-day moves are billed on our standard hourly rates, starting at $150 an hour with the truck included and no minimum number of hours — the same rate card published on our
hourly movers page. What short notice costs you is choice of date, time slot and sometimes crew size. At peak times such as weekends and the last week of the month a short-notice booking may carry a premium, and we will tell you the number before you book rather than after.
How much time do I need to prepare for a same-day move? +
For a smooth same-day move, it’s best to be as prepared as possible. We recommend having your items packed and ready to go ahead of time to ensure the move is completed efficiently.
Can I move heavy furniture on the same day? +
Yes, Big Apple Moving can handle heavy furniture on the same day. Our experienced team has the equipment and expertise to safely move large, bulky items quickly and efficiently.
What is the latest I can call and still move today? +
Around 11am is the realistic cut-off for a same-day move in New York City, and earlier is better. A studio or one-bedroom with a two-mover crew is the job most likely to go out the same morning. Call in the afternoon and we will usually offer you the following morning instead, because a crew starting at 4pm on a walk-up finishes in the dark. Larger homes need a four-mover crew and typically a day or two even at short notice.
Do you move on weekends and public holidays? +
Yes. We run moves seven days a week, including weekends and public holidays. The honest caveat is that these are the slots that fill first. Saturday is the busiest moving day in New York, and the last three or four days of any month are the hardest to book at short notice because most leases turn over on the 1st. If your date is flexible by even two days, mid-month and midweek are easier.
I need movers within 24 hours. What do you need from me? +
One phone call with the two addresses, the floors, whether there is an elevator at each end, and roughly how many rooms. That is enough to size the crew and give you a number, and we will confirm the arrival window in writing. If your building requires a certificate of insurance we issue it at no charge the same business day. That COI is the single most common thing that blocks an urgent move, so call your building manager in the same hour you call us.
How much does a last minute move cost compared with booking ahead? +
On our rates a studio typically runs $400 to $700 and a one-bedroom $600 to $1,100, billed hourly from $150 with no minimum number of hours. Across the wider market, last-minute rescheduling commonly costs 5 to 15 per cent of the bill, peak-season moves between June and August run 10 to 25 per cent higher, and weekend slots run 15 to 25 per cent above midweek. It is worth asking any mover whether their quote is hourly or fixed, because hourly pricing is where urgency fees usually appear.
Need to Move Today or Tomorrow?
Call us and we will tell you in a few minutes whether we can do it. If we cannot, we will say so rather than take the booking and hope.
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Or call (212) 365-0707
