The short answer
On our current price card, one removalist with a ute costs $104 an hour, with a $109 minimum. Two removalists cost $207 an hour, with a $209 minimum. A single item starts from $109, or $209 if it needs two people, and a two-bedroom house move starts from $599, quoted upfront. There are no fuel or booking fees, and you pay when the job is done.
| Service | Price (inc GST) | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| One removalist and a ute | $104/hr | Small moves and single items where you can help lift. Minimum $109. |
| Two removalists | $207/hr | Heavy furniture, stairs, and moves where you can't help. Minimum $209. |
| Single item | from $109 | One piece, one removalist. From $209 if it needs two. |
| House move, 2 bedrooms | from $599 | Quoted upfront from your item list. |
Saturdays are weekday prices times 1.5, done by our truck crew, on the Sunshine Coast only. The full card is on our prices page.
How we work out the time
Hourly pricing only feels risky when nobody tells you how many hours to expect. Before we book, we give you an estimate in three parts: loading time at the pickup, the drive between addresses, and unloading time at the drop-off. Those numbers come from your item list and what you tell us about access at both ends. If the job runs over the estimate, extra time is billed in 15-minute blocks, not whole hours: $30 a block with one removalist, $55 with two, and $75 with the truck.
Worked examples
These use our real rates. The hours are examples to show how the maths works. Your own estimate depends on what you're moving and the access, and we give it to you before you book.
| Job | Crew | Example time | Example price |
|---|---|---|---|
| An armchair or a bedside table you can help carry | One removalist | Short job | from $109 |
| A fridge or a three-seater couch | Two removalists | Short job | from $209 |
| A student room or studio, you help lift | One removalist | 1.5 hours | $156 |
| A small one-bedroom unit | Two removalists | 2.5 hours | $517.50 |
| A two-bedroom house | Quoted upfront | Depends on the item list | from $599 |
Single items
A single item is one of the most common jobs we do. If it's something one person can manage with your help, such as an armchair, a desk or a bedside table, it starts from $109. If it's heavy or awkward and needs two people, such as a fridge, a washing machine or a big couch, it starts from $209. See single item pickups.
A small one-bedroom move
Say it's a ground-floor unit with a bed, a couch, a small dining setting, a fridge, a washing machine and a dozen packed boxes, going across town. Two removalists might take an hour to load, half an hour to drive and an hour to unload. That's 2.5 hours at $207, or $517.50. Put the unit on the second floor with no lift, or the truck 50 metres from the door, and the loading takes longer. That is what changes the price, not a surcharge.
A two-bedroom house
For a whole house, we quote upfront from your item list, starting from $599 for two bedrooms. A full list matters here: a forgotten shed or a spare room full of boxes is the usual reason a house move takes longer than planned. See house moves.
What adds time
- Stairs. Every flight adds carrying time, at one end or both. There's no stairs surcharge, but it goes into the estimate.
- Long carries. Steep driveways, unit complexes where the truck can't park near the door, and narrow side paths all add minutes per item.
- Disassembly. Bed frames, wardrobes and some desks have to come apart to fit through doors, then go back together at the other end.
- Distance. The drive between your two addresses is part of the time. A move within one suburb is quicker than Caloundra to Noosa.
- Not being packed. Loose items, half-packed boxes and drawers still full of clothes slow down every trip to the truck.
- Heavy appliances. Fridges and washing machines are moved upright and strapped, which takes care and usually two people.
Ways to pay less
- Be ready when we arrive. Boxes packed and taped, beds stripped, and everything that's going grouped near the door.
- Help lift if you book one removalist. One removalist at $104 an hour plus you is the cheapest way to move a few pieces. If you can't lift, book two, as one person can't safely carry a fridge or a heavy couch alone.
- Clear the access. Keep the driveway free for the ute or truck, book a lift in a unit block if you can, and tell us about parking before the day.
- Take things apart beforehand if you're handy with an Allen key.
- Book a weekday. Saturdays cost 1.5 times the weekday price.
- Combine a rubbish run. If there's furniture you don't want, we can take it to the tip on the same day instead of you paying for a separate job later. The tip fee is passed on at cost with no markup. See rubbish removal and our tip fees guide.
One removalist or two?
One removalist is right for small jobs where you can be the second pair of hands, and where nothing is too heavy for two people including you. Two removalists cost more per hour but finish much faster, and they're the safe choice for fridges, washing machines, solid timber furniture, stairs, or when you can't lift. If you're not sure, tell us what's moving and we'll recommend the cheaper option that's still safe.
Comparing removalist quotes
Hourly rates on their own don't tell you much, because two quotes at different rates can land on the same total. When you compare, ask every removalist the same questions:
- Is it hourly or a fixed price, and what is the minimum charge?
- How many hours do they expect for your job, broken into loading, driving and unloading?
- Are there fuel fees, booking fees or call-out fees on top of the hourly rate?
- If the job runs over, is extra time charged by the hour, the half hour or in smaller blocks?
- Do you pay a deposit upfront, or on completion?
- What size vehicle are they sending, and is it the right size for your load?
Our answers: hourly with a $109 or $209 minimum, an estimate in three parts before you book, no fuel or booking fees, extra time in 15-minute blocks, and payment on completion. Two-bedroom houses are quoted upfront.
What Sunshine Coast moves usually include
We've done more than 6,300 jobs across the Coast since January 2024. The items that come up most on our bookings are beds and mattresses, dining tables and chairs, fridges, washing machines and dryers, couches and lounges, TVs and boxes. We move them with two utes and an Isuzu truck, so a small job doesn't pay for a truck it doesn't need. See furniture removalists.
Local pages with each suburb's own job numbers: removalists in Buderim, Maroochydore, Caloundra, Kawana and Noosa. We also take moves in Brisbane's north around North Lakes.
Sources
- Pickup Pals prices: our current price card, the source of every rate on this page.
- Pickup Pals job records, January 2024 onward: job count and most common items.
- Sunshine Coast tip fees and transfer station hours (2026), with council figures and links.
- Sunshine Coast Council: Waste and recycling facilities, for tip hours if you plan a rubbish run alongside your move.
Prices checked against our price card on 3 October 2026.
Tell us what's moving and the access at both ends. We'll call back with a time estimate and price.
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