What a move in Dubai costs
Two four-bedroom villas on the same street can be half a day and a whole day apart. Nothing about the floor plan explains it — the difference is what is in the garage, whether the truck can reach the door, and how much has to come apart to get out.
This page is about those things: what actually moves the price, in which direction, and how to find out what yours will be without waiting for somebody to walk round it.
What actually sets the price
Six things do most of the work. The rest is detail, and a bedroom count is not on the list.
In rough order of impact
- Volume — how much there is, not how many bedrooms
- Packing — none, partial, or the whole house
- Access — the lift, the stairs, and where the vehicle can stand
- Furniture work — what has to come apart and go back together
- Distance — between the two properties, and how far out they are
- Specialist items — a piano, artwork, a safe, a full garage
- Crew size and vehicle capacity, which follow from the above
- Timing — a weekend or an out-of-hours office move
- Storage, if the dates do not meet
- Unpacking and setup at the other end
Volume is first and it is the one people estimate worst. A three-bedroom flat that has been lived in for six years is not a three-bedroom flat.
Why there is no price list on this page
Because a price list would be wrong for most of the people reading it, and the ones it was wrong for would find out on moving day.
The honest version: the same two-bedroom apartment is one figure on the third floor with a service lift, and a noticeably higher one on the third floor without one — because the second is hours of carrying rather than minutes of loading. Neither number describes "a two-bedroom move in Dubai".
A published rate solves that by being high enough to cover the bad case, which overcharges everyone in the good case, or low enough to look attractive, which is the quote that changes when the crew arrives. Both are worse than a survey.
What we will do is tell you which side of that line your move sits on, in a five-minute call, before anybody visits.
What moves the number, and which way
The four questions worth answering honestly before you compare any two quotes.
How much is there, really?
Count the store room, the garage and the loft, not the bedrooms. This is the single biggest factor and the one most under-estimated, in both directions.
Is there a service lift?
A lift turns a tower move into a loading job. Stairs turn the same move into a carrying job, which is more crew and more hours.
How far from the door to the vehicle?
On a driveway this is nothing. In a car-free community, a gated estate or a landscaped villa plot it can be most of the labour.
What has to come apart?
A wardrobe that fits through the door travels whole. One that does not is dismantled and rebuilt, which is time at both ends.
The community pages under areas we cover say which of these bites hardest where you live.
All areas we coverWhat a quotation from us contains
And what it does not — so nothing arrives later as an extra.
- The crew, the vehicle, loading, transport and unloading
- Basic furniture handling and protection in transit
- Placement in the room you want it in
- Packing, materials and unpacking — when stated
- Dismantling and reassembly — when stated
- Storage, specialist items, out-of-hours working — when stated
- If it is not written on the quotation, it is not in the price
The full scope of a quotation is described on the get a quote page.
Get a free quoteWhat can change the figure after it is given
Three things, and all three are avoidable at the survey.
A carry nobody mentioned
The lift is out, the gate will not admit a truck, the loading bay is taken. Named in advance it is planned for; found on the day it is hours.
Belongings added afterwards
The garage that was going to be cleared, the storage unit that came too. A truck sized for one load cannot absorb a second one.
Waiting
Building access that was not confirmed leaves a crew standing. That time is the most expensive thing on any moving day and it buys nothing.
Building requirements across the city are collected on the Dubai moving rules page.
Dubai moving rulesHow to get an accurate figure in ten minutes
Walk the house with your phone camera on
Every room, then the store, the garage, the balcony and the garden. Narrate what is staying and what is going. This beats any form.
Stand at your front door and film the way out
Corridor, lift, lobby, and where a vehicle could park. That thirty seconds answers the access half of the quotation.
Say what you want us to pack
Nothing, the fragile things, or all of it. This is the biggest single choice you control, and it is a real fork in the price.
Send it with both addresses and a date
Most quotes come back the same working day. Larger villas and offices get a call to arrange a short visit first.
Questions about moving costs
How much does moving cost in Dubai?
It depends on volume, packing, access, furniture work and distance — in that order. We will tell you where your move sits in a five-minute call rather than quoting a range that will not apply to you.
Why will you not publish prices?
Because the same flat is two different figures with and without a service lift. A published rate is either high enough to overcharge most people or low enough to change on the day.
Why do apartment and villa moves differ so much?
A flat is decided by the lift and the carry. A villa is decided by the garage, the store and the garden — the rooms a bedroom count never mentions.
Does packing add much?
It is the largest thing you control. Full packing is materials and hours; partial packing on just the kitchen and the fragile items is a common middle.
Is the quotation the final price?
It should be, provided the job matches what was described. A long carry nobody mentioned, unconfirmed building access, or extra belongings on the day can change it — and those are named on the quote rather than buried.
Do you charge for the survey?
No. The quotation is free and carries no obligation.
Is a cheaper quote a worse one?
Not necessarily — but check what it includes. A figure without packing, dismantling or a named vehicle size is not comparable to one with them.
Find out what yours costs
Send a walk-through of the property and the way out of it, and you will get a written figure built on your move rather than an average of everyone else’s.
- Call us+971 55 392 8484
- WhatsApp+971 55 392 8484
- Email usinfo@ehousemoveruae.com
- Address14 Al Tawaash Street, Jumeirah 3, Dubai