In short
- Two movers with a truck: $129–$150 an hour from three Ottawa firms' own rate cards, $119–$179 on a fourth.
- Three movers with a truck: $175–$195 an hour on three cards, $179–$219 on a fourth.
- Minimums run from 2 to 5 hours, and most cards add one travel hour.
- Labour-only help with no truck starts at $119 an hour for two at one firm.
- One company measured 64 local Ottawa moves: middle total $683, billed 3.13 hours with a crew of 2.
Typical prices in Ottawa
| Job | Typical range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2 movers, labour only, no truck | from $119/h | OttawaBestMovers.ca; Move-Ottawa Movers lists $140/h with a 4 h minimum |
| 2 movers + 20 ft truck | from $129/h | OttawaBestMovers.ca, up to two-bedroom apartments |
| 2 movers + 17 ft truck | $150/h | Move-Ottawa Movers and Men In Trucks Moving list $150/h for two movers |
| 3 movers + truck | $175–$195/h | OttawaBestMovers.ca $175 (26 ft), Move-Ottawa $175–$185, Men In Trucks $195 |
| 4 movers + truck | $245/h | Men In Trucks Moving; 5 movers $325/h |
| 2 movers + truck, last-minute page | $119–$179/h | Cactus Moving, 2 h minimum plus a one-time operations fee |
| Packers | $79–$140/h | Cactus $79 per packer; Move-Ottawa $140 for two; OttawaBestMovers.ca $119 for two |
Sources. All seen 29.10.2026: OttawaBestMovers.ca, Prices; Move-Ottawa Movers, Our Prices; Men In Trucks Moving, Kanata movers, Nepean movers and Westboro movers; Cactus Moving, Last minute movers in Ottawa; First Rate Movers, Local moving. Contract rules: Ontario, Hiring a mover. Rates before HST. Each belongs to the firm that prints it.
Four rate cards, one question
Ottawa moving companies sell time. A crew and a truck work by the hour, and the bill is the rate times the hours plus a fixed travel charge. The rates below come from four Ottawa company pages opened on 29 October 2026. Each firm prints its own numbers; read them as a picture of how the market prices.
| Crew | OttawaBestMovers.ca | Move-Ottawa Movers | Men In Trucks Moving |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 movers, no truck | from $119 | $140 | n/a |
| 2 movers + truck | $129 (20 ft), $139 (26 ft) | $150 (17 ft) | $150 (26 ft) |
| 3 movers + truck | $175 (26 ft) | $175 (20 ft), $185 (24 ft) | $195 |
| 4 movers + truck | n/a | n/a | $245 |
What sits behind the rate
The crew size is the biggest lever. OttawaBestMovers.ca pairs two movers with a 20 ft truck for homes up to two bedrooms, two movers with a 26 ft truck for 2–3 bedrooms and three movers with a 26 ft truck for 3–4 bedrooms. Move-Ottawa Movers pairs two movers with a 17 ft truck for 1–2 bedrooms and three with a 24 ft truck for a 3–4 bedroom house. The company that calls you decides after hearing about your home. For the fuller picture of totals, see moving cost in Ottawa.
Labour-only rates cover people without a truck. They suit a rented truck, a portable container or a trailer. The crew brings no equipment, so you supply dollies and blankets. Read moving help for that service.
Packers bill at the regular rate on two Ottawa pages, materials extra. See packing services.
Minimums and the travel hour
A minimum protects the crew’s day. OttawaBestMovers.ca prints a 3-hour minimum on its labour-only and packing rates, which is 2 hours of work plus 1 hour of travel, and adds one hour of travel to local moves. Move-Ottawa Movers sets 3.5 hours for the 17 ft truck crew and 5 hours for the larger crews, and 4–5 hours on its labour-only rates. Men In Trucks Moving sets 3 hours on its Nepean and Westboro pages and adds a one-hour travel fee. Cactus Moving sets 2 hours.
One hour of travel appears on three of the four cards. OttawaBestMovers.ca describes it as covering fuel, mileage and the crew’s wages on the trip to the loading and unloading addresses. Cactus Moving says it adds no travel time, mileage or insurance charge within Ottawa. Compare totals when you line these up.
A worked comparison
Take a 2-bedroom apartment on the first floor. Move-Ottawa Movers lists 5–6 hours for loading and unloading. At $150 an hour plus one travel hour that is 6–7 hours, so $900–$1,050 before HST. A crew of three at $175 costs the same $900–$1,050 if it bills about 5.1 to 6 hours, which means loading and unloading in roughly 4.1 to 5 hours plus the travel hour. Below that, the bigger crew is cheaper. The arithmetic is ours, built on the published rates and times, and a real move depends on access.
For a measured number, Cactus Moving reports 64 local Ottawa moves up to 1 September 2026: the middle move came to $683 with tax in, billed 3.13 hours with a crew of 2. The middle half fell between $446 and $1,067.
Peak dates move the rate
Move-Ottawa Movers names weekends, month-end and pre-long-weekend Fridays as times its rates may rise, and Men In Trucks Moving adds May to September to its peak list. The page we opened at Move-Ottawa also showed a summer special for July and August: $149 an hour, 2.5-hour minimum. Pick your date with moving calendar.
Extras and the contract
Card payments carry a 3.5% surcharge at Move-Ottawa Movers, and stairs add $30 per flight of 7. The local moving page explains such lines. Ontario’s 10% cap on the written estimate is set out on moving contracts in Ontario. Use the quote checklist when quotes differ in structure.
Whose rate you get
The request goes to one independent mover. Its card may differ from the four above, and the company states its own rate when it calls.
Questions to ask the company
- Is your quote for the crew size and truck you expect on my day, or a starting rate?
- What is the minimum, and does it include the travel hour?
- Do the dollies, blankets, straps and floor runners come with the rate?
- Does the rate change for a weekend, month-end or a Friday before a long weekend?
- What is your surcharge for paying by card?
Have this ready for the call
- Home size and floor at both addresses, so the company can pick crew size.
- The three or four heaviest pieces, with sizes.
- Say if the crew should pack or only carry.
- Your date, plus one flexible weekday.
- A quote from a second company, written down on the same base: crew, truck, minimum, travel.
Questions people ask
What is the cheapest hourly rate for movers in Ottawa?
Among the pages we opened, labour-only help for two movers starts at $119 an hour at OttawaBestMovers.ca, and the cheapest crew with a truck starts at $129 an hour. A low rate comes with a minimum, a travel hour and sometimes a surcharge, so compare the total.
Why does the rate go up with each extra mover?
Each mover is wages on the clock. Move-Ottawa Movers steps from $150 an hour for two movers to $175 for three, and Men In Trucks Moving from $150 to $195 to $245 for four. A bigger crew finishes sooner, which can cost the same or less overall.
Do movers charge less on weekdays?
Weekdays dodge the peaks the cards list. Move-Ottawa Movers flags weekends, month-end and the Friday before a long weekend, and OttawaBestMovers.ca treats the 5th through the 25th as its special-price window. A mid-month weekday clears all of them.
What does a card payment cost?
Move-Ottawa Movers adds 3.5% for credit cards and accepts cash, e-transfer, money orders and certified cheques without it. Ask each company how it takes payment.
Is HST included in the hourly rate?
The Ottawa price pages we opened state rates before HST, and First Rate Movers prints its example as $1,050 plus tax. Ask whether a quote is before or after tax.
