Modest Money Maps

True Cost of a Move

Is moving to a new city worth the cost?

Enter your costs and we'll show how many months until the move pays for itself.

Your numbers

Grand Rapids, MI to Mobile, AL

This move pays for itself in 10 months.

  • You save about $500 every month.
  • The move costs about $5,000 upfront.
  • Break-even: May 2027.

What this means

If these numbers feel realistic, this is a fast payback. Your next step is replacing the estimates with real quotes.

Show the breakdown
Now/mo$3,500
After/mo$3,000
Monthly savings$500
One-time cost$5,000
Months to break even10
How we calculated this

Monthly savings equals your current monthly cost minus your expected monthly cost after moving, plus any monthly income change. If monthly savings is above zero, months to break even equals the one-time moving cost divided by monthly savings, rounded up to the next whole month.

See the sources

Source

Fuel price

What it estimates
U.S. Regular Gasoline weekly price, release dated June 9, 2026 for the week of June 8, 2026.
Source
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Last checked
2026-06-09
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Source

Electricity context

What it estimates
U.S. Total residential average price from Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A, March 2026 preliminary data.
Source
U.S. Energy Information Administration
Last checked
2026-06-09
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Source

Housing context

What it estimates
HUD FY2026 Fair Market Rent documentation is used as context only; user-entered rent or P&I controls the math.
Source
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Last checked
2026-06-09
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Source

Per-mile cross-check

What it estimates
IRS standard mileage rates page is shown only as an alternate per-mile context, not used in dashboard math.
Source
Internal Revenue Service
Last checked
2026-06-09
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Rough estimate

Truck and movers

What it estimates
Round planning figure for rental truck or mover cash until the user has a quote. Not presented as a receipt.
Source
Modest Money Maps estimate set
Last checked
2026-06-09
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Assumption

Loaded truck MPG

What it estimates
Editable loaded-truck fuel economy assumption used with EIA gas price and distance.
Source
Modest Money Maps assumption set
Last checked
2026-06-09
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Assumptions
  • This is a cash break-even check, not a full budget or tax plan.
  • Your expected monthly cost should include the recurring bills you can reasonably estimate.
  • One-time moving cost should include deposits, setup costs, travel, truck, movers, and gas.
  • Sources are context only until you replace estimates with your own quotes or bills.