Melbourne Moving Trends Report 2026
Every year, tens of thousands of Melbourne households pack up and start somewhere new. Most of that movement is invisible in official statistics, which track where people end up living, not how they got there, what day they moved or how long the truck was parked outside.
Melbourne Cheap Movers analysed moving trends across a range of house moves and office moves throughout Melbourne between 1 July 2025 and 30 June 2026.
The figures below provide a realistic benchmark for the suburbs with the most bookings, busiest months and days for moving, typical household size and crew numbers, and the access issues that most often slow a job down.
This report draws on moving activity analysed by Melbourne Cheap Movers, one of the best Melbourne removalists, rather than survey responses or third-party estimates. The figures below reflect patterns identified across a range of residential and office moves throughout Greater Melbourne.
| Rank | Suburb | Number of Moves | % of Total Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richmond | 168 | 3.5% |
| 2 | South Yarra | 154 | 3.2% |
| 3 | St Kilda | 149 | 3.1% |
| 4 | Brunswick | 143 | 2.9% |
| 5 | Carlton | 138 | 2.8% |
| 6 | Footscray | 132 | 2.7% |
| 7 | Preston | 128 | 2.6% |
| 8 | Hawthorn | 124 | 2.6% |
| 9 | Fitzroy | 119 | 2.4% |
| 10 | Docklands | 114 | 2.3% |
| 11 | Melbourne CBD | 112 | 2.3% |
| 12 | Northcote | 108 | 2.2% |
| 13 | Coburg | 104 | 2.1% |
| 14 | Glen Waverley | 101 | 2.1% |
| 15 | Essendon | 98 | 2.0% |
| 16 | Point Cook | 95 | 2.0% |
| 17 | Craigieburn | 92 | 1.9% |
| 18 | Tarneit | 89 | 1.8% |
| 19 | Bentleigh | 86 | 1.8% |
| 20 | Box Hill | 83 | 1.7% |
The top 20 suburbs accounted for approximately 48% of all jobs in the dataset, with the remaining bookings spread across Greater Melbourne.
Moving activity is not evenly distributed throughout the year. In the dataset, December and November were the busiest months, while June recorded the lowest volume.
December recorded approximately 58% more moves than June, suggesting a noticeable seasonal uplift around the end of the year.
| Rank | Month | Number of Moves |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | December | 509 |
| 2 | November | 462 |
| 3 | January | 460 |
Across all months:
Most common moving day: Friday accounted for approximately 18.9% of bookings, ahead of Saturday at approximately 17.6%.
Day-of-week split:
Tuesday was the least common moving day in the sample.
The typical customer in the dataset moved approximately a two- to three-bedroom household, booked an average of 2.3 movers, and completed the move in approximately 4.8 hours from arrival to final delivery.
Household size has a significant effect on crew requirements and total job duration.
| Property Size | Average Movers Assigned | Average Job Duration |
|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1 bedroom | 2.0 | 2.9 hours |
| 2 bedroom | 2.1 | 4.0 hours |
| 3 bedroom | 2.4 | 5.4 hours |
| 4+ bedroom | 3.0 | 7.2 hours |
A straightforward one-bedroom apartment can often be handled efficiently by two movers, while larger three and four-bedroom homes are more likely to require additional crew members and longer booking windows.
Approximately 58% of residential moves analysed were house moves, while around 42% involved an apartment or unit. Office moves are also included in the broader analysis but are not part of this residential property-type split.
The split varied considerably by location.
Inner-city and inner-north suburbs such as Carlton, Fitzroy, South Yarra and Docklands had a higher proportion of apartment and unit moves, while outer suburbs including Craigieburn, Point Cook and Tarneit had a greater concentration of house moves.
Approximately 37% of apartment moves in the dataset involved at least one notable access complication.
The most common issue was stairs without suitable lift access, followed closely by restricted parking or a long carrying distance between the truck and the property.
| Access Issue | % of Affected Jobs |
|---|---|
| Stairs with no suitable lift | 34% |
| No dedicated parking / long carry | 28% |
| Lift too small for large furniture | 17% |
| Narrow doorways or tight corners | 12% |
| Building access restrictions / loading dock rules | 9% |
Jobs involving a recorded access complication took approximately 24% longer on average than straightforward jobs.
They were also approximately 1.6 times more likely to require an additional mover.
For example, a standard apartment move taking around four hours could increase to approximately five hours where stairs, lift delays, restricted parking or long carries were involved.
Some suburbs tend to create longer jobs because of parking, apartment density, loading restrictions and property access.
For the dataset, suburbs were included only where there were at least 20 completed moves to reduce small-sample distortion.
| Rank | Suburb | Average Job Duration | Likely Driver |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne CBD | 6.3 hours | Parking restrictions, loading zones and apartment access |
| 2 | Docklands | 6.0 hours | High-rise buildings, lifts and loading dock requirements |
| 3 | South Yarra | 5.8 hours | Apartment density, restricted parking and tight access |
By comparison, straightforward suburban house moves in areas with driveway or kerbside truck access were typically closer to the overall 4.8-hour average.
Several useful patterns emerge from the data.
If flexibility allows, avoiding Friday and Saturday may provide greater booking availability. Moving outside the November-to-January peak period can also make it easier to secure preferred dates.
Property access is just as important as property size. Customers moving from apartments should check lift dimensions, loading-zone availability, building booking requirements and the distance between the property and the nearest legal truck parking location before moving day.
Where stairs, long carries or restrictive lifts are involved, allowing approximately 20–25% more time than a comparable straightforward move provides a more realistic estimate.
For larger homes, booking three movers rather than two may also reduce the total elapsed moving time.
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