Instant Moving Quote
See Your Montreal Moving Estimate in 60 Seconds, Before You Share a Single Piece of Contact Info
A Montreal moving calculator that shows you an itemized estimate before asking for your name, phone, or email.
Section 01 / Transparency
Why CNS Shows the Estimate Before Asking Who You Are
The CNS calculator starts with the move, not with you. It asks for the two addresses, the move date, the size of the home, the number of boxes, the floor and elevator at each address, and any heavy items such as a piano or a safe. It does not ask for your name, phone number, or email address before it shows a result.
What the Calculator Asks For
From those answers the calculator applies the CNS rate card: the crew size for your home, labour hours for loading and unloading, time for stairs where there is no elevator, transport time between the addresses, and the hourly rate for the date you picked. Long-distance moves add a per-kilometre distance fee. The result is an itemized estimate in about 60 seconds.
What You See on Screen
On screen you see each line: labour, transport, distance where it applies, GST and QST, and the total, with a range around it. The rates behind those lines are the same rates we publish on our moving prices page. Nothing is held back for a phone call.
You see the number first. Your contact details come later, and only if you choose to share them.
What Happens Next
If the estimate works for you, you add your contact details and a CNS team member follows up to confirm the details and send a written, itemized estimate. If it does not, you close the page and nobody calls you.
How to Use the Number
Use the number however it helps you: as a starting point for planning the cost of your move, as a way to test a different date or a smaller load, and as a reference when you read other quotes. Whether you book with CNS or not, you start your search with a figure in hand.
Section 02 / How It Works
How CNS Logistics Calculates Your Moving Estimate (Without Asking Who You Are First)
The CNS instant moving estimate is built around a three-step form. The first step asks for your origin and destination addresses: that is how the calculator knows whether your move is local within Greater Montreal or long-distance to somewhere else in Canada. The second step asks for your move date and the size of your home: a 1½, a 3½, a 4½, a 5½, a townhouse, a small house, a large house. Nothing about you. Nothing about who is paying. Just the move itself.
Step Three: Access Details
The third step covers access details — what floor you are on at each address, whether there is an elevator, the number of boxes you expect to have, and any heavy or specialty items like a piano, a safe, a pool table, an aquarium, or something over 250 pounds. Those questions exist because they affect how long the move actually takes and which truck and crew are right for the job. They do not exist to qualify you as a sales lead. The whole form is engineered to gather enough information to produce a real estimate, then stop.
What the Itemized Estimate Shows
When you press “Calculate my estimate,” the calculator returns an itemized estimate with several lines. The first line is labour: crew size and hours, calculated from the size of your home and the access conditions at every address. If your move covers 35 km or more (a long-distance move, or a longer trip within Greater Montreal), a second line shows the per-kilometre distance charge. A third line flags any specialty items so a CNS team member can confirm them after the fact. Then come the Quebec sales taxes (GST at 5%, QST at 9.975%) and finally the total.
The Same Rules Dispatch Uses
Every line on that screen mirrors the way our crews actually bill in the field. The hourly rate, the distance methodology, the seasonal adjustments — these are not numbers a marketing team made up to look attractive. They are the same rules dispatch uses to assign trucks and the same rules accounting uses to invoice a finished job. We show them because we believe transparency is the right business model, not because regulation requires it.
The whole form is engineered to gather enough information to produce a real estimate, then stop.
What Happens After You See the Number
Once you see your number, you decide what to do next. There is no auto-redirect, no countdown timer, no “your quote will expire in five minutes” pressure tactic. If the estimate works for you, you can submit your contact details. A CNS team member confirms the estimate in writing, typically within minutes during business hours, and an automatic email summary lands in your inbox almost immediately. If the estimate does not work for you, you can close the tab and never hear from us, which we consider a fair outcome.
What You Will Never See
What you will never see in the CNS estimate is a hidden fee, a fuel surcharge that appears on move day, an inflated weekend multiplier you were not told about, or a “minimum service charge” that quietly doubles your final bill. We disclose every adjustable variable up front: home size, access, season, and distance. If something in your move changes between the estimate and move day — a different elevator window, an extra stop — we tell you immediately and you approve the change in writing before the crew acts on it.
Section 03 / Method
What Makes the CNS Logistics Calculator Accurate
A moving cost calculator is as accurate as the rules it bakes in, and not a single line more. Generic North American calculators built for a national audience tend to fail in Montreal because they ignore three things that actually matter here: where exactly Greater Montreal ends, when the seasonal demand spikes hit, and how Quebec taxes work. The CNS calculator was designed from day one for the Montreal market, which is why it produces numbers that match what our crews actually bill — instead of theoretical averages that fall apart in practice.
First: Geography
The first thing the calculator knows is geography. It distinguishes between moves inside Greater Montreal, where a transparent per-kilometre charge appears as its own line from 35 km between addresses, and moves anywhere outside, where transport time and distance become real costs. That matters because almost every other calculator either treats Montreal as a single point and adds distance to everything, or treats every Quebec move as the same and undercounts long-distance. Our boundary logic was built from years of dispatch routing data, so the line falls where it actually falls.
Second: Seasonal Rhythm
The second thing the calculator knows is the rhythm of the Montreal moving year. Late spring and early summer are the busiest months — leases roll over, students relocate, and Quebec’s traditional moving day on July 1 funnels demand into a single week. The calculator recognises that window and reflects it in the price, the same way airline tickets cost more in December and patio dinners cost more in July. We do not hide the seasonal adjustment behind vague language. The calculator is honest about which rate applies to your date.
A moving cost calculator is as accurate as the rules it bakes in, and not a single line more.
Third: Operational Reality
The third thing the calculator knows is operational reality. Bigger trucks need a Class 3 driver, which costs more per hour. Stairs slow a crew down, so they affect labour hours. Long-distance moves require an empty truck to either drive to your origin or return after delivery, and that time has to be billed somewhere. The calculator models all of this transparently, so a 3½ apartment on the second floor with elevator access in March produces a different number than the same apartment up four flights of stairs in late June — exactly as it should.
Underlying Everything: One Set of Rules
Underlying everything is one set of rules. The calculator applies the same published rate card and the same labour rules our crews bill from: crew size, hours, access, distance and the date. When we change a rule, it goes through the automated test suite that guards the pricing engine before it reaches the calculator. The calculator is also available 24/7 in both French and English.
Section 04 / Scope
Local Montreal Moves vs Long-Distance Moves: Why It Matters for Your Estimate
The CNS calculator prices two kinds of moves, local and long-distance, and shows you up front which one you are looking at. If every address on the job is inside Greater Montreal, the calculator builds a local estimate. If any address falls outside that boundary, or if the route crosses into another province, the calculator switches to long-distance mode and the math changes accordingly.
Local: Labour and Quebec Taxes
For local moves, your estimate covers labour, transport and applicable sales taxes, with no bridge surcharge. From 35 km, even within Greater Montreal, a per-kilometre distance charge applies, shown as its own line before you book. Every dollar on the estimate has a labelled line, so you can compare it line by line.
Long-Distance: Itemized Travel
For long-distance moves (Montreal to Toronto, Ottawa, Quebec City or Halifax, for example), the estimate includes labour at both ends, the drive between the cities, a per-kilometre distance fee, and the GST and QST lines. Each is shown as its own line, so you see what the truck’s travel costs before you book.
If every address on the job is inside Greater Montreal, the calculator builds a local estimate.
Long-Distance on the Same Screen
The calculator estimates long-distance the same way it estimates local: itemized and on screen in about a minute. You can plan a Toronto move from a dining table in NDG or a Halifax move from a kitchen in Vaudreuil. Moves to Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia, including Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver, are quoted after an in-home consultation: call (514) 416-9610.
Real-Time Decision Support
The other practical advantage of seeing local versus long-distance pricing in real time is decision support. People often ask whether it is worth hiring movers for a small move two boroughs over, or whether long-distance is dramatically more expensive than they expect. The calculator answers both questions immediately. You stop guessing. You can tell at a glance what the trade-off looks like, and you can plan moves and finances with real numbers in front of you instead of internet rumour.
Section 05 / Time and Privacy
How Long the CNS Estimate Takes, and What It Asks You to Share
Getting an estimate from CNS takes one sitting. You answer the calculator’s questions about your two addresses, your date, your home, and your access, and the itemized estimate appears on the same screen. There is no callback to wait for and no appointment to book before you see a number.
The Time It Takes
It takes about 60 seconds for most local moves, a little longer if you add a stop or several heavy items. To see how a different date or a smaller load changes the price, you change the answer and the estimate updates. Comparing three dates takes a few minutes.
What You Share, and When
You share nothing to see the estimate. The calculator does not ask for your name, email, or phone number until the result is on screen and you decide you want CNS to follow up. If you decide not to, you leave with the number and we have no way to contact you.
One goal, knowing what the move costs, reached in about a minute and on your terms.
Deciding at Your Own Pace
Because the estimate is on screen before any conversation, you decide at your own pace. You can read each line, check it against our published rate card, and come back later. When you do reach out, the conversation starts from a number you have already seen.
What Happens When You Book
If you decide to book, you submit your contact details from the calculator and the CNS team receives everything you entered: addresses, date, home size, access, heavy items, and the estimate itself. Nobody asks you the same questions twice. A written, itemized estimate typically follows within minutes during business hours, and an automatic email summary reaches your inbox right away, so you have a written record either way.
Section 06 / What You Get
What’s Included in Your CNS Logistics Moving Estimate
Every CNS estimate shows the same line items, in the same order, every single time. Labour comes first: that is the cost of the crew on site, calculated from crew size and the hours we expect the move to take. Distance fees come next, when they apply. Specialty items like a piano, safe, pool table, aquarium, or anything heavy enough to need extra equipment are flagged on the line below; those carry no item fee and are priced by the calculator itself: nothing extra when both addresses are at ground level, then $75 a flight for an upright piano, $150 for a grand, and $75 or $150 for another heavy item depending on its weight (200 to 400 lb, or over 400 lb), counting the floors at both addresses together. Your household goods' stairs are priced in time, inside the labour line, while this line covers the heavy item's access.
Quebec Taxes: GST and QST
The next two lines are taxes: GST at 5% and QST at 9.975%, calculated on the pre-tax subtotal. Both appear as their own lines on the estimate.
Stairs: Priced as Time, by Unit Size
Stairs are handled with a clear policy: they are never a surcharge, they add time. Each floor without an elevator adds labour time at every address, more for a larger home. Ground floor (or 6 steps or fewer) and floors served by an elevator add nothing, so the calculator prices the walk-up you actually have.
Every CNS estimate shows the same line items, in the same order, every single time.
What’s Not Included by Default
What is not included by default, but can be added if you ask, falls into a few categories. Packing materials are sold separately at cost. Full-pack and partial-pack services exist as add-ons. Storage is available before, during, or after a move, at $89, $159 or $259 a month depending on the unit. Specialty handling for fine art, wine collections, or laboratory equipment is also separate. The instant calculator covers the standard residential and commercial move; anything beyond that is layered on transparently after the initial quote.
Section 07 / Use Cases
When to Use the CNS Logistics Instant Quote Calculator
The most common reason people use the calculator is simple curiosity — they have a move in mind two or three months out, they want to know the ballpark, and they would rather not start a phone call to find out. The calculator is built for exactly that. Plug in the addresses, the date, and the size of the home, and you have a defensible number to plan around. No follow-up calls, no salesperson trying to close you on a date that is not quite right.
Comparison Shopping
The second common reason is comparison shopping. Run the CNS calculator and keep the itemized output: labour, transport, distance where it applies, specialty items and taxes. With those lines in hand, you can ask any mover to quote the same scope and compare line by line.
Last-Minute Moves
The third reason is last-minute moves. When something forces a sudden relocation — a closed deal, a job offer, an unexpected lease termination — you do not have days to chase quotes. You need a number now. The CNS calculator was built to handle that case. Local last-minute availability depends on the calendar, of course, but the price you would pay is on screen in under a minute, and if a CNS team is available you can have a confirmed booking later the same day.
The most common reason people use the calculator is simple curiosity.
Long-Distance Planning
The fourth reason is long-distance planning. Whether you are moving to Ottawa, Kingston, Hamilton, Toronto, Quebec City, Sherbrooke, Halifax or Moncton, the calculator returns an itemized number with the driving time and the per-kilometre distance shown. Moves to Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia are quoted after an in-home consultation.
July 1 in Quebec
The fifth reason is July 1. The CNS calculator estimates July 1 the same way it estimates any other day: itemized, with the moving-week rate (June 24 to July 1) built in. If you are moving on July 1, knowing the number a month or two ahead helps you plan.
Section 08 / FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions About the CNS Instant Moving Quote
Ten honest answers about the calculator, the data behind it, and what happens after you submit.
Is the CNS Logistics Instant Estimate Actually Accurate?+
Do I Have to Give My Contact Info to See an Estimate?+
Does the Calculator Handle Long-Distance Moves?+
What if My Move Has Unusual Circumstances?+
Why Is the Estimate a Range and Not a Single Number?+
How Fast Will I Get a Written, Itemized Estimate After Submitting?+
Is the Calculator Available in French?+
What if I Need to Move on July 1?+
Do You Charge Extra for Stairs?+
Does the Estimate Include Taxes?+
Ready? Get Your Instant Estimate
See Your Moving Estimate Now
60 seconds. No contact info needed to see your estimate.
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Where Are You Moving?
Prefer a fixed price? Firmio, the video quote.
Guaranteed move: for a move we pack that starts in Quebec, for a customer who lives in Quebec, ending in Quebec or Ontario, the price is fixed in the contract (clause 2).
Email summary sent automatically. Written, itemized estimate within 24 business hours.
Keep Reading
Related CNS Logistics Pages
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Or read more: our long-distance service, why CNS, the Montreal moving guide — every link below is a way deeper into the data behind the calculator.