From the freight elevator to the garage door
In Phoenix, 60% of homes are detached houses; in Chicago the share is 26%. If you are leaving a multi-unit building, your belongings will probably land somewhere with a driveway, a garage and a front door that a truck can sit near. The crew, the hours and the equipment will not be the same at the two ends, so plan for each one separately.
At the Chicago end. In Chicago, 43% of homes are in buildings with five or more units; in Phoenix the share is 26%. If you live in one of those buildings, ask management early for the move-out rules:
- whether the freight elevator has to be reserved, and for how long
- whether a loading dock or a street permit is needed
- whether a certificate of insurance is required
- what hours moving is allowed
Mention all of it during the mover's survey. A long carry or a shared elevator changes how long a job takes, and therefore the price.
At the Phoenix end. The questions change. Is there a sloped driveway, a gate, a narrow street, or a home-owners' association with truck rules? A house with stairs inside can be harder on a crew than an elevator building, so tell your mover how many floors the new place has.
Rent, home values and the lease calendar
The overall price level is close: 104 for the Chicago area and 103 for the Phoenix area on the federal price index for 2024 (U.S. = 100). Housing is where the two cities differ.
- Buying. The median home in Phoenix is valued at $381,900, which is 21% more than the $315,200 recorded for Chicago. If you are selling in Chicago to buy in Phoenix, expect either to bring more money to the table or to look at a smaller home than you had in mind. Leave time between the sale and the purchase rather than squeezing both into one week. A gap of a few weeks may mean a short-term rental, with your belongings in storage while you search.
- Renting. Median rent is $1,458 a month in Phoenix and $1,380 in Chicago, a difference of about 6%. That gap is modest. The lease calendar matters more. Find out the notice period on your Chicago lease and whether you can end it early, then line that date up with the day your Phoenix lease starts so you are not paying for two homes. If you plan to rent before buying, a short first lease lets you learn the area before you commit to one.
Where to land in the Phoenix Valley
Phoenix covers more than 500 square miles, with 1,624,832 residents against Chicago's 2,707,648. Choosing the area matters as much as choosing the home. A quick orientation:
- Downtown Phoenix and Midtown: urban and walkable by Phoenix standards, near light rail, the arts district and major employers. The closest match to city energy without Chicago density.
- Arcadia: citrus tree-lined streets and ranch-style homes, between Scottsdale and downtown.
- Tempe: home to Arizona State University, with a strong restaurant and nightlife scene and good transit access. Suited to renting.
- Chandler and Gilbert: suburbs in the Southeast Valley with highly rated schools, newer construction, and tech-sector employment nearby, including Intel.
- North Scottsdale: upscale and resort-adjacent, with luxury homes and high-end dining.
- Peoria and Glendale: the West Valley, with more affordable home prices, good schools and a quieter pace, if the East Valley is out of reach.
Phoenix is a grid city built around cars. Highways are wide and fast, and pedestrian infrastructure is limited outside the urban cores. Traffic patterns differ from Chicago's, so give yourself time to learn the layout. Movers in Phoenix can tell you about access, parking permits and building requirements in the area you pick.
Deciding what comes along
Furniture sized for a one-bedroom can look small in a larger living room. A house with a garage and a yard also calls for a mower, tools and patio furniture that you may not own yet. Before you pack, walk through the Phoenix rooms with a tape measure and decide what comes and what stays. Items you plan to replace do not need a place on the inventory, so sell or donate the heavy, low-value pieces in Chicago and keep the moving budget for what you will use.
Estimates, valuation and the federal rules for Illinois to Arizona
Because Illinois and Arizona are different states, federal rules (the FMCSA, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) apply. They shape what to ask each company.
The survey and the estimate. Ask each company for a survey, in person or by video, and for a written estimate that names its type. A price offered without anyone looking at your home is a red flag. Tell each company about the elevator or dock at the Chicago end and the driveway or stairs in Phoenix, so the quotes can be compared fairly.
- A binding estimate means you pay that amount at delivery, plus services added after signing, plus up to 15% for impracticable operations.
- A non-binding estimate is based on actual weight. The mover must release your goods once you pay 110% of the estimate at delivery, and any remaining balance is billed after 30 days from delivery.
- A not-to-exceed price is a common form of binding estimate, and a sound one to ask for.
Valuation. Full Value Protection applies automatically: the mover must repair, replace or pay the replacement value of damaged goods. Released Value, at 60 cents per pound per article, applies only if you sign a written waiver choosing it. At that rate a damaged flatscreen or an antique would not come close to being replaced. Valuation is the mover's liability level, not insurance.
The paperwork. You should receive the bill of lading at least 3 days before loading, and you can cancel within those 3 days. Never sign a blank document. If something is damaged, file the claim in writing within 9 months of delivery.
Checking the company.
- Look up its USDOT number at safer.fmcsa.dot.gov.
- On the FMCSA search, check that it is listed as a Motor Carrier of Household Goods. A Broker of Household Goods hands your move to someone else.
- Ask for the valuation options and the delivery terms in writing before you sign.
- Read reviews for comments on long-distance deliveries, not only local jobs.
- Ask whether your shipment rides on a dedicated truck or in a consolidated load, since that affects the delivery window.
To start comparing, see movers in Chicago for pickup, browse all movers listings, or browse by state if you are still weighing destinations.
Our team has 35+ years of hands-on service-provider experience, including an operator who ran a moving company for 18 years.
Two seasons, two sets of risk
Chicago's winters are cold and harsh, with major snowstorms, and its summers are humid. If you are loading between December and March, build in contingency dates in case a storm delays the truck, ask how the mover handles ice at the building entrance, and get the mover's weather delay policy in writing.
Phoenix has the opposite problem. Summers are extremely hot and dry, routinely above 110 degrees Fahrenheit from June to September, and winters are mild and sunny. A summer delivery means unloading in that heat:
- Ask whether the crew can start early, between 6 and 8 a.m., and plan for shorter working windows.
- Keep water and electrolytes on hand, because heat-related illness is a risk during a move.
- Be careful with anything that suffers from heat: candles, electronics, plants, some musical instruments and wine.
- Wildfire smoke can drift into the Valley during summer and affect air quality for days. Keep that in mind if anyone in your household has respiratory sensitivities.
- If you are driving your own car, have its air conditioning serviced before the trip. Phoenix heat is hard on engines and coolant systems that were not built with desert summers in mind.
October through April is the milder window at the Phoenix end, though it will not suit every schedule, and it overlaps with Chicago's winter at the loading end.
Questions that come up on this route
How long after pickup in Chicago will my things arrive in Phoenix?
No law sets a number of days. The delivery date or window is whatever is agreed and written on the bill of lading, and the mover must give you 24 hours' notice and tell you as soon as it knows of a delay. On this route the window is often 3 to 7 business days after pickup, depending on whether you have a dedicated truck or a shared load.
What changes in my state income tax going from Illinois to Arizona?
Illinois has a flat income tax rate of 4.95%; Arizona's is 2.5%. On a household income of $100,000 that is roughly $2,450 more kept each year, and Phoenix adds no city income tax on top of the state rate. Median household income is $77,041 in Phoenix and $75,134 in Chicago.
Which Arizona deadlines apply to my driver license and car?
Arizona sets its own deadlines for a new license, vehicle registration and emissions testing in Maricopa County, which is where Phoenix sits. Check them with the Arizona motor vehicle office before you move.
What if the Phoenix house is not ready when the truck gets there?
Ask movers about storage in transit. It keeps your inventory sorted while you finish a purchase or wait for a lease start.
What happens if a haboob hits on delivery day?
Haboobs are sudden, massive summer dust storms that can cut visibility to near zero within minutes. Watch weather apps on moving day and have a plan to secure the open truck doors quickly. Because the storms come during the monsoon season, July to September, ask your mover for a weather contingency plan if you deliver in those months.