If you are planning a piano move, one of your first questions is probably simple: How much is it going to cost? For a straightforward local move within approximately 30 miles of Washington, DC, GrandGuard Piano Services currently starts at $395 for an upright piano and $495 for a grand piano. Stairs, distance, difficult access, oversized instruments, building requirements, and other complications may increase the final price.

Somewhere between deciding to move and booking the truck, everyone with a piano asks the same question — and gets the same useless answer: it depends. Here's what shipping a piano across the country actually costs in 2026, what moves the number, and how to read a quote so you're not comparing two different jobs wearing the same name.