The short answer

Two ways to price it, and you take the lower one.

By volume: quarter load $241, three-eighths $338, half $431, five-eighths $513, three-quarters $587, seven-eighths $661, full $732.

By item: every piece has a flat rate. A studio that is really just a bed, a couch and a dresser is cheaper counted piece by piece.

Typical Portland outcomes: a downtown or Pearl District studio lands around a quarter load or below. A one-bedroom in a Buckman or Kerns fourplex is a quarter to three-eighths. A two-bedroom off Division or in Hollywood is usually a half. Visit minimum is $75.

Why the building type matters more than the square footage

Portland apartment stock splits into three very different buildings, and the access differs wildly even when the unit size does not.

  • The old eastside fourplex. Buckman, Kerns, Sunnyside, lower Alberta. Converted or purpose-built around 1910-1925. No elevator, narrow original stair, often a back stair that is narrower still, and a shared entry you cannot prop open for long. Everything comes down on shoulders.
  • The mid-century and 1970s walk-up. Scattered through Hollywood, Rose City Park, Montavilla, out toward Gresham. Two or three storys, exterior stairs, and — importantly here — those exterior stairs are wet and sometimes mossy from October through June.
  • The newer mid-rise. Pearl, Lloyd, South Waterfront, the Division and Williams infill. Elevator, but also a loading dock, a service elevator you have to reserve, and a building manager who wants a certificate of insurance and a booked window.

None of that changes the price. All of it changes what you should tell us when booking.

Worked examples

Item pricing, with the addition shown so you can check it:

Pearl District studio

  • Queen mattress + box spring set $143
  • Bed frame, standard $68
  • Loveseat $119
  • Coffee table $67
  • Desk, standard $83

Total: $480. A quarter load at $241 would be cheaper here if it all genuinely fits in a quarter truck — and for a studio's worth of furniture it usually does. Take the $241.

Buckman one-bedroom

  • Sofa $126
  • Queen set $143
  • Dresser, standard $126
  • Dining table 2-4 seat $103
  • Two dining chairs $45 + $45 = $90

Total: $588. Against a half load at $431, take the half load.

Hollywood two-bedroom, mostly boxes

A unit that is largely bagged and boxed rather than furnished: 20 bags of debris is $259, 30 bags is $385. Compare that to a half load at $431 and pick whichever matches what is actually on the floor.

The Portland move-out calendar

Leases here turn over hard in two windows. Late June through mid-September is the big one — the weather is finally dry, the universities empty out, and every truck in the metro is spoken for. The smaller spike is the end of a month in the dry season generally.

The practical consequence: if you are handing back keys on the 31st of August, book the cleanout a week ahead, not the night before. Same-day is often possible and there is no same-day surcharge, but August is the month when the schedule genuinely fills.

The opposite problem hits in winter. A January move-out means carrying everything down exterior stairs in the rain, which is slow, and it means anything you staged on a balcony or in a parking-space storage cage came out of there damp.

Things Portland tenants routinely forget

  • The storage locker in the basement. Old eastside buildings have chicken-wire cages in a low, damp basement. What is in yours has probably been down there since you moved in and has probably absorbed some of that basement.
  • The balcony. Two patio chairs at $30 each and a patio table at $89 is $149, and after a few winters out there they are mossy and not donatable.
  • The bike. $37. In this city there is always a bike, and it is usually rusted into the rack.
  • The TV. Under 42 inch is $62, 42 to 65 inch is $68, 65 inch and over is $73.
  • The mattress on the floor. No frame, no box spring, a queen at $103.

What to tell the building before we arrive

For anything with an elevator — Pearl, Lloyd, South Waterfront, the newer Division buildings — reserve the service elevator and confirm the loading-dock window with the office. Ask what proof of insurance they want, and ask early, because a Friday afternoon request to a property manager rarely lands before the weekend.

For a walk-up, tell us the floor and whether there is a rear stair. For a ground-floor unit on a narrow inner-eastside street, tell us whether there is any legal parking at all, because on some blocks in Ladd's and Sunnyside there simply is not and the crew will plan to carry further.

What it is not

There is no stair fee, no elevator fee, no long-carry fee, no same-day surcharge and no sales tax in Oregon. The published number is the number. If your list changes on the day because you found three more boxes in the basement cage, the price moves by the published rate for those boxes and nothing else.

Frequently asked questions

How much does an apartment cleanout cost in Portland?

Most land between $241 for a quarter truck load and $431 for a half. A studio in the Pearl is usually a quarter or less. A two-bedroom off Division is usually a half.

Is a third-floor walk-up in Buckman more expensive?

No. There is no stair charge and no walk-up fee. A sofa is $126 whether it is on the ground floor or up the original 1915 back stair.

Should I price by item or by truck load?

Price both and take the lower. Four or five defined pieces is usually cheaper by item. A whole furnished unit is usually cheaper on the volume ladder.

Do you need building approval in a Pearl or South Waterfront mid-rise?

Most of those buildings want the service elevator reserved and a loading-dock window booked, plus proof of insurance. Ask the office a few days ahead rather than on the morning.

When is the busiest time to book in Portland?

Late June through mid-September. Dry weather plus lease turnover plus student move-out fills the schedule. There is no seasonal surcharge, but the slots go.