Fully Furnished

Sofas, beds, mattresses, dining tables, rugs and dressers carry real prices read at the shop that sells them, with the date on every row. Every other category is still sample data.

How much should you save before moving into your first apartment, furniture included?

Summary

On the furniture side, a move-in-night setup from this site's list (a queen mattress, a bed frame, a small table and a dresser) comes to $854 before delivery and tax. That total uses list prices read in September 2026, so they may have changed. Rent-side money, such as the deposit, the first month and any fees, depends on your lease and your state, so this page counts furniture only. Adding a loveseat and a rug raises the total to $1,233, and you can spread that part out by buying it later.

Separate lease costs from furniture

The deposit, the first month's rent and any application or move-in fees belong in the savings target before furniture. Read the lease and your state's deposit statute: the amount and the rules differ by state. Add the furniture example below to those costs rather than treating it as the money needed for the move itself.

On the first night you need somewhere to sleep, somewhere to eat or work, and somewhere for clothes other than the floor. The four-piece example uses a mattress, a frame, a small table and a dresser; other purchases may be borrowed, improvised or left until later.

Household size changes the count. The mattress and bed lists allow one mattress and one frame for one or two people, two for three people, and three for four or more, adding a smaller bed for each extra person beyond a couple. The dresser list works on about three drawers per person and allows two dressers for a three-person household. The example below is for one or two people.

The cheapest version on this site's list

The table adds up the lowest-priced option in each category on this site's lists. Each price was read on the seller's product page on the date shown.

PieceShopPriceChecked
Zinus Original Green Tea mattress, QueenZinus$4552026-09-07
IKEA TARVA bed frame, QueenIKEA$1992026-09-06
IKEA SANDSBERG table, seats 4IKEA$702026-09-06
IKEA KILBERGET 3-drawer dresserIKEA$1302026-09-06
Night-one total$455 + $199 + $70 + $130 = $854

The total leaves out sales tax, which depends on where you live, and Zinus shipping. It also leaves out sheets, pillows and dishes.

Zinus lists a 100-night trial and a 10-year warranty for the mattress. The TARVA frame is solid pine, comes with slats packed separately, and you assemble it yourself. The SANDSBERG table measures 43.3 by 26.4 inches, and IKEA says it seats 4. If a round table suits the room better, Best Choice Products' Mid-Century 35.5 inch Round is the same $70 on this site's list (checked 2026-09-25); Best Choice says it seats 4, with an MDF top and steel legs. The KILBERGET measures 33.9 by 16.1 inches. IKEA says it must be anchored to the wall and that it "opens one drawer at a time" until it is anchored. IKEA also cites the US federal stability standard for this dresser, and the CPSC's clothing storage page defines which dressers that standard covers, including the anti-tip device requirement for covered dressers made after September 1, 2023. Have a drill and wall anchors suited to your walls ready on move-in day, and ask the landlord about drilling before you do it.

If those dimensions suit the room, use the four pieces as a starting shortlist for the $854 furniture allowance. Keep what you already own and compare alternatives where the fit or assembly work does not suit you; the lowest listed price does not make a whole basket the right order.

What delivery and assembly add

IKEA's delivery page, checked 2026-10-23, prices delivery by how far into the home the crew comes. The prices below are starting prices for non-members, with IKEA Family member prices in parentheses:

  • Standard Delivery, from $29 ($19)
  • Scheduled Doorstep, from $39 ($29)
  • Scheduled In-Home, from $69 ($59)
  • Express In-Home, from $79 ($69)

Every tier requires a minimum $35 merchandise subtotal. IKEA also lists a $30 haul-away fee for taking away old items, which a first move rarely needs.

With Scheduled In-Home delivery at the non-member starting price, the four night-one pieces come to $854 + $69 = $923. IKEA's fee covers only the IKEA items, since the mattress ships from Zinus, and we have not priced Zinus delivery. IKEA's assembly page, checked 2026-10-23, lists $52; we have not confirmed what that figure covers, so check it with IKEA for your order. Adding it gives $923 + $52 = $975. IKEA says assembly "includes installation of any tip-over restraints for safety purposes." The assemblers are independent contractors, not IKEA staff.

If a piece does not work out, IKEA's returns page, checked 2026-10-23, gives 365 days for new, unopened products and 180 days for opened ones. It excludes plants, cut fabric, custom countertops and as-is products. Zinus sets its own return terms for the mattress, and we have not checked them.

What can wait

You can live without a sofa and a rug for the first few weeks, and waiting lets you measure the room with the bed and table already in place. If you buy them at move-in, IKEA's KLIPPAN loveseat and the cheapest rug add $379:

PieceShopPriceChecked
IKEA KLIPPAN loveseat, 2 seatsIKEA$3492026-09-06
IKEA TIPHEDE rug, 5x7IKEA$302026-09-06
Furniture subtotal, excluding the rug underlay$854 + $349 + $30 = $1,233

The KLIPPAN is 70.9 inches wide, and its cover comes off for machine washing. The TIPHEDE is a flat-woven cotton rug measuring 5 ft 1 in by 7 ft 3 in, and IKEA says to use an anti-slip underlay with it. IKEA's STOPP FILT underlay in 5'5" by 7'9" was $14.99 when checked on 2026-10-23.

The lowest-priced sofa on this site's list costs less than the KLIPPAN: Best Choice Products' Faux Leather Futon Sofa Bed is $150 (checked 2026-09-25). Best Choice says it seats 2, gives its width as 65.25 in, and it folds flat into a bed. With the TIPHEDE that is $150 + $30 = $180, for a furniture subtotal of $854 + $180 = $1,034, before the underlay and the other excluded costs.

Start the furniture allowance at the $854 subtotal, then add delivery, sales tax, Zinus shipping and the smaller essentials excluded above. Lease costs sit on top of that. The loveseat and rug add $379 to the furniture subtotal and can wait until you know how you use the living room.

Sources

Published 26 October 2026.