San Diego Moving Costs
By Home Size
2 movers, $119 an hour cash. No deposit. Ranges by home size from our own jobs, studio to 4 bedroom, with the crew size and hours behind each. The full rate card, every fee and the card rate are on the pricing page.
Our Rates
Crew Rates
Every rate includes the truck, all moving blankets, straps, dollies, furniture disassembly and reassembly, and floor/door protectors. No nickel and diming.
| Crew Size | Hourly Rate | 3-Hr Minimum | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Men + Truck | $119/hr cash | $357 | Studios and 1 bedroom apartments, small loads |
| 3 Men + Truck | $169/hr cash | $507 | 2-3 bedroom homes, faster larger moves |
| 4 Men + Truck | $219/hr cash | $657 | 3-4 bedroom homes, office moves |
| 5 Men + Truck | $269/hr cash | $807 | Large estates, full office relocations |
15-Minute Increment Billing: After the 3-hour minimum, you are only billed for the time actually used - in 15-minute increments. If your move takes 3 hours and 20 minutes, you pay for 3 hours and 20 minutes. Not 3.5 hours. That works out to approximately $29.75 per 15-minute increment for the 2-person crew.
Fuel Fee: A flat $75 fuel fee applies to all San Diego County moves, one per truck. This is a flat charge, not a percentage and not per mile. It covers fuel and truck operation to and from your location. A home that does not fit in one truck carries a second $75 alongside the $150 second truck fee, and we say so before you book.
Move Cost Estimates
What Will My Move Cost?
These are typical San Diego move times based on our experience since 1997. The first figure on each card is labor only. The all in figure underneath adds the fees, so it is the number to compare against another mover’s quote.
Studio / 1-Bedroom
Typically 3-4 hours with a 2-person crew, and most land at or just past the three hour minimum. Studio and 1 bedroom detail.
All in $432 – $551 (labor plus the $75 fuel fee)
2-Bedroom
Typically 4-5 hours with a 3-person crew. 2 and 3 bedroom detail.
All in $751 – $920 (labor plus the $75 fuel fee)
3-Bedroom
Typically 5-7 hours with a 3-person crew. Garages are where the hours go.
All in $920 – $1,258 (labor plus the $75 fuel fee)
4-Bedroom
Typically 6-8 hours with a 3 or 4-person crew. A lightly loaded 4 bedroom still fits one truck. A full one at 2,000 cubic feet does not, and that is where the second truck comes in.
All in $1,089 – $2,052 (one truck at the bottom of the range, two at the top)
5-Bedroom+
Five bedroom and larger homes vary too much for a standard estimate. Call for a free written estimate with a crew sized to the house.
Office Move
Office moves are priced individually based on volume, floors, elevator access, and COI requirements. Call for a free assessment.
Long Distance
Long distance moves are quoted as one flat rate, agreed in writing before we load. We provide a full written estimate before anything moves. We move to every state in the continental US.
What's Included
Everything Included,
Nothing Extra
Our hourly rate is all-inclusive; a flat $75 fuel fee is added per truck and quoted up front. Here's exactly what comes with every Discount Movers booking.
Sizing The Crew
Three Movers Is The
Cheapest Way To Buy An Hour
Each extra mover adds $50 an hour, so a bigger crew looks more expensive. Measured against the work it actually gets through, it usually is not.
Our instant estimate sizes every home in cubic feet and moves it at a published speed per crew: 120 cubic feet an hour for two movers, 220 for three, 275 for four and 320 for five. Divide the cash rate by that speed and you get what an hour of the crew actually buys you.
Three movers is the cheapest hour we sell, at about 77 cents of labor for every cubic foot moved. Two movers is the most expensive at 99 cents, roughly 29 percent more per unit of work. The ladder then turns back the other way: four and five mover crews move more in an hour, but not enough more to pay for the extra $50.
So why book two movers at all? The three hour minimum. A studio is about 350 cubic feet and two movers clear that in under three hours, so the job bills at the $357 minimum while three movers would bill their $507 minimum for the same work. The crossover is about 511 cubic feet, which is roughly four and a quarter hours of two mover work. Below it the smaller crew is cheaper however fast the bigger one is. Above it the three mover crew finishes the same job for less money even though its hourly rate is higher.
These are the calculator’s own figures, and they are the reason our estimate asks about stairs, elevators and the walk from your door to the truck. Those slow every crew down by the same proportion, so they lengthen the job without changing which crew size is the efficient one.
Common Questions
Pricing FAQs
Want a number before you call? Our moving crew calculator gives an instant estimate against your own inventory and address.
Get Your Free Estimate
No commitment. We respond within 2 hours during business hours. Free in-home estimates available throughout San Diego County.
📞 Call (858) 490-0155Mon-Sun 8am–8pm · CAL-T #201759 · US DOT #4372335
Related: Studio and 1-bedroom cost guide · 2 and 3-bedroom cost guide
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