Unfortunately, the process of moving is not only stressful but also costly. Regardless of whether you are moving short or long distances, you have a lot of things or a few, you need to calculate the expected costs and make a budget for the move. Firstly, budget planning will allow you to plan your move, and secondly, it will save you from unexpected expenses and unnecessary stress. In this article, you will find basic information about how the cost of moving is calculated and what affects the price.
To calculate the moving costs of your particular move, it is necessary to take into account a lot of factors, including distance, furniture, necessary packing materials, miles between departure and arrival points, etc. However, the most common way to find out the approximate cost of an upcoming move is to look at the average cost of San Diego to Sacramento moving, taking into account such a factor as the number of bedroos. Let’s take a look at the table with average prices for the services of professional moving companies.
Bedrooms |
Price |
1 |
$700 – $3,000 |
2-3 |
$2.000 – $7,000 |
4-5 |
$4.000 – $10,000+ |
Consider that the moving costs presented in the table above are averaged indicators, so prices may vary from company to company.
To calculate moving costs when you hire our moving company, you can use the moving cost calculator on our website.
How to Calculate Moving Costs with a Calculator?
To calculate the cost of moving online using a special calculator, you need to indicate such features as:
- Moving date
- Pickup address
- Delivery address
- Size of the move
- Start time
- Parking at the pickup
- Parking at the delivery
- Necessary packing
Only the first three are mandatory; the rest can be specified optionally. However, consider that the more information about the move you specify to the company at once, the more accurate the cost of the move the calculator will be able to show you.
In addition, to estimate the moving cost and determine the necessary moving budget, specify if you need storage for your staff and for what period.
When it comes to the long distance moving calculator, it uses a formula that takes into account the number of miles between the pickup point and the delivery address. Moreover, to calculate the cost of moving, the calculator considers the total weight of your stuff.
How much do moving companies charge per mile? On average, moving companies estimate a mile at 75 cents.
If you do not plan a long distance move, it is better to find out how much moving companies charge per hour. Today, professional movers in Pleasanton CA set an hourly rate between $25 and $50 for local relocations. So, consider the number of your possessions, their weight, and volumes to be able to determine the approximate duration of the local move and estimate relocation costs.

How to Lower the Moving Cost?
If the relocation costs calculator shows you prices you do not like, it is possible to tailor cost calculations to fit your planned budget.
Ways to lower the moving price:
- Pack your stuff yourself. Packing, especially fragile and delicate things packing, is an energy-intensive process that requires a lot of time, so this service is often quite expensive. And to lower the moving cost, do your own packing. Prepare the necessary packing materials like tape, scissors, stickers, etc. and allocate enough time (at least 1 day).
- Ask friends for help. Most often, the help of movers is needed to move heavy objects, but if you have physically strong friends ready to help, you can save some money.
- Use free boxes. Find all the free boxes (for shoes, utensils, etc.) at home and ask your friends to bring the ones they have.
- Research prices set by the moving companies. Take a little time and compare prices set by different moving companies to find the best one for you.