($1,078+) Sacramento, CA to Des Moines, IA Movers

Full-service moving costs from Sacramento, CA to Des Moines, IA

Full-service movers for the 1,712-mile relocation from Sacramento, California, to Des Moines, Iowa, cost between $1,246 and $10,475. With a long-distance moving company, loading, transportation, and unloading are all taken care of. If you want to skip packing boxes, too, that can be added for $333 - $2,220, depending on your home size. What you pay in the end is mainly a function of how much your shipment weighs and how far it's traveling. As a point of reference, local movers in Sacramento typically charge a base rate around $287 plus $130 per hour, per mover.

Here's a breakdown of full-service moving costs by home size from Sacramento to Des Moines:

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $1,246 - $5,471
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $3,450 - $7,179
• 4+ bedrooms: $6,090 - $10,475

Packing, storage, shuttle fees, and added coverage can stack on top of the base price. See the full add-ons and specialty services table below for what each runs from Sacramento to Des Moines.

Specialty moving services from Sacramento, CA to Des Moines, IA

Specialty needs vary by market — 88% of Sacramento movers offer storage-in-transit, compared to 85% nationally. In Des Moines, 58% of movers offer the same service.

What are the best full-service movers from Sacramento to Des Moines?

Movers licensed to operate in Iowa are typically members of the Iowa Motor Truck Association, worth checking for before you book any of the three below.

1. Safeway Moving (4.9/5 stars): Safeway Moving is the best overall value on this list. Flat-rate pricing, 24/7 customer support, and 30 days of free storage are included with every move.
2. American Van Lines (4.9/5 stars): American Van Lines is the most experienced mover on this list, with 30+ years in business since 1995. AVL is one of the few national carriers that uses full-time in-house crews instead of contracted labor.
3. Allied Van Lines (4.2/5 stars): Allied Van Lines is best for contents coverage, combining fragile-only packing, 24/7 shipment monitoring, and an optional full-value protection plan that covers damage, loss, and breakage.

Moving container costs from Sacramento, CA to Des Moines, IA

Moving containers from Sacramento, California, to Des Moines, Iowa, cost between $1,582 and $5,270. You load everything on your own schedule (U-Haul gives you 3 days and PODS gives you 30). When you're ready, the company takes care of getting the container from point A to point B. Need more time than that? Extra storage in Sacramento typically runs around $120/month.

Take a look at moving container pricing by home size from Sacramento to Des Moines:

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $1,582 - $2,866
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $1,924 - $4,213
• 4+ bedrooms: $2,816 - $5,270

What other costs come with moving containers?

• Storage: Small containers (7 - 8 feet) run about $83 per month after the initial period, while larger units (12 - 16 feet) cost around $167 per month.
• Access: Make sure your container company has a storage facility reasonably close to your new home in Des Moines, IA, if you need to retrieve anything while items are still in storage.
• Moving labor: Since you're responsible for loading the container yourself, many customers bring in hourly help. Based on moveBuddha data, hiring 2 movers for approximately 5 hours costs about $777 in Sacramento, CA. Compare the best labor-only movers nationwide
• Added contents protection: Full-value protection goes beyond the standard minimum and covers repair, replacement, or reimbursement at declared value. Pricing is typically 1% - 2% of your total shipment value, about $500 - $1,000 on a $50,000 move.

What are the best moving containers Sacramento to Des Moines?

1. Units Moving and Portable Storage (4.3/5 stars)
2. U-Pack (5.0/5 stars)
3. MovingYourself (5.0/5 stars)

Moving truck rental costs from Sacramento, CA to Des Moines, IA

A rental truck is the cheapest way to cover the 1,712 miles from Sacramento, California, to Des Moines, Iowa, running $1,025 - $3,046. It's also the most hands-on option, and the base rate doesn't include:

• Fuel for the drive: $605 - $691
• Daily insurance: $33/day
• Equipment rentals: $8 - $22
• Sacramento daily rental rate: $19 - $39
• Per-mile fee beyond your free allowance: $1.09 - $0.89

These are typical moving truck rental costs from Sacramento to Des Moines based on home size:

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $1,025 - $1,951
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $1,178 - $2,417
• 4+ bedrooms: $1,369 - $3,046

What other costs come with rental trucks?

• Lodging: Overnight accommodations on longer drives average around $167 per night. Most long-distance moves with rental trucks require 1 - 3 overnight stops.
• Equipment: Tow dollies, auto trailers, and specialty moving equipment can add between $72 and $361 to your total.
• Additional insurance: Daily protection upgrades typically add about $30.
• Gas: Plan on spending $605 - $691 in fuel for the 1,712-mile move, depending on your truck's fuel type.
• Moving labor: Hiring a crew instead of doing the loading yourself typically costs around $777 in Sacramento, California, for a 2-person crew and 5 hours of labor.

What are the best moving truck rentals from Sacramento to Des Moines?

1. Budget Truck Rental (4.3/5 stars)
2. Penske Truck Rental (4.0/5 stars)
3. U-Haul Truck Rental (4.2/5 stars)

The best truck rental companies for this route, based on moveBuddha's ratings.

Freight trailer costs from Sacramento, CA to Des Moines, IA

Freight trailers are a good fit for medium-to-large moves where you need more space than a container but don't want to drive a rental truck from Sacramento, California, to Des Moines, Iowa. The trailer is delivered to your address, you load it, and the carrier takes it the rest of the way.

Unlike truck rentals with flat rates, freight trailers scale with your shipment. Every additional section of trailer space you fill increases your total. Most long-distance moves using this method run roughly between $1,508 and $3,111.

Take a look at freight trailer costs based on home size for moves from Sacramento to Des Moines:

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $1,410 - $2,475
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $1,508 - $3,111
• 4+ bedrooms: $2,102 - $4,259

What other costs come with freight trailers?

• Demand cycles: Trailer costs climb during peak moving season, especially from mid-May through mid-September when demand is at its highest.
• More space: You're billed only for the linear feet you use, but underestimating your inventory means paying for extra space, typically around $83 - $167 more per foot.
• Moving labor: Freight trailers don't include loading crews. Two movers in Sacramento, California, for about five hours typically runs $777.

What are the best freight companies from Sacramento to Des Moines?

1. MovingYourself (5/5 stars): MovingYourself is the best for large moves pick. While it's a top moving container option for the DIY hybrid setup (you handle the loading, they handle the driving), the same approach makes it a strong freight choice for 3 to 5+ bedroom homes that need 53 feet of trailer capacity with pay-as-you-go pricing.
2. U-Pack (5/5 stars): U-Pack is the best value freight trailer here. In addition to their popular container service, U-Pack delivers a top-tier freight trailer option that uses the same pay-by-the-foot pricing model and skips deposits and upfront fees entirely.
3. Button Transportation, Inc. (4.66/5 stars): Button Transportation, Inc. is the best locally owned freight company on this list. Local ownership translates to accessible support staff and facilities based in the communities they serve, giving customers more direct communication than they'd typically get from a national-only freight network.

Cost of living: Sacramento, CA vs Des Moines, IA

The price of the move is only part of the picture. Here is how everyday costs compare once you are settled in Des Moines, side by side with Sacramento on housing, income, and taxes.

Cost of living index is relative to the U.S. average of 100. Figures reflect the latest available city and state data.