($1,444+) San Diego, CA to Philadelphia, PA Movers

Full-service moving costs from San Diego, CA to Philadelphia, PA

Full-service movers for the 2,692-mile relocation from San Diego, California, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, cost between $1,314 and $12,169. 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 $404 - $2,692, 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 San Diego typically charge a base rate around $226 plus $200 per hour, per mover.

Here's a breakdown of full-service moving costs by home size from San Diego to Philadelphia:

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $1,314 - $5,542
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $3,691 - $7,625
• 4+ bedrooms: $7,373 - $12,169

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 San Diego to Philadelphia.

Specialty moving services from San Diego, CA to Philadelphia, PA

Specialty needs vary by market: 72% of San Diego movers offer storage-in-transit, compared to 60% nationally. In Philadelphia, 55% of movers offer the same service.

What are the best full-service movers from San Diego to Philadelphia?

All three below meet the standards set by the Pennsylvania Moving & Storage Associates, the group most Pennsylvania movers are affiliated with.

1. Safeway Moving (4.9/5 stars): Safeway Moving is the best overall value on this list, with flat-rate pricing that holds firm on moving day and a customer support team available around the clock.
2. American Van Lines (4.9/5 stars): American Van Lines is the most experienced mover here. With 30+ years of interstate moves behind them, AVL uses full-time in-house crews instead of the contracted labor most national carriers rely on.
3. Allied Van Lines (4.2/5 stars): Allied Van Lines is best for contents coverage, with fragile-only packing, 24/7 shipment tracking, and an optional full-value protection plan available on every long-distance move.

Moving container costs from San Diego, CA to Philadelphia, PA

Moving containers from San Diego, California, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, cost between $1,957 and $7,208. With a moving container, you load on your own schedule. U-Haul gives you 3 days to fill yours, while PODS gives you up to 30. Once you're ready, the company transports it straight to your new place. Need more time first? Storage in San Diego typically costs about $100/month.

Take a look at moving container pricing by home size from San Diego to Philadelphia:

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $1,957 - $3,583
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $2,513 - $5,240
• 4+ bedrooms: $3,331 - $7,208

What other costs come with moving containers?

• Storage: Monthly rental charges begin after the first 30 days. Expect roughly $101 per month for smaller containers (7 - 8 feet) and around $202 per month for larger units (12 - 16 feet).
• Moving labor: Containers don't come with loading help, so many customers hire hourly movers for the job. Two movers for about 5 hours will run you around $942 in San Diego, CA, per moveBuddha data. Compare the best labor-only movers nationwide
• Added contents protection: Standard coverage only reimburses by weight. Full-value protection gives you more complete coverage for higher-value items and typically costs 1% - 2% of your total declared value, around $500 - $1,000 on a $50,000 shipment.
• Access: National providers generally operate in both cities, but verify that a facility near your Philadelphia, PA, destination exists if you plan to access stored items.

What are the best moving containers San Diego to Philadelphia?

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 San Diego, CA to Philadelphia, PA

Plan on $1,414 - $4,132 for a rental moving truck on the 2,692-mile route from San Diego, California, to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The rental company provides nothing beyond the vehicle, so add:

• Fuel for the drive: $1,153 - $1,318
• Daily insurance: $40/day
• Equipment rentals: $9 - $27
• San Diego daily rental rate: $19 - $39
• Per-mile fee beyond your free allowance: $0.79 - $1.09

These are typical moving truck rental costs from San Diego to Philadelphia based on home size:

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $1,414 - $3,000
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $1,677 - $3,230
• 4+ bedrooms: $2,078 - $4,132

What other costs come with rental trucks?

• Moving labor: Rental trucks don't come with loaders. Hiring 2 movers in San Diego, California, for roughly 5 hours usually costs about $942.
• Gas: Fuel costs total $1,153 - $1,318 for the 2,692-mile drive, depending on whether your truck takes gas or diesel.
• Equipment: Appliance dollies, auto transport trailers, and furniture pads are separate rentals. Expect to spend between $81 and $437, depending on what you need.
• Additional insurance: Daily coverage upgrades typically add around $30.
• Lodging: Budget around $202 per night for hotel stops on the 2,692-mile drive. With 2 - 3 overnight stops, total lodging typically costs $404 - $606.

What are the best moving truck rentals from San Diego to Philadelphia?

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 San Diego, CA to Philadelphia, PA

If you're moving a larger household from San Diego, California, and want to stay in control of the loading process, freight trailers offer a practical middle ground between hiring movers and renting a truck yourself. A 28-foot trailer is delivered to your door, you load what you need, and the carrier handles the drive to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Freight trailers are priced by the linear feet your belongings take up, so you only pay for the space you use. A 2 - 3 bedroom move on this route typically falls between $1,913 and $4,072.

Take a look at freight trailer costs based on home size for moves from San Diego to Philadelphia:

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $1,627 - $3,129
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $1,913 - $4,072
• 4+ bedrooms: $2,745 - $5,766

What other costs come with freight trailers?

• Moving labor: Freight trailers don't include loading help. In San Diego, California, hiring 2 movers for about 5 hours typically costs $942.
• More space: You only pay for the trailer footage you use, but underestimating your load can add roughly $101 - $202 per additional foot to your total.
• Time of year: Rates tend to climb during peak moving season (mid-May through mid-September) when trailer demand is at its highest.

What are the best freight companies from San Diego to Philadelphia?

1. MovingYourself (5/5 stars): MovingYourself is our pick for best for large moves. The company is best known as a top moving container option for its hybrid model where you load and they drive, and that same model translates well to freight thanks to their 53-foot trucks and pay-by-the-foot pricing.
2. U-Pack (5/5 stars): U-Pack offers the best value freight trailer on this route. Beyond their flagship container service, U-Pack also runs freight trailers with the same no-deposit, no-upfront-fee model, charging only for the linear footage you actually fill.

Cost of living: San Diego, CA vs Philadelphia, PA

The price of the move is only part of the picture. Here is how everyday costs compare once you are settled in Philadelphia, side by side with San Diego 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.

Our take

How you handle your interstate move from San Diego, CA, to Philadelphia, PA, comes down to your budget and how much time and work you're able to put into it. Hands-off relocations handled by full-service movers range from $1,314 - $12,169 on the 2,692-mile route and handle everything. Moving containers from PODS or U-Pack run $1,957 - $7,208 and put you in charge of loading. Rental trucks from Budget or U-Haul are the lowest-cost option at $1,414 - $4,132 with you handling everything. For full-service moves, Safeway Moving is our top pick, starting around $3,691 for a 2-bedroom move with 30 days of free storage and 24/7 live support.

Worth knowing beyond the move itself: Major employers in the area include Amtak and Comcast.