($1,732+) Portland, ME to San Diego, CA Movers

Full-service moving costs from Portland, ME to San Diego, CA

Full-service movers for the 3,136-mile relocation from Portland, Maine, to San Diego, California, cost between $3,169 and $15,476. 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 $388 - $2,584, 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 Portland typically charge a base rate around $382 plus $135 per hour, per mover.

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

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $3,169 - $7,499
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $4,924 - $10,090
• 4+ bedrooms: $9,838 - $15,476

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 Portland to San Diego.

Specialty moving services from Portland, ME to San Diego, CA

Specialty needs vary by market — 78% of Portland movers offer storage-in-transit, compared to 85% nationally. In San Diego, 100% of movers offer the same service.

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

All three below meet the standards set by the California Moving & Storage Association, the group most California 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 Portland, ME to San Diego, CA

Moving containers from Portland, Maine, to San Diego, California, cost between $2,123 and $7,815. A container is delivered to your home and you load it on your own time. Loading windows vary by company: U-Haul gives you 3 days and PODS gives you 30. From there, the company takes over and transports it to San Diego. If you go over that window, storage in Portland adds around $100/month.

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

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $2,123 - $4,307
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $2,727 - $5,658
• 4+ bedrooms: $3,958 - $7,815

What other costs come with moving containers?

• Storage: Small containers (7 - 8 feet) run about $97 per month after the initial period, while larger units (12 - 16 feet) cost around $194 per month.
• Access: Make sure your container company has a storage facility reasonably close to your new home in San Diego, CA, 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 $904 in Portland, ME. 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 Portland to San Diego?

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 Portland, ME to San Diego, CA

Plan on $1,697 - $5,061 for a rental moving truck on the 3,136-mile route from Portland, Maine, to San Diego, California. The rental company provides nothing beyond the vehicle, so add:

• Fuel for the drive: $1,289 - $1,473
• Daily insurance: $39/day
• Equipment rentals: $9 - $26
• Portland daily rental rate: $19 - $39
• Per-mile fee beyond your free allowance: $0.69 - $0.89

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

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $1,697 - $3,327
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $1,782 - $4,201
• 4+ bedrooms: $2,348 - $5,061

What other costs come with rental trucks?

• Lodging: Overnight accommodations on longer drives average around $194 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 $84 and $420 to your total.
• Additional insurance: Daily protection upgrades typically add about $30.
• Gas: Plan on spending $1,289 - $1,473 in fuel for the 3,136-mile move, depending on your truck's fuel type.
• Moving labor: Hiring a crew instead of doing the loading yourself typically costs around $904 in Portland, Maine, for a 2-person crew and 5 hours of labor.

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

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 Portland, ME to San Diego, CA

For larger DIY moves from Portland, Maine, freight trailers give you plenty of room without putting you behind the wheel. Standard trailers are 28 feet long. You load the section you need, and the carrier transports everything to San Diego, California.

Because freight companies bill by linear footage, your total is based on how much of the trailer you occupy, not the full length. For most medium-to-large moves on this route, pricing typically falls between $2,093 and $4,803.

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

• Studio apartment / 1 bedroom: $1,815 - $3,617
• 2 - 3 bedrooms: $2,093 - $4,803
• 4+ bedrooms: $3,045 - $6,567

What other costs come with freight trailers?

• Moving labor: Freight trailers don't include loading help. In Portland, Maine, hiring 2 movers for about 5 hours typically costs $904.
• More space: You only pay for the trailer footage you use, but underestimating your load can add roughly $97 - $194 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 Portland to San Diego?

1. MovingYourself (5/5 stars): MovingYourself is the pick for best for large moves. The company is well-regarded as a top moving container option for its load-it-yourself, we-drive-it model, and that same model makes it a strong freight option for larger homes that benefit from the company's 53-foot trucks and footage-based pricing.
2. U-Pack (5/5 stars): U-Pack offers the best value freight trailer on this route. Alongside their flagship container service, U-Pack provides a top-notch freight trailer option that follows the same model: no deposits, no upfront fees, and pricing based on the linear footage you actually use.
3. Dubois Livestock (3.96/5 stars): Dubois Livestock is the best locally owned freight company on this list. Locally owned and based facilities mean accessible support staff and area-specific scheduling flexibility that national-only freight carriers typically don't match.

Cost of living: Portland, ME vs San Diego, CA

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