How much do movers cost in Sacramento?
A local move in Sacramento is charged by the hour with the truck included in the rate, and the minimum is three hours of work plus one hour of travel. What decides your total is how many hours the job takes, and in this city that is set less by the size of the home than by the access at both ends.
Not taking bookings yet — our California mover permit is with the state regulator. The rates and the way we work are below; ask anything and we will answer.
A price in about a minute, or a written answer the same day.
Two identical two-bedroom homes can differ by two hours here. A flat driveway on a wide street in Natomas loads far faster than a Curtis Park bungalow with steps to the porch, a single-width drive and a street tree the truck cannot park under. This page is about what moves the clock, because the clock is what you are paying for.
| Home size | Crew | Typical total |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | 2 · $129/hr | from $516 |
| 1 bedroom | 2 · $129/hr | from $516 |
| 2 bedrooms | 2 · $129/hr | from $710 |
| 3 bedrooms | 3 · $179/hr | from $1253 |
Truck included · minimum 3 hours of labour plus 1 hour of travel, so $516 with two movers · a longer drive bills the doubled time instead, as the state tariff requires
What moves the hours here
The distance between your two addresses
The travel hour in the minimum covers a move of up to roughly fifteen miles. Sacramento is around a hundred square miles, so a Natomas to Pocket move clears that easily, and past it the measured drive is doubled and billed instead, as the state tariff requires.
Where the truck can stop
Downtown and Midtown alleys are usually the fastest way in. Older streets east and south of the grid are the opposite: a long path, steps, and mature trees that keep a 26-foot truck away from the kerb. Every extra metre is carry time.
The garage, the shed and the loft
The three places nobody counts when they estimate their own move, and the most common reason an hourly job runs past its estimate. Tell us what is in them and the number you get will hold.
The month and the hour
Summer weeks past 100°F are slower work, which is why we start early on them. Month-end is when everybody moves, so the calendar is tighter rather than the rate different — we do not charge a weekend or seasonal premium.
Double drive time, and why it is on your bill
Maximum Rate Tariff 4, Item 36: an hourly local move bills loading, unloading and double the driving time between your two addresses. The tariff sets no distance threshold, so it applies however short the drive. It is the state tariff rather than a company surcharge, and the line is on your estimate before you book.
Questions people ask
Is the truck extra?
No. The truck, its fuel, tolls and mileage are inside the hourly rate, the way every local company quotes it. What you see is the whole labour and vehicle cost in one figure.
Why does the estimate double the drive time?
California requires it. Maximum Rate Tariff 4, Item 36, bills loading, unloading and double the driving time between your two addresses once they are five or more miles apart. Under that, the travel hour in the minimum already covers it.
Will I know the maximum before you start?
Yes. California requires a Not To Exceed price before the move begins, and we cannot go above it unless you add items or ask for work that was not agreed. We set it after talking the job through, or after a walkthrough on a larger move.
What makes a Sacramento move cheaper?
Access, almost always. A driveway the truck can use, a short path to the door, and a garage that was dealt with before move day will take hours off an hourly job. Packing yourself helps too, as long as it is finished before we arrive.