How much does a move cost?
$129 an hour for two movers, $179 for three and $219 for four, with the truck included in all of them. The minimum is 3 hours of work plus 1 hour of travel, so a short job comes to $516 with two movers. Past about fifteen miles between your addresses the drive is measured and doubled instead, because California requires that.
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.
| Crew | Hourly, truck included | Minimum (3h work + 1h travel) |
|---|---|---|
| 2 movers | $129 | $516 |
| 3 movers | $179 | $716 |
| 4 movers | $219 | $876 |
Packing has its own lower hourly rate: $79 for two packers, $119 for three. Materials you keep are quoted separately.
Double drive time, in plain terms
This is the one thing that surprises people who have moved in another state. Maximum Rate Tariff 4, Item 36 — the tariff the California Bureau of Household Goods and Services sets for intrastate moves — says the billable time on an hourly job is loading, plus unloading, plus double the driving time from the old address to the new one. The tariff sets no distance threshold: the rule applies to every hourly local move, however short the drive.
In practice the hour of travel inside our minimum already covers a move of up to roughly fifteen miles. Beyond that the measured drive is doubled and billed instead. You pay one or the other, never both.
What it is not: the drive from our yard to your first address. That one is ours. It is not on the estimate and it is not billed.
Your Not To Exceed price
California requires your mover to give you a ceiling before the move starts, and to stay under it unless you add items or ask for work that was not agreed. You get one from us in writing, after we have talked the job through or walked the home when it is large enough to warrant it.
We set it from what is actually there rather than from a form, which is why we ask about the garage, the shed and the loft. A ceiling set without them is a guess, and a guess that comes in low serves nobody on move day.
What is on the clock
- —Carrying, wrapping, loading, unloading and placing furniture where you want it.
- —Disassembly and reassembly of beds, tables and anything else that has to come apart.
- —Stairs, long carries from the door to the truck, and lift waits. These cost time, never a fee.
- —The drive between your two addresses, doubled — on every hourly local move, whatever the distance.
What we do not charge for
- —No separate truck fee. The truck is inside the hourly rate, with fuel, tolls and mileage.
- —No stairs fee, no lift fee, no long-carry fee on an hourly move — the state tariff sets the maximum for those at nothing, because the clock is already running while we climb.
- —Saturday is charged at +10%. It is on the written estimate before you book, never added on the day. No seasonal rate.
- —A deposit is taken on estimates from $1,500, agreed in writing with the estimate. Below that, nothing up front. Cancel or reschedule freely more than 48 hours out.
Questions people ask before booking
What do you charge?
$129 an hour for two movers, $179 for three and $219 for four, with the truck included in every one of those. The minimum is 3 hours of work plus 1 hour of travel at the same rate, so the smallest possible invoice is $516 with two movers, $716 with three and $876 with four. After the minimum, time is billed in 15-minute increments.
Why is there an hour of travel in the minimum?
It is what pays for the truck. Instead of adding a separate truck fee to your invoice we bill one hour of travel at the crew rate, and that covers a move of up to roughly fifteen miles between your two addresses. Past that the drive is measured, doubled as the state tariff requires, and billed instead. You are never charged both.
What is double drive time and why is it on my invoice?
California requires it. Maximum Rate Tariff 4, Item 36, says that on an hourly local move the billable time is loading, plus unloading, plus double the driving time between your old and new address. The tariff sets no distance threshold, so it applies however short the drive. It is the state tariff, not our surcharge, and every mover operating legally in California bills it. A quote that leaves it off is not cheaper, it is incomplete.
What is a Not To Exceed price, and will I get one?
Yes, and you are entitled to one: California requires a mover to give you a Not To Exceed price before the move begins and not to charge more than it unless you add items or ask for work that was not in the agreement. We set yours after talking the job through, or after walking the home when it is large enough to need it. That is also why we ask about the garage, the shed and the loft: a ceiling set without them is a guess, and a guess that comes in low helps nobody.
Will the final bill be exactly the estimate?
It will not exceed the Not To Exceed price, which is the promise that matters. Below that you pay for the hours the work actually took, so a crew that finishes early makes the invoice smaller. What never changes: the hourly rate, and the rule that no line appears on the invoice which was not on the estimate.
How is the time counted?
The minimum is 3 hours of labour plus 1 hour of travel. After that, time is billed in 15-minute increments. The clock starts when the crew starts working at your address, and the drive from our yard to you is not on it.
What does packing cost?
Packing has its own hourly rate, lower than the moving crew: $79 an hour for two packers and $119 for three. Boxes, paper and tape are quoted separately because those are things you keep; pads and stretch wrap come with the crew and go back on the truck.
Do you take a deposit?
No. Nothing is paid up front, you can cancel or move the date freely more than 48 hours out, and payment is taken on the day once the work is done.
Are you licensed and insured?
We do not print a permit number here because we do not have one to show you yet. In California household movers are permitted by the California Bureau of Household Goods and Services (BHGS), Division of Household Movers, and it is a fair question to ask any mover you call. A certificate of insurance for your building or complex is available on request. Ask us where our application stands and you will get a straight answer.
Tell us the two addresses and the date
That is enough for a written estimate with the hours, the truck and the drive time spelled out. You are talking to the owner, not a call centre.
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.
Sacramento area · Monday to Saturday, 08:00–19:00