A 2 bedroom apartment or small home move in San Diego typically costs $800 to $1,400. A 3 bedroom house runs $1,100 to $2,200. Both ranges come from real Cal-T hourly math: crew size times the filed tariff rate times the hours your specific home actually takes, not a national flat-rate guess built for a different city.
TL;DR
- 2 bedroom apartment or small home: $800 to $1,400, usually 5 to 7 hours with a two-mover crew.
- 3 bedroom house: $1,100 to $2,200, usually 5.5 to 7.5 hours with a three-mover crew.
- Studio and 1 bedroom moves run lower, $480 to $1,080. 4+ bedroom houses run higher, $1,800 to $3,500.
- The size of your home sets the baseline. Stairs, long carries, and how much is already packed move the number inside that range.
- A written not-to-exceed estimate caps what you actually pay, even if the job runs long.
Master Movers San Diego matches you with a licensed local mover, and the hourly rate is what prices the job, whether the crew is loading a Pacific Beach studio or a five-bedroom house in Rancho Santa Fe. That’s the number a national moving calculator can’t give you, because those tools average across every state instead of pricing your actual San Diego County move.
How is the price calculated by home size?
Every California household goods mover bills by the hour under a filed Cal-T tariff. The clock starts when the crew arrives and stops when the last item is set down, and there’s no charge for driving back to the warehouse afterward.
Two movers and a truck run $120 to $180 per hour in San Diego County. Three movers run $180 to $240. Four movers, used for larger homes, run $240 to $300. Multiply that hourly rate by the hours your home actually takes and you get the total. Home size drives hours more reliably than square footage, because a 1,200 square foot 3 bedroom condo with a full kitchen and home office takes longer to pack out than a 1,400 square foot 2 bedroom with sparse furniture.
For the full breakdown of what adds hours to any move, including stairs, parking distance, and packing status, see our complete guide to local moving costs in San Diego.
What does a studio or 1 bedroom move cost?
A studio move usually means a bed, a small sofa, a dresser, and a dozen boxes. Two movers finish in 3 to 4 hours, putting the total at $480 to $720.
A 1 bedroom apartment adds a dining set for two to four, a few more furniture pieces, and 20 to 30 boxes. Two movers take 4 to 6 hours, landing the total between $600 and $1,080. Most studio and 1 bedroom jobs hit the standard 2-hour minimum easily, so the real question is how much has been pre-packed before the crew shows up.
What does a 2 bedroom apartment or small home cost to move?
A 2 bedroom apartment or small house typically holds two full bedrooms of furniture, a dining set, a living room, and 35 to 50 boxes once the kitchen and closets are packed. Two movers take 5 to 7 hours. Three movers take 4 to 5.5 hours and often finish for close to the same total once the faster labor rate is factored in. Either way, expect $800 to $1,400.
Apartment moves carry a variable this table doesn’t capture: building access. A ground-floor unit with a loading zone nearby lands at the low end. A third-floor walk-up in North Park or a unit with a shared elevator adds real time to the clock. If you’re in a complex, our apartment movers guide for San Diego covers parking permits, elevator reservations, and the certificate of insurance most property managers require before move day.
What does a 3 bedroom house cost to move?
A 3 bedroom house usually means three bedrooms of furniture, a living room and dining room, garage overflow, and 50 to 80 boxes. Three movers handle this in 5.5 to 7.5 hours. A two-mover crew can still do it, but plan on 7 to 10 hours instead. The total lands at $1,100 to $2,200 either way, with the three-mover crew usually coming in toward the lower half of that range because the job finishes faster.
Garages are the wildcard on 3 bedroom homes. Bikes, tools, holiday storage, and yard equipment routinely add an hour that homeowners don’t budget for when they’re only thinking about the rooms inside.
What does a 4 or more bedroom house cost to move?
Once a home reaches four or more bedrooms, most San Diego movers step up to a four-mover crew rather than stretching a two- or three-person team across a full day. Four movers typically finish in 8 to 12 hours, putting the total between $1,800 and $3,500. Homes at this size almost always benefit from at least partial packing help, since the extra bedrooms, home offices, and storage areas add hours a smaller crew would spend packing instead of loading.
Full price table by home size
| Home size | What’s typically inside | Recommended crew | Typical hours | Total cost range |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | Bed, small sofa, dresser, about a dozen boxes | 2 movers | 3 to 4 hours | $480 to $720 |
| 1 bedroom apartment | Bed, sofa, small dining set, 20 to 30 boxes | 2 movers | 4 to 6 hours | $600 to $1,080 |
| 2 bedroom apartment or small home | 2 bedrooms of furniture, dining set, 35 to 50 boxes | 2 to 3 movers | 5 to 7 hours (2 movers) or 4 to 5.5 hours (3 movers) | $800 to $1,400 |
| 3 bedroom house | 3 bedrooms, living and dining rooms, garage overflow, 50 to 80 boxes | 3 movers | 5.5 to 7.5 hours | $1,100 to $2,200 |
| 4+ bedroom house | 4+ bedrooms, home office, multiple living areas, garage and patio | 4 movers | 8 to 12 hours | $1,800 to $3,500 |
These ranges assume reasonable parking within about 75 feet of the door, an elevator if you’re above the third floor, and a household that’s already boxed up the small stuff before the crew arrives.
What pushes a 2 or 3 bedroom move above the average?
A handful of variables move the total toward the top of these ranges more than anything else.
Stairs and long carries. A walk-up unit in Hillcrest or a house on a Mount Helix hillside lot with a long driveway adds 45 to 90 minutes that a ground-floor, close-parking move never sees.
How much is still unpacked. A home where every drawer and closet is emptied into labeled boxes before the crew arrives loads roughly twice as fast as one where movers are pulling loose items out of cabinets. If packing isn’t done, budget for help. Our packing services cost guide breaks down full-pack and partial-pack pricing for exactly this situation.
Bulky or specialty items. A piano, a gun safe, or a large aquarium in an otherwise standard 2 or 3 bedroom home adds $150 to $600 in extra labor and sometimes a specialty crew, on top of the base range.
Distance across the county. A 2 bedroom move from Pacific Beach to La Mesa adds 35 to 50 minutes of drive time on the clock. Carlsbad to Chula Vista can add 75 to 90 minutes. Both count as billable hours on an hourly job.
How do you get a firm number instead of a range?
A range is useful for budgeting. A written not-to-exceed estimate is what actually protects you on move day. Three things get an estimate within 10 percent of the real bill: a full video walk-through of every room, closet, and the garage; an honest description of stairs, parking, and elevator access; and pre-packing everything except furniture and TVs before the crew arrives.
For a free written estimate on your specific 2 or 3 bedroom home, call (858) 400-4069. Master Movers San Diego serves all 67 cities in San Diego County, with the same filed Cal-T rates whether you’re moving within San Diego or across the county line.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to move a 2 bedroom apartment in San Diego?
Most 2 bedroom apartment and small home moves run $800 to $1,400, based on 5 to 7 hours with a two-mover crew or 4 to 5.5 hours with three movers. Stairs, parking distance, and packing status move the number within that range.
How much does it cost to move a 3 bedroom house in San Diego?
A 3 bedroom house typically costs $1,100 to $2,200, with a three-mover crew finishing in 5.5 to 7.5 hours. Garages and outdoor storage are the most common reason a 3 bedroom job runs longer than planned.
Do I need 2 or 3 movers for a 2 bedroom home?
Either works. Two movers cost less per hour but take longer, three movers cost more per hour but finish faster, and the total often lands close to the same number. Three movers make more sense if you have a tight moving-day window or a lot of stairs.
Is there a minimum charge for a small move?
Yes. Most Cal-T licensed movers in San Diego run a 2-hour minimum. At a $150 per hour rate for two movers, that’s a $300 floor before any add-ons like a long carry.
How far in advance should I book a 2 or 3 bedroom move?
Book 2 to 3 weeks out during the slower months and 4 to 6 weeks out during peak season, May through September, when San Diego moving crews book up fast. Short-notice slots come up for smaller loads through the last-minute movers we send, but 3 bedroom homes need real lead time.
About the author
The Master Movers San Diego team. A San Diego moving referral service covering all 67 cities in San Diego County, matching customers with permitted local movers for local, long-distance, and military PCS relocations. (858) 400-4069.