How much does it cost to move to San Francisco?

Moves into San Francisco show a median of $3,955 across 86 priced reviews. Moves that stay inside California show a median of $1,855 across 22 priced reviews. The most common origins in the file are Chicago, IL; Miami, FL; New York, NY.

How much does it cost to move out of San Francisco?

Moves out of San Francisco show a median of $4,500 across 97 priced reviews. The destinations named most often are Seattle, WA; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL. A move that leaves California is interstate and falls under USDOT and FMCSA, while a move inside California follows the state page.

When should I book a San Francisco move?

Reviews cluster in Oct, May, Sep and thin out in Mar, Dec, Nov. The date on a review is when it was posted, usually a few weeks after the move. If your date lands in a busy cluster, book earlier.

Moving day in San Francisco: a plain white moving truck is parked parallel to the curb, seen obliquely from its side and open rear, wheels chocked.

Moving to

Moving to or from San Francisco, CA

Haulest is not a carrier, and the file holds 193 reviews of moves into or out of San Francisco from 2017 to 3 Nov 2026. Priced reviews put the median at $3,955 on the way in and $4,500 on the way out.

Anthony BaleMoving industry professional, author and writerReviewed 2026-09-24

Moving to San Francisco

The most common origins in these reviews are Chicago, IL; Miami, FL; New York, NY.

People arrive from a short list of big cities. The most common origins in these reviews are Chicago, IL; Miami, FL; New York, NY. Across 86 priced reviews, the median cost of a move into San Francisco is $3,955. A move that stays inside California is cheaper in this file, with a median of $1,855 across 22 priced reviews. If you want a ballpark before you call anyone, start with the moving cost guide.

The metro sits above the national price baseline. BEA price parity for 2024 puts San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont at 115.6 and California at 110.7, with the United States as the baseline. A higher index means everyday prices in the metro run above the country. Pair that with the inbound median before you decide the move is worth it. Try the cost calculator if you want a range of your own.

What reviewers paid, San Francisco. A median needs 10 priced reviews. Reviews dated 2017 to 3 Nov 2026.

Move	Median paid	Priced reviews
Into San Francisco from elsewhere	$3,955	86
Out of San Francisco	$4,500	97
From San Francisco within the state	$1,855	22
Price level, San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA (US = 100)	115.6	BEA 2024

Sources: Haulest review file, 3 Nov 2026 (reviewer-reported whole-move prices); US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, read 2024.

Top-rated movers in and near San Francisco

Each has 5+ reviews and 4.0+ stars. Movers reviewed in the last 3 years come first, then by rating weighted by how many reviews back it. Few San Francisco movers qualify, so the list goes on with the best elsewhere in the state; each card says where the mover is based. No mover pays to be on this list.

Get free quotes from San Francisco movers See all 23 movers in San Francisco

Moving out of San Francisco

The destinations named most often are Seattle, WA; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL.

Departures head to a few familiar cities. The destinations named most often are Seattle, WA; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL. Across 97 priced reviews, the median cost of a move out of San Francisco is $4,500. That is higher than the inbound median of $3,955 in this file. Interstate moves fall under federal rules from USDOT and FMCSA, while a move that stays in California follows state rules on the state page.

Reviews mark the busy and quiet months. They cluster in Oct, May, Sep and thin out in Mar, Dec, Nov. The date is when the review was posted, usually a few weeks after the move, so book with that lag in mind. See the peak calculator before you lock a date. A thin month in the file is a lighter review count, not a guaranteed open truck.

Where reviewers came from and went, San Francisco.

Moved in from	Reviews	Moved out to	Reviews
Chicago, IL	5	Seattle, WA	6
Miami, FL	4	Los Angeles, CA	4
New York, NY	4	Chicago, IL	3
Denver, CO	4	Portland, OR	3
Los Angeles, CA	3	New York, NY	3

Source: Haulest review file, 3 Nov 2026 (reviewer-reported whole-move prices).

Reviews of San Francisco moves by the month they were posted.

19Jan

13Feb

3Mar

17Apr

24May

14Jun

16Jul

17Aug

24Sep

26Oct

11Nov

9Dec

What makes a San Francisco move harder

The issues these reviews name most are tight streets and driveways, stairs and walk-ups, elevators.

Access problems dominate the writeups. The issues these reviews name most are tight streets and driveways, stairs and walk-ups, elevators. Stairs, elevators, and a truck that cannot reach the door all change the time on site. Tell the mover about every flight of stairs, any elevator, and where the truck can stop before they price the job. Read how to read a moving estimate so the line items match what you described.

Damage shows up often enough to plan for it. 38.9% of these reviews mention damage, and the mean rating sits at 2.97. The rating is for the move as a whole. Photograph furniture and note existing marks in writing before the crew loads. Ask the carrier what happens if something breaks, and keep that answer with the estimate.

Access problems named in San Francisco reviews

Tight streets and driveways · 14 reviews
“I must warn you to be very aware of this Delivery shuttle they charge for that they tell you "will be refunded" if not used.”
Stairs and walk-ups · 10 reviews
“They had LOADS of stairs to go up and down which was tough and still absolutely no damage to anything.”
Elevators · 6 reviews
“Speedee Movers damaged the wooden ceiling of the building elevator and refused to pay.”
Parking and truck access · 2 reviews
“It took me reaching out to Sirva customer service to get the simplest answer of whether I needed to obtain metered parking on my own or whether Allied would do it.”

Route pages from and to San Francisco

What a moving crew earns around San Francisco

Half of the hand movers in the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area earn less than $23.27 an hour (US: $19.35); truck drivers, $31.95. An hourly quote for a crew pays two or three of them, plus the truck, fuel, insurance, and the company's margin, so the rate per mover is usually two to three times the wage. A rate near the wage itself means someone is not insured or not paid.

US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: 53-7062 Laborers and freight, stock, and material movers, hand (30,710 jobs in the area); 53-3032 Heavy and tractor-trailer truck drivers. The occupation includes warehouse work, not only moving crews. BLS wage data

Doing it yourself

Renting a truck in San Francisco

Which truck fits your home, and what to check before you book one here.

Studio10 to 12 ft truck380 to 450 cu ft. The smallest box truck. No ramp at any brand.
1 or 2 bedroom15 to 16 ft truck658 to 800 cu ft. The most rented size and the smallest with a ramp.
3 bedroom20 to 22 ft truck1,016 to 1,200 cu ft. U-Haul and Penske only; Budget skips from 16 to 26 ft.
4 bedroom26 ft truck1,682 to 1,700 cu ft. The largest you can drive on a regular licence.

For comparison: reviewers who hired full-service movers on moves from San Francisco within the state paid a median $1,855 (22 priced reviews). The truck line above is fuel only: add the rental, mileage or days, coverage, equipment, tolls, a night on the road, and your time.

All truck sizes U-Haul vs Penske vs Budget DIY or movers calculator

Sources: Brand spec pages (U-Haul, Penske, Budget) (mpg and fuel type); US EIA weekly retail prices (week of 26 Oct 2026).

Before you hire

Four checks before a deposit

Written estimate after a look
Interstate movers must give the booklet and a written estimate after a survey or a full description. A $499 ad is not an estimate.
FMCSA Protect Your Move
Legal name matches SAFER
USDOT on the paper, the truck doors, and the census. A different name is the walk.
USDOT / Companies House lookup
Walk from cash and blank paper
FTC: unregistered interstate, huge deposit, cash only, or a blank contract. Photograph and leave.
FTC: hiring a mover
110% on a COD non-binding job
Pay up to 110% plus agreed extras and they must hand over the load. Not a cap on extras you signed.
US interstate rules

Reviewed by Anthony Bale, 24 Sep 2026. Corpus as of 3 Nov 2026. Drafted with grok-4.7-medium via cursor-agent on 2026-09-24, then edited. Haulest is not a carrier.

Ask out loud

Questions people ask

How much does it cost to move to San Francisco?: Moves into San Francisco show a median of $3,955 across 86 priced reviews. Moves that stay inside California show a median of $1,855 across 22 priced reviews. The most common origins in the file are Chicago, IL; Miami, FL; New York, NY.
How much does it cost to move out of San Francisco?: Moves out of San Francisco show a median of $4,500 across 97 priced reviews. The destinations named most often are Seattle, WA; Los Angeles, CA; Chicago, IL. A move that leaves California is interstate and falls under USDOT and FMCSA, while a move inside California follows the state page.
When should I book a San Francisco move?: Reviews cluster in Oct, May, Sep and thin out in Mar, Dec, Nov. The date on a review is when it was posted, usually a few weeks after the move. If your date lands in a busy cluster, book earlier.
What should I tell the mover before the quote?: The access problems reviews name most are tight streets and driveways, stairs and walk-ups, elevators. 38.9% of these reviews mention damage, and the mean rating is 2.97. Tell the mover about stairs, elevators, and where the truck can stop before they write the quote.

About Anthony Bale

A moving industry professional, author and writer. Anthony has been at different positions in the industry for the last 10 years, gaining significant knowledge on the relocation process. He himself has moved 6 times already, which helped him explore the other side of the moving process.

At Haulest he writes the US cost, hiring, and rights pages, reading the licensed review file every week so the numbers on the page are the numbers people reported.

All 61 pages by Anthony

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