Moving From Seattle to San Diego: Movers, Costs, and Benefits

Look, if you’re going to be stepping over bums on the daily, you may as well get some sunshine and beaches while you’re at it. Seattle may have been cool when Frasier was on the air, but it’s time to get out of town.

If you were able to afford Seattle for as long as you did, chances are you can afford California, too. And you may even be able to afford San Diego. Sunny, beachy, and close enough to Tijuana if you really want to get crazy, San Diego is a great city. But how will you get there in the first place?

If you’re looking for the best Seattle to San Diego movers, iMoving can help. We’re the only platform that lets you shop around, compare prices, and book your movers entirely online. No house calls. No phone calls. Just a marketplace of over 1000 vetted and verified movers, a few clicks away.

Sales pitch over. If you’re still on the fence about moving to San Diego, read on and see what you can expect from your move and your new city.

Moving from Seattle to San Diego will typically cost between $3,000 to $7,000. If that seems too expensive to you, well… maybe you should move to Idaho or something instead. Everything about California is expensive, and unfortunately, that rule extends to actually getting there, too.

Long-distance movers calculate the price of your move based on the miles traveled and the amount of stuff they have to transport. Seattle and San Diego are about 1,250 miles apart, so there’s not much you can do about the distance. Fortunately, you can still save some money on your move by downsizing.

Before you shop for quotes, make sure you get rid of all the excess. If you don’t want it, don’t take it with you, and DEFINITELY don’t pay to have it moved. Hand it down, pawn it off, throw it away. Otherwise, it’ll end up costing you big time when you’re looking for movers.

Long-distance moves usually take between 1 and 21 days, but since you’re going from Seattle to San Diego, you’re looking at a 4-day minimum. Under federal law, drivers can’t log more than 400 miles of interstate travel per day. Since Seattle and SD are just over 1,200 miles, well, you can do the math.

“I’m just moving a studio apartment. It’ll be fast, right?” Unfortunately, not really.

Think of how much truck space your studio apartment will take up. Not much, right? Unfortunately, all that empty space in the trailer is inefficient. If your movers are using the gas to get from point A to point B, they’ll wait until they can bundle a few moves on the same route.

Bundling moves is a pretty common practice in the moving industry. Your moving company will keep your stuff safe and separate, but they’ll make some pickups and deliveries along the same route to make the trip worthwhile. It keeps your costs down, but it also adds a few extra days to the wait.

$3,000 to $7,000 is a lot of money. Get to know the factors behind your final price, and you’ll be able to save some money, too.

1. Distance

As we mentioned before, long distance movers base a big part of your quote on the distance they have to travel. Seattle and San Diego are a good 1,250 miles away from each other, so prepare your wallet accordingly. It’s not as pricey as moving to say, Miami, but all those miles will still set you back quite a bit.

2. Dimensions

Along with the distance, the physical size of your move is probably the next most important factor. Some movers will go by weight (in pounds) and some movers will go by volume (in cubic feet).

You’ll occasionally hear a mover saying they’ll literally weigh the truck before and after it’s all loaded up, but that’s typically just a marketing gimmick. Instead, they’ll assign a weight (or volume) value to all of your belongings, and calculate your quote from there.

3. Packing

Packing is an optional add-on, but we really recommend it. Packing takes a long time, and it’s a frustrating and time-consuming experience. If you’re okay with taking multiple trips to Home Depot because you need more boxes and padding - and if you’re okay with searching around because of course they don’t have the right size - skip the packing. But if you value your mental health, throw down the couple hundred to a couple thou, and let the pros handle it.

4. Access Fees

If you’ve got a gate, elevators, long hallways, long driveways, or multiple flights of stairs to deal with, your movers are going to add access fees to the equation.

If it’s an obstacle course to get to your front door, you should let your movers know ahead of time. That way, they’ll come prepared, and you won’t get blindsided by surprise fees.

5. Insurance

It’s rare, but accidents happen. In the event of any lost, damaged, or destroyed items, you’ll want to be reimbursed. Movers offer basic coverage for free, but it’s only good for $0.60 per pound. This means if a 4-pound computer monitor breaks, all you’re getting is $2.40. If you want to get the full value, you’ll have to pay extra for full-value coverage.

6. Shuttles

Your movers will use a big rig for the long haul, but some cities don’t like big rigs parking on their busy (and small) streets.

In this case, your Seattle to San Diego movers will have to park the truck on the edge of town and use a smaller box truck to transport everything from the main truck to your new place. Blame City Hall.

7. Specialty Services

If you have a lot of fragile, hard-to-move, expensive, or just plain awkward items, you’ll want to pay for some extra TLC. This can take many forms, including custom crating or even using winches and cranes to get heavy items out the window.

8. Gratuity

We’re all fed up with inflation, but in the moving industry, tipping is expected unless otherwise explicitly declined. To be fair, loading a piano into a truck and driving it 1000+ miles is a little more challenging than turning around an iPad at your local cafe. 15% to 20% is a good amount, to be split up between all of your movers.

San Diego has a lot going for it. Here’s why some people are making the move:

• Better weather: Seattle has rain like… 400 days a year or something like that. San Diego does not. Expect plenty of sunshine, lots of warmth, and shorts-and-t-shirt weather all year round (even when the marine layer brings in fog).

• Nicer beaches: Unlike Seattle, San Diego has a pretty solid spread of beaches and surfing. Even if you don’t know how to surf, the beaches in Southern California are a lot more inviting than those beautiful yet foreboding PNW breaks.

• A little less crazy: You’ve seen how chaotic Seattle’s been getting. San Diego - while still full of California crazy - is definitely not as bad. There’s no autonomous zone set up in Balboa Park, at the very least.

• Still some familiarity: Seattle is in Washington, and Washington is a blue state. San Diego is in California, and California is a blue state. If you like the policies and the mindset of one, you’ll feel right at home in the other.

• Plenty to do: San Diego is also a pretty popular spot for all sorts of activities. There may not be huge mountain ranges to explore, but there’s plenty of fun to keep you occupied while you’re getting used to your new hometown…

San Diego is a great city, and you won’t have time to feel bored. Here are a few of our favorite things to do in San Diego:

• Balboa Park: Imagine a city decided to put a zoo, gardens, museums, and plenty of paths and open space all in one location. That’s pretty much what Balboa Park is. It’s arguably the heart of San Diego, and we could write a whole section just on the park.

• The Zoo: While on the subject of Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo is a must-see. This is a world-class zoo, and even if you spent a whole day there, you wouldn’t see everything. Buy an annual membership so you can go multiple times for free!

• La Jolla: La Jolla is kind of a tourist trap, but don’t let that stop you from paying a visit. It’s your archetypal California beach town, complete with cliffside restaurants, plenty of scenic pathways, and even La Jolla Farms if you want to ogle houses you can’t afford.

• Convoy: The Convoy District has a ton of great restaurants, especially if you’re into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese food. Actually, Asian food in general. Keep in mind, there are a lot of offices and businesses nearby, so lunchtime gets PACKED.

• The Botanic Garden: A short drive north of San Diego, and you’ll find the San Diego Botanic Garden. While not as packed and popular as the Zoo, it’s still a great place to spend a quiet day. See if you can make it all the way to the turtle pond!

There’s a ton to see and do in San Diego, and the above list is just a tiny selection. Once you move out there, you’re bound to find the perfect niche.

You’ve seen our favorite movers, and you’ve seen what you can expect from your new hometown. If you’re ready to make the move from Seattle to San Diego, now’s a good time to start - and iMoving can help you get there!

iMoving is the only place that lets you shop for movers, compare prices, and book entirely online. No house calls, no phone calls required. Getting moved is easier than ever: Just tell us a little more about your relocation, and let’s get you on the road!