Movers from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, PA
| Long-Distance Moving Services

Los Angeles to Philadelphia Moving Cost & Timeline

How Much Does It Cost to Move from Los Angeles to Philadelphia?

*Based on recent moves from Move & Care Los Angeles, CA to Philadelphia, PA. Prices vary based on availability, seasonality, and any special items like pianos or safes.

Independent route studies for Los Angeles → Philadelphia typically put full-service moves somewhere between about $1,500 and $11,500+, with most two- to three-bedroom homes landing in the mid-$3,700 to $7,500 range depending on services and timing. Move & Care prices sit inside that band, but we quote a guaranteed flat rate so you know the number before a single box is lifted—no fuel surcharge surprises, no stair fees, no “weekend upcharge.”

Our flat rate includes your professional crew, a dedicated truck, the ~2,700-mile trip between Los Angeles and Philadelphia, all tolls and gas, basic valuation coverage, moving blankets and straps, the required equipment kit, and a Certificate of Insurance (COI) for buildings in LA or Philadelphia that need one.

How Your Los Angeles → Philadelphia Rate Is Built

Your Move & Care coordinator will do the following during your quote:

• Shows the distance (about 2,741 miles between Los Angeles and Philadelphia) and the expected drive time within the federal hours-of-service rules;
• Lists everything in your home, room by room, even big or fragile things like pianos, safes, art, glass tops, and exercise equipment.
• Notes on how to get to the building from both ends, including elevators, loading docks, stairs, and where we can park the truck.
• Confirms any extras like full or partial packing, custom crating, short- or long-term storage, or situations where things need to be carried for a long time.
• Creates a written, itemized quote so you can see exactly how the price is broken down.

Want to make the cost more precise? We can make hybrid options like "pack only the kitchen and fragile items" or "move only large furniture" while you take care of the rest. This is often the best way to stay within your budget without doing everything yourself.

How to Save on a Los Angeles to Philadelphia Move

There are a number of things that affect your price on this route:

• Home size & inventory: fewer rooms and less furniture mean a smaller truck and crew.
• Date & season:  if you can be flexible with your dates in the spring or late fall, you might be able to find better deals.
• Access: reserved elevators, secure loading zones, and clear walking paths all mean less work time.
• Service level: it costs more to load a home that is already packed than to pack and unpack it completely.
• Flexibility: if you're okay with a delivery window that's a little wider, we can sometimes optimize routing and pass the savings on to you.

If you rent a truck or container on your own, you have to pay for everything yourself. With Move & Care, your flat rate covers all driving, fuel, tolls, and labour. You can still compare us to a quote for renting a truck or container. We'll gladly show you the total "all-in" cost, which includes hotels, gas, food, and time off work, so you can choose what works best for you.

It's easy to pay: cash payments get a small discount, while card payments pay the normal bank processing fee. In either case, your deposit locks in both the date and the flat rate, so the price won't go up as you get closer to moving day.

Get a free estimate for moving from LA to Philadelphia.

Sample 2,700-Mile Moving Timeline

If you use Move & Care to move from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, your things will arrive in about four to seven days. The exact time will depend on how easy it is to get to your building, how much stuff you have, and the weather along the way.

Our team gets to Los Angeles first thing in the morning on Day 1. After covering the floors and doorways, we pad-wrap and shrink-wrap your furniture, load labelled boxes, and secure everything in our air-ride truck. By late afternoon, your truck is heading east, usually along major interstate highways that are safe and fast.

Two licensed drivers will take turns driving for the next few days, following federal rest rules. Your coordinator sends you a GPS location update every night so you always know where your shipment is and when it will arrive in Pennsylvania.

We get to the Philadelphia metro area by Day 4–7. For example, if you live in Centre City, that could mean a high-rise elevator, a narrow rowhouse block in Fishtown or South Philly, or a driveway in Manayunk or on the Main Line. There are no detours to a warehouse unless you've asked for storage. Unloading, placing furniture, and putting things back together all happen on the same day your shipment arrives.

Service Options for Your Los Angeles to Philadelphia Move

We make your Los Angeles to Philadelphia plan based on the services you really need because every move is different.

Full-Service Interstate Moving

Most people on this route choose full-service moving. We pack (if you want us to), load, drive the whole 2,700 miles, unload, put the furniture back together, and put it in your new home in Philadelphia. If you have kids, pets, work, or a tight closing schedule, this is the easiest way to go.

Packing & Unpacking Options

• Full packing means that we box up everything in every room, label everything by where it's going, and bring everything.
• Partially packing means "pack only the kitchen," "pack only breakables," or any other custom mix.
• Unpacking and decluttering: we can take things out of boxes, put them on flat surfaces, and take empty boxes to their destination.

Moving & Storage Solutions

If your lease in Philadelphia starts after your move-out date in LA, we can combine your move across state lines with safe short- or long-term storage. We load once in Los Angeles, store it safely, and then deliver it to Philadelphia on the date you want—no moving it around in public storage.

Labor-Only Help, Containers & DIY Truck Rentals

Are you thinking about full-service moving, containers, or truck rentals? We can also help with hybrid moves:

• Labor-only loading in Los Angeles: our team will professionally load your rental truck or portable container so that it is tight, safe, and balanced.
• Labor-only unloading in Philadelphia: when you get there, we can meet your truck or container, take out the furniture, and put it together.
• Consultative planning: even if we aren't driving the truck, we can help you pick the right size truck or container and make a load plan.

Small & Partial Loads

Are you only moving a studio, a small one-bedroom apartment, or part of a shipment from Los Angeles to Philadelphia? We often help people move small things between states, and we can group some shipments together while still giving clear, written delivery windows.

Auto Transport Coordination

Most families don't want to drive both the car and the moving truck for more than 2,700 miles. When you hire a third-party auto shipper to move your car from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, they usually charge around the middle of the four figures. Depending on the carrier and schedule, it usually takes 7 to 15 days. We work with your car carrier to set up pickup and delivery dates so that your car and other items get there when you need them to.

What to Know Before Moving from Los Angeles to Philadelphia

Cost of Living: Why Your LA → Philly Move Often Lowers Monthly Expenses

A lot of people move from Los Angeles to Philadelphia to save money. Recent studies of the cost of living and routes show that a single person's daily expenses in Philadelphia can be 40–60% lower than in Los Angeles. Families can save a lot of money too, especially on rent and housing.

Third-party analyses frequently find:

• In Philadelphia, the average rent for both one-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments is lower than in Los Angeles.
• The median home prices in the Philadelphia area are much lower.
• Lower overall daily costs for things like groceries, utilities, and getting around town.

If you want to see how your current LA budget compares to a realistic Philadelphia budget, tools like NerdWallet's or Forbes Advisor's cost of living calculators can help you do that.

Housing & Rent: New Tenant Protections in Philadelphia

Philadelphia has also put in place local rules to help renters with the costs of moving in. The city's new Move-In Affordability Plan limits the amount of money that can be charged for rental applications and lets some tenants pay their security deposits over several months instead of all at once. When you move from LA, where rent can add up quickly, that can make moving into your new Philadelphia apartment less stressful financially.

Parking & Permits in Both Cities

In crowded neighbourhoods, just getting a moving truck parked close to the door can be half the battle. Moving trucks and storage containers can park on the curb in Los Angeles and Philadelphia with temporary "No Parking" or loading permits.

In Philadelphia, the Streets Department and Parking Authority give out Temporary No Parking (TNP) permits just for moving trucks and storage containers. You usually have to apply for these permits several days in advance and put them up 24 to 48 hours before your move. In Los Angeles, local parking rules may require temporary signs or permission for large vehicles, which is usually handled by LADOT or city parking offices.

Move & Care helps you with all of this by working with building managers, giving you advice on how long it will take to get a permit, and making sure your truck isn't going around the block while the clock is running.

Getting Around After You Arrive

Once you're settled in, it's easy to get around Philadelphia without having to drive like in LA. The city's dense, walkable neighbourhoods and good public transportation (SEPTA buses, trolleys, subways, and regional rail) make it easy to do so. A lot of our customers move to places like Centre City, University City, Fishtown, Northern Liberties, South Philly, Manayunk, and nearby suburbs along the Main Line. Each of these areas has its own vibe, rent level, and commute profile.

The Moving Process (Los Angeles to Philadelphia)

Preparation

Your dedicated coordinator, who is an expert in moving people from Los Angeles to Philadelphia every week, will start with a quick phone or video survey. We write down everything, ask about the rules for the building, and mark any valuable or fragile items for special handling. We can bring  packing supplies to your home in LA ahead of time if you need them.

We are a licensed interstate carrier, so we have to follow the rules set by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). We give you links to FMCSA's official booklet "Your Rights and Responsibilities When You Move" and other consumer-education materials before you move. This way, you know exactly what to expect from any interstate mover, not just us. 

Moving Day in Los Angeles

On the day of the move, a crew in uniforms shows up on time in a truck that is in good shape. We:

• Before the first item leaves your home, make sure the floors, railings, and doorways are safe.
• Wrap and pad every piece of furniture, and put fragile things in a box or crate.
• Put labels on boxes that say what room they belong in and how important they are (for example, "open first," "kitchen," "kids' room," etc.).
• Load in the order that matches your delivery plan: bedframes and other important items go on last and come off first.

After everything is loaded, we do a final walkthrough with you to confirm your delivery window. Then, your truck starts its journey across the country to Philadelphia.

Transit

Your package stays on our truck for almost 2,700 miles, so there are no surprises at the back of the warehouse. Drivers follow federal rules about how many hours they can work, sleep overnight, and stay in touch with your coordinator. You'll get regular GPS updates and a heads-up the day before delivery so you can plan around work, kids, or elevator reservations.

Delivery & Unpacking in Philadelphia

We come on the day of delivery during the time you set, and we already have all the city permits and building COIs in order. The team:

• Puts down protection for the floor and door before unloading.
• Brings boxes straight to their labelled rooms to keep things from getting too messy inside.
• Rebuilds beds, sectional sofas, and other furniture that has been taken apart.
• Based on your instructions, places furniture until the rooms feel right.
• Before we leave, we take away all the packing materials and trash that we used.

We finish the job with a joint walkthrough to make sure everything got there safely. Only then do we close it out, so you can start exploring Philadelphia instead of fighting with cardboard.

Who We Move from Los Angeles to Philadelphia

• For families and individuals: there are apartments, condos, and single-family homes of all sizes.
• Office and corporate moves: planned moves after hours, IT-friendly packing, and plans that happen in stages so your team can keep working.
• Student moves: quick, affordable moves to and from colleges and universities in the area, such as the University of Pennsylvania, Drexel, Temple, and others.
• Senior moves: crews that are extra patient, shorter timelines, and door-to-closet setup for downsizing or moving closer to family.
• Small and partial loads: include moving to a studio apartment, a pied-à-terre, or "ship only the essentials" moves.
• Military and government: help with PCS-style moves and moves that are related to federal, state, or local government jobs.

We take care of the logistics so you can focus on the other things that come with moving from Los Angeles to Philadelphia, like your new job, new city, and new routine that doesn't include LA traffic.