Best Moving Companies In Carlsbad, California Of 2025

• College Hunks Hauling Junk and Moving North San Diego
• Coast Valley Moving & Storage
• Mission Minded: Moving, Deliveries & Junk Removal
• Space Moving – Moving and Storage San Diego
• Chief Moving Company
• Vector Moving and Storage – Poway Moving Company
• JFK Moving Company in San Diego
• Credo Moving Inc
• Trust Moving Company

The Carlsbad metro area offers a plethora of moving options, but selecting a reliable and capable company requires careful evaluation and thorough research. Below are the 10 best moving companies for your move in Carlsbad that can help with your local or national move. Take a closer look at each to make sure you select the one that aligns perfectly with your specific wants and needs.

Pricing shouldn’t be the only aspect you consider when it comes to selecting the best moving company for your move within or away from Carlsbad. This list of additional factors will help you choose the perfect team of movers and mitigate the overall stress of packing and relocating.

Distance

Of course, how far you’re traveling will impact your overall cost. A move from Carlsbad to another nearby town or city will cost hundreds or even thousands of dollars less than a move across the country.

Busy Seasons

Moving season picks up between April and October of each year, mainly because of the temperate and easy-to-navigate weather patterns throughout the majority of the U.S. If you plan a move in this timeframe, you just might pay more than if you were to move during an off-season month, like December or January.

Regulations and Licenses

Moving companies in Carlsbad are required to have a valid Department of Transportation (USDOT) number. If the company also completes out-of-state moves, it must register with the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Make sure your mover is also licensed and insured so your belongings are protected during your move. All of this information lives online, so it should be easy to track down this information quickly.

Established Reputation

As with most of the products and services we buy, ratings and reviews should be a large driving force behind which moving company you choose. You can learn a lot about a moving company by the number of years it has been in business and past customer experiences. Before deciding on a company, check sites like the Better Business Bureau (BBB), Trustpilot, Google, Facebook and Yelp to read reviews and get a sense of the company’s rating and performance.

Service Area Coverage

Depending on where you’re moving to or from, service area coverage may matter a little or a lot. Either way, it’s good information to know about the company that you choose. If your move involves staying within the Carlsbad metro area, a local moving company can help you. However, if you’re planning a much larger move to or from Carlsbad across the state or nation, you will need to make sure that the Carlsbad moving company you choose offers long-distance moving services.

Services Available

Moving services are the bare minimum that a company offers. Many movers will also offer packing and unpacking services at an add-on cost, specialty moving for items like pianos, antique cars and expensive art or storage services to keep your items safe long-term. Consider your particular move and which services you want to accompany the moving services provided.

Financing, Estimates and Insurance Valuations

Final costs will, of course, factor heavily into your moving company hiring decision. Be sure to seek out price estimates from multiple movers before making your final selection.

Some companies require in-person or video consultations before offering a final quote, but the additional effort is well worth it. Pricing transparency is key to avoiding any hidden fees that could come up at the end of the move. To do your part, make sure you provide a thorough itemized list to ensure you get the most accurate quote.

When it comes to insurance, get familiar with each company’s coverage options. If your belongings are more fragile and costly, it may be worth it to choose a pricier but all-encompassing insurance. Finally, to determine just how big of a moving truck you’ll need, check out our moving calculator.

Company Size

The size of any moving company should also be taken into consideration as it can highlight how much experience the business has. Larger establishments, for example, are more often able to accommodate larger moves and may have a wider selection of insurance packages.

Plus, sizable companies also tend to have more availability than their smaller counterparts.

With a little knowledge and effort, finding the best moving company in Carlsbad is easy. Follow these tips to get started.

Check Carlsbad Mover Reviews

Customer reviews are incredibly informative, providing valuable insights into a company’s trustworthiness and dedication to customer satisfaction. To find the recent moving company reviews, look at platforms like Facebook and Google. You can directly request customer testimonials from the company itself.

Choose a Company That Knows Carlsbad

Although you might encounter a handful of nearby national moving companies, verifying that they are well-acquainted with the ins and outs of Carlsbad is still important. A moving company that has a good understanding of the city’s layout, peak traffic hours and the specific characteristics of your neighborhood can be vital for minimizing any confusion on the day of the move.

Look Out for Red Flags

Sadly, the moving industry is no stranger to scams. To protect yourself, it’s important to spot any warning signs by asking the appropriate question early on to your prospective moving company. Always request a written contract before making any deposit. Also be sure to read reviews and check the Better Business Bureau (BBB) for any complaints, violations or significant red flags. Lastly, be sure to have everything documented in writing.

The average Carlsbad moving cost is around $2,061, ranging from $1,178 to $3,165. This accounts for a team of two professional movers on a local job of 100 miles or less. Factors that affect the overall cost include home size, the number of bedrooms and the total miles traveled between point A to point B.

TYPE OF MOVE	LOW ESTIMATE	HIGH ESTIMATE
Local	$1,178	$3,165
Interstate	$3,238	$8,390

Source: Moving costs calculated using national averages and city-specific cost of living data from multiple databases. All averaged figures were correct at the time of publication and may be subject to change.

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Cost for Local Moves

Short-distance moves involve travel within a single town or from one town to another. These types of commutes can still be costly, though. Your total price will depend on how large your current home is, how much furniture you have and how many movers are needed to complete the job.

Average Cost of Movers Per Hour

Local movers typically charge anywhere from $30 to $60 per mover per hour for their services. To hire two movers for four hours, for example, you can expect to pay a minimum of $240 to $480 for labor alone. Things like transportation fees, tips, packing supplies and gas may also contribute to your total cost.

The below table demonstrates the average cost to hire movers (based on the typical hourly rate of $88 in Carlsbad) for a short-distance move according to the number of bedrooms in your home.

HOME SIZE	NUMBER OF MOVERS	NUMBER OF HOURS	AVERAGE MOVING COST
Studio / one-bedroom	2	4	$707
Two-bedroom	3	6	$1,590
Three-bedroom	4	7	$2,473
Four-bedroom	4	9	$3,180
Five-bedroom	5	12	$5,299

Source: Costs calculated using national averages and city-specific cost of living data from multiple databases. All averaged figures were correct at the time of publication and may be subject to change.

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Movers and Packers Costs

If you prefer not to do the packing for your move or handle the more time-consuming aspects, many moving companies can do the job for an additional cost. The additional fee will often be determined by how many things need to be packed, what packing materials are used and how much everything weighs. For a specialty service like this, you can expect the cost of moving to be $2,300 and up, or $3,386 in Carlsbad.

If you elect this service, the moving company may also pack your furniture items and store them for a short span of days or weeks before delivering and unloading. Because this might happen, it’s best to pack and transport essential clothing, medicine and important paperwork yourself.

Specialty Moving Services Cost

Specialty items, large furniture like pianos, swing sets and animal enclosures will also typically affect your moving cost. These specialty moving services may add an additional $400 to $2,000, on average, to your total.

If your plan is to move into Carlsbad, there’s a lot to figure out beyond the move. Whether you’re moving to Carlsbad for work or pleasure, family or just because, you’ll want to get an understanding of your cost of living.

Carlsbad’s cost of living is higher than the national average, so it’s important to feel confident that you can afford to live in the area. Carlsbad has a population of 114,160 and 44,350 households, as well as higher taxes than the national average.

Other factors that may matter to you depending on your lifestyle and family are schools in the area, quality of healthcare and hospitals near where you plan to live and typical weather patterns throughout the year.

Best Moving Companies in California by City

Looking for a moving company in Carlsbad or another city in California? See our list of best moving companies by city in California here.

For this list, Forbes Home analyzed the customer service quality of nearby movers in the Carlsbad area. We ranked each mover based on several data points within the category of customer experience.
Here’s the weighting assigned to each category:

Ratio of Low to High Star Ratings (50%)

We analyzed the number of Google reviews for each company against the ratings associated with those reviews. Companies with a higher percentage of positive reviews received more points than companies with a higher rate of negative reviews.

Response Time (25%)

Companies that offer speedy response times received more points than companies with longer or inconsistent response times.

Hours of Operation (10%)

Movers with longer operating hours are considered more accessible and thus received a higher score.

Ratio of Complaints to Reviews (10%)

We compared the number of complaints for each mover based on their reviews. A lower complaints ratio resulted in a higher score. The complaints ratio is based on the top five most relevant reviews according to Google.

Offers a Website (5%)

Movers with an official website received a higher score, as we believe it indicates professionalism and provides customers with additional information.

Other Important Methodology Notes

1. Bayesian rating: We computed a Bayesian rating for each mover based on their average rating and total number of ratings. This provides a more reliable score than a simple average rating, especially when comparing businesses with different numbers of ratings.
2. Response time: We estimated each mover’s response time based on their reviews. A faster response time results in a higher score. We surmised that a mover with more reviews and a higher average rating has a faster response time.
3. Total score: We then calculated the total score for each mover by applying the category weights to each data point.

Data sources

1. Population data, including number of households and number of moves: U.S. Census
2. Precipitation data: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
3. Number of sunny days: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
4. USDOT licensing information: Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)
5. Single filer tax rate averages: The Tax Foundation
6. Moving costs: Calculated using national averages and city-specific cost of living data from multiple databases.

Note: All averaged figures were correct at the time of publication and may be subject to change.