Moving from San Francisco to Portland: 2026 Cost & Time
635 mi · interstate
Typical cost, 2-bedroom home
$2,200–$3,275
Distance
635 mi
Drive time
~10 hrs
Typical transit
2–5 days
Off-peak baseline from our published rate model · how we calculate
Bay Area to Portland is a steady I-5 lifestyle-relocation lane. Two-way West Coast volume keeps it competitive; a two-day dedicated run is common, so delivery waits are short on this route.
Cost by home size
| Home size | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,050 | $1,275 | $1,550 |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,400 | $1,700 | $2,075 |
| 2 Bedroom | $2,200 | $2,675 | $3,275 |
| 3 Bedroom | $3,175 | $3,875 | $4,725 |
| 4 Bedroom | $4,400 | $5,375 | $6,550 |
| 5+ Bedroom | $5,350 | $6,525 | $7,950 |
What affects your San Francisco → Portland cost
- Around 635 miles, San Francisco to Portland sits in the middle per-mile tier, so distance and home size pull on the price about equally.
- Flexibility on your pickup or delivery window gives carriers room to consolidate your load, which usually trims the price.
- Your exact inventory is what shifts a range into a firm quote, which is why we show a range and the mover confirms it after a walkthrough.
Where the money goes on this move
The useful way to read a quote for this move is to split it. Crew hours are set by what you own; the 635 miles are set by the map. Only one of those is negotiable, and on this lane it is worth knowing which one carries the weight. For a 2-bedroom household, transport is about 62% of the pre-adjustment total here, and 58% at five bedrooms.
| Home size | Crew hours | Transport | Transport share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | $372 | $911 | 71% |
| 1 Bedroom | $496 | $1,192 | 71% |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,023 | $1,656 | 62% |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,395 | $2,484 | 64% |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,232 | $3,146 | 58% |
| 5+ Bedroom | $2,728 | $3,809 | 58% |
The per-mile rate falls as the distance grows, so a move twice as far is never twice the price. Averaged over 635 miles a 2-bedroom load works out near $2.61 a mile — a figure that would be higher on a shorter lane and lower on a longer one. This route's final mile falls in the 500–1,500 mi band.
Crew rates at each end of this move
Loading happens in one labor market and unloading in another. Below are the rates each of those markets carries, which are the numbers you would pay outright if either end of this were a local job.
| Market | Cost index | 3-mover crew | 2BR local move |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CALoading | 1.20 | $223/hr | $1,300 |
| Portland, ORUnloading | 1.06 | $197/hr | $1,150 |
San Francisco is the more expensive labor market of the two, at $223 an hour for a 3-mover crew against $197 in Portland — a $26 an hour gap that would matter a great deal if this were a local move at that end, and matters much less on a tariff-priced interstate job.
Access is where the estimate and the invoice most often part company, and the two ends of this move present different problems. San Francisco: This is the hardest access market in the country: Victorian walk-ups with four flights and no elevator, streets too narrow for a full-size truck, and permitted parking that has to be reserved with the city days ahead. Many jobs need a shuttle.
Portland: Older Craftsman housing across Southeast and North Portland has front steps, basements, and narrow driveways, and the inner neighborhoods are street-parking only, so crews carry further than the home size would suggest.
What changes this number
Below is what each optional decision costs on this specific corridor. Percentages hide the size of these; dollars do not.
| Decision | Adds | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Peak season (May–September) | +$401 | A 15% demand adjustment on this lane's base, the largest single date-driven swing available to you. |
| Last five days of the month | +$214 | Lease-end clustering. Stacks on top of peak season, so a late-August pickup carries both. |
| Full packing service | +$620 | A flat materials-and-labor charge that scales with home size, not with distance, so it is identical on every corridor at this size. |
| First month of storage | +$220 | Storage-in-transit while the destination is not ready. Redelivery out of storage is charged separately by most carriers. |
Peak season and an end-of-month date compound, so a late-July pickup carries both and lands roughly $615 over the off-peak baseline. It is the largest figure on this page you can change for free.
How this lane prices against its neighbours
If the destination is still open, the comparison worth seeing is cost, not distance. Every figure below is the same 2-bedroom benchmark computed the same way as the range at the top of this page.
| Destination | Distance | 2BR typical |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 382 mi | $2,150 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 755 mi | $2,875 |
| Seattle, WA | 810 mi | $2,950 |
| Denver, CO | 1,250 mi | $3,675 |
| Austin, TX | 1,754 mi | $4,350 |
| Origin | Distance | 2BR typical |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles, CA | 963 mi | $3,200 |
Estimates, not quotes: every figure is computed from one published model at $62 per mover per hour plus tiered mileage, and none is attributed to a named company. See the method.
Get your exact San Francisco → Portland quote
Your home size and date change this range. Answer six quick questions, the price appears instantly, before any contact form.
- No email required to see your price
- Licensed & insured movers only
- Your estimate is yours to keep either way
Prefer to talk? Call (561) 220-0117, free, no obligation.
San Francisco to Portland moving FAQ
A 2-bedroom move from San Francisco to Portland typically costs $2,200–$3,275 off-peak. Smaller homes (studio/1BR) run less; a 4–5 bedroom home can run $5,350–$7,950.
The route is about 635 miles (~10 hours of driving). Carriers typically deliver in 2–5 days depending on consolidation and season.
October through April, mid-month, on a weekday. Peak season (May–September) adds about 15%, and the last five days of any month add roughly 8%.
Yes, this is an interstate move (CA to OR), so any mover you hire must hold active USDOT and FMCSA operating authority. We only refer licensed, insured carriers.
On our published model a 2-bedroom household prices at $2,200–$3,275, of which about $1,023 is crew hours to load and unload and about $1,656 is transport over 635 miles. Interstate carriers quote against a published tariff, so two companies pricing the same inventory should land near each other; a quote far below this band usually means the inventory was under-counted, not that the company is cheaper.
Moving off-peak saves about $401 on the 2-bedroom benchmark, avoiding the last five days of the month saves about $214, and packing yourself keeps $620 off the bill. Those three decisions are worth more on this lane than shopping a fourth carrier.
San Francisco. A 3-mover crew bills about $223/hour there against about $197/hour in Portland, a $26/hour difference on the crew. On an interstate move that matters less than it would locally, because the carrier prices the whole job on weight and distance rather than by the hour at each end.
Related routes
- Moving from Los Angeles to Portland
- Moving from Los Angeles to Las Vegas
- Moving from San Francisco to Seattle
- Moving from Los Angeles to Phoenix
- Moving from Los Angeles to Austin
- Moving from San Francisco to Austin
- Moving from Los Angeles to Denver
- Moving from Los Angeles to Dallas
Explore statewide costs and cities: moving to Oregon · moving to California.