What changes on a cross-country move
Chicago to Los Angeles is about 2,015 road miles. Federal hours-of-service rules limit a truck driver to 11 hours of driving a day, so even a truck that goes directly needs five days or more on the road.
That one constraint shapes everything else:
- Delivery comes as a window, not a time. Your written paperwork should state the dates.
- You usually travel faster than your furniture. Plan for nights in your new home before the truck arrives.
- Packing has to survive days of road vibration. A box that is fine across town can fail in Nebraska.
- Weather and season enter the plan. Winter on I-80 and summer heat in the Southwest both affect what you carry yourself.
Shared truck or dedicated truck
This is the main decision on a cross-country move, and it changes both price and timing.
| Shared load | Dedicated truck | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Your shipment rides with others heading the same way | Your household is the only load |
| Price | Usually lower | Usually higher |
| Delivery | Wider window | Tighter window |
| Handling | More stops along the way | Fewer transfers and stops |
| Best for | Flexible dates, smaller homes | Fixed dates, larger homes |
We go deeper in shared load vs dedicated truck.
What a cross-country move costs
Weight and distance set the base price. A one-bedroom going 2,000 miles and a four-bedroom going the same distance are very different jobs.
| Home | Typical weight | 1,000 miles | 2,000 miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Few items | about 1,200 lb | $1,100 to $1,750 | $1,100 to $1,750 |
| Studio | about 2,000 lb | $1,100 to $1,750 | $1,400 to $2,250 |
| 1 bedroom | about 3,000 lb | $1,550 to $2,500 | $2,100 to $3,350 |
| 2 bedroom | about 5,500 lb | $2,850 to $4,600 | $3,850 to $6,150 |
| 3 bedroom | about 8,500 lb | $4,400 to $7,050 | $5,950 to $9,500 |
| 4 bedroom | about 12,000 lb | $6,250 to $10,000 | $8,400 to $13,450 |
| 5+ bedroom | about 15,500 lb | $8,050 to $12,900 | $10,850 to $17,350 |
Packing, storage and hard access add to these numbers. See the cost to move across the country for what pushes a bill up or down.
Cross-country lines we plan most often
- Chicago to California: about 2,015 to 2,130 miles.
- Chicago to Washington: about 2,060 miles to Seattle.
- Chicago to Arizona: about 1,800 miles.
- Chicago to Nevada: about 1,750 miles to Las Vegas.
- Chicago to Florida: about 1,160 to 1,380 miles.
- California to Chicago: the same distance, in reverse.
How to get ready
Start with less. Weight drives the bill, so every sold or donated dresser saves real money over 2,000 miles. Our moving out of state checklist gives you a week-by-week plan, and how to move across the country covers the bigger decisions.
Keep documents, medications, jewelry and anything irreplaceable with you. Valuation rules also treat items worth more than $100 per pound differently, so read valuation coverage before you pack.