Photo: CityofSanCarlos, CC BY-SA 4.0
San Carlos, CA movers
San Carlos Movers for the Flats and the Hills
San Carlos movers for flatland bungalows near Laurel Street and hillside homes to the west. Hourly crews, 8-10 AM arrival. Call 1-877-417-6060.
Cal-T #0190543 · Licensed & insuredUS DOT 1783494
4.8★ · Over 1,000 reviews on Google, Yelp (San Jose, San Francisco) and Thumbtack
- Google4.8 / 79 reviews
- Cal-T#0190543
- US DOT1783494
- Hours7 days, 7 AM - 8 PM
- Based inSan Jose, CA
Two towns in one
San Carlos splits neatly in two. East of the Alameda de las Pulgas the ground is level: Howard Park, White Oaks, Burton Park and the blocks around Laurel Street, the walkable downtown near the Caltrain station. West of the Alameda the streets start to climb into the hills toward I-280, and the houses get bigger, the driveways steeper and the views wider. On the bay side of US-101 you find the San Carlos Airport and the Hiller Aviation Museum, along with offices and light industry rather than homes.
The move you have depends heavily on which side of that line you live on, so that is the first thing we ask.
Coming up from San Jose
San Carlos is about 23 miles northwest of downtown San Jose. Flatland addresses are closest to the US-101 exits at Holly Street and Brittan Avenue. For the hills, I-280 at Edgewood Road is often quicker and avoids El Camino traffic. Morning crews on the Peninsula arrive between 8 and 10 AM and call ahead about half an hour before. We do not bill for driving to you.
Every piece of furniture is fully wrapped and protected with moving blankets and tape, at no extra charge.
What the houses are like
In the flats, many homes are modest single-story bungalows and ranch houses from the middle of the last century, a good number expanded with a second floor. Rooms are a normal size and doors are standard, so these moves go quickly once the truck is parked. The catch is the street: narrow lots and driveways mean the truck usually stands at the curb, and on busy blocks near Laurel Street that space has to be planned.
In the hills, homes sit on sloped lots in neighborhoods such as Devonshire and the streets off Crestview Drive. Garages under the house, steps up to the entry and multi-level floor plans are typical. More time goes into the walk between the house and the truck, and occasionally the street is too tight for a full-size truck to turn.
Downtown has a growing number of condos and apartments, which usually want a COI and an elevator booking.
How San Carlos moves are priced
Most San Carlos homes get our standard three-person crew at $175 an hour. Bigger hillside houses, three-bedrooms over about 1,800 square feet or anything with four or more bedrooms, get four movers at $235. For a very small load, two movers at $145 is possible. We bill a 3-hour minimum and then in quarter hours, at the same rate every day of the week. Rates may vary based on dates and availability. Stairs, slopes and long walks are not extra; they are part of the time. Supplies like boxes and tape are charged as used, while moving blankets, floor protection and furniture assembly come with full service. Moving out of the area? If the two homes are more than a 10-minute drive apart, the drive between them is doubled, per California rules.
Hours and cost by home size in San Carlos
For anyone comparing movers in San Carlos, we grouped the billed hours from local jobs we closed between July and October 2026 by home size, which is where the ranges below come from. Easy access and packed boxes pull a move toward the low end; the actual charge is the rate times the hours, counted in quarter hours.
| Home size | Crew | Typical hours | Typical cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Studio | 3 movers, $175/hr | 3 to 4 hours | $525 to $700 |
| 1 bedroom | 3 movers, $175/hr | 3 to 5 hours | $525 to $875 |
| 2 bedrooms | 3 movers, $175/hr | 4.5 to 7.75 hours | $788 to $1,356 |
| 3 bedrooms, under about 1,800 sq ft | 3 movers, $175/hr | 7 to 12.5 hours | $1,225 to $2,188 |
| 3 bedrooms over about 1,800 sq ft, or 4+ bedrooms | 4 movers, $235/hr | 7 to 12.5 hours | $1,645 to $2,938 |
Based on billed hours from local moves for direct customers that we closed July to October 2026 (middle 50%), drive between addresses included; account or partner-billed jobs and full-packing jobs excluded. Add packing materials used. The 3-hour minimum applies to every move.
A flatland bungalow with the truck close by tends to sit low in its row; a multi-level hill home with a long walk to the curb sits higher.
Recent requests around San Carlos
San Carlos has sent us only a handful of quote requests recently, too few to give a fair number. Next door, Redwood City sent us 4 quote requests between mid-July and late October 2026, not counting account work, and 2 of them booked or completed.
Getting a San Carlos move ready
- Tell us flats or hills, and send a street-view photo if you are up a slope.
- For a house, book an in-person estimate. We do not quote from video.
- If the truck must use the street, check whether your block needs a temporary no-parking arrangement with the city, and plan it early.
- For a condo, get us the management name, mailing address and email for a free COI, and reserve the elevator.
- Clear the driveway on the morning of the move.
- Flag pianos and safes. A grand piano always needs four movers.
Other Peninsula pages
- Belmont: just north, with cul-de-sacs near 101 and a steeper hill district.
- Redwood City: to the south, with downtown apartments and Redwood Shores condos.
- Foster City: across 101, flat and built around lagoons.
- Emerald Hills: unincorporated hillside above Redwood City with narrow county roads.
- San Mateo: a larger city to the north with more high-rise buildings.
Details on supplies and storage: packing and storage.
Questions and answers
Do you charge extra for a hillside home in San Carlos?
No. We charge by the hour, and the extra steps on a slope are simply part of the time. If the street looks too narrow for our truck, David checks the access before move day and tells you whether a shuttle is needed, since it adds truck rental and labor.
We are moving a few blocks within Howard Park. Is there a minimum?
Yes, every move has a 3-hour minimum, then billing goes in 15-minute steps. A short move inside town can come in close to that minimum.
Can you take our TV off the wall?
Yes. We dismount it and can connect and set it up at the new place. We do not mount TVs on walls.
We need to store furniture between homes. How is that billed?
Storage is a flat monthly price in 30-day periods, and it is never discounted, so the quote holds month to month.
Who gets the tip?
Tips are optional and go directly to the movers who did your job.
Moving day, done right
They keep coming back.
4.8 on 79 Google reviews. Over 1,000 reviews on Google, Yelp (San Jose, San Francisco) and Thumbtack.
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