The Chicago to Los Angeles Corridor, Mile by Mile
Chicago and Los Angeles sit roughly 2,000 miles apart, and the most common freight path follows the old Route 66 line. Trucks leave Illinois on I-55, pick up I-44 through Missouri and into Oklahoma, then run I-40 across the Texas Panhandle, New Mexico and Arizona before dropping through the Mojave Desert into Southern California. Freight routing can vary, so your load may instead take I-80 through Nebraska, Wyoming and Utah, then I-15 south through Nevada.
Either way, the trip spans two climates. A Chicago pickup between November and March can mean ice on the back stairs and wood furniture going from a warm apartment into a freezing truck. The high desert along I-40 in northern Arizona and New Mexico also sees winter snow, while summer brings long, hot days across the Mojave. Our packers wrap and pad every piece with a week on the road in mind, and TVs, monitors and gaming systems go through our electronics shipping service.
How Long Moving from Chicago to Los Angeles Takes
Timing comes in two parts: the wait for a pickup date and the drive itself. Pickup is scheduled 2 to 10 business days after you book, and same-week pickup is often possible, though extra fees may apply. Once your shipment is loaded, transit to Los Angeles takes about 5 to 7 business days.
Added together, allow 7 to 17 business days from booking to delivery. If your Chicago lease ends on a fixed date, book at least 10 days ahead so you get the pickup day you want.
Chicago to Los Angeles Moving Cost by Load Size
These are the published ranges for this route. Distance is the same for everyone on the lane, so what moves your price is the actual packed weight of your shipment and the space it takes in the trailer.
| What You’re Moving |
Estimated Cost |
| A few furniture pieces + boxes (~500 lbs) |
$950 to $1,400 |
| Bedroom set (bed, dresser, nightstand, boxes) |
$1,200 to $1,800 |
| Studio apartment contents (~1,000 lbs) |
$1,600 to $2,300 |
| One-bedroom apartment (~1,500 lbs) |
$2,000 to $2,800 |
| Route |
Small Load (~500 lbs) |
Medium Load (~1,200 lbs) |
| Chicago to Los Angeles |
$950 to $1,400 |
$1,750 to $2,600 |
| Chicago to San Diego |
$975 to $1,450 |
$1,800 to $2,650 |
| Chicago to San Francisco |
$975 to $1,450 |
$1,800 to $2,650 |
| Chicago to Las Vegas |
$900 to $1,350 |
$1,650 to $2,500 |
Packing is included in every one of these figures, and the online estimator gives the exact number for your item list. On a 2,000-mile route, every piece you sell or donate in Chicago comes straight off the bill, so sort before you book: a worn futon or a particleboard bookcase can cost more to ship than to replace once you arrive. Financing is available through Enhancify if you would rather spread the cost out.
Pickup in Chicago: Two-Flats, Alleys and Lakefront Towers
Much of the city’s housing makes pickup straightforward. Many blocks in Roscoe Village, Irving Park and Albany Park have an alley behind the building, which gives a truck somewhere to load away from street traffic. The harder part is often inside: greystones in Humboldt Park and older two-flats tend to have narrow interior stairs or a wooden back porch staircase down to the yard.
Every estimate includes white glove pickup from the first floor of the home. Tell us the floor, the stairs and where a truck can stop when you book, so the crew arrives with the right materials.
Towers in Lakeshore East and loft buildings in Printers Row often require a reserved service elevator window, so call (866) 333-8018 to check access at your building before you book. Pickup from a suburb such as Arlington Heights, Downers Grove or Wheaton is usually a simpler driveway job, and the same pricing by weight applies.
Delivery in Los Angeles: Hillside Streets, Courtyard Walk-Ups and Permit Parking
Los Angeles delivery has its own puzzles. Hillside homes in Mount Washington or above Studio City sit on narrow, winding streets where a large truck cannot always reach the door. Older courtyard and garden apartments in Mar Vista, Sherman Oaks and Glendale often put units up an exterior staircase, and many neighborhoods limit street parking with permit districts and weekly street sweeping.
You choose how the shipment arrives. Full Service brings it inside your home, Curbside Delivery leaves it at the nearest accessible point (the practical choice on a tight hillside lane), and Will-Call lets you collect it at the destination terminal for the lowest price. If parking or building access at your new address is tight, call (866) 333-8018 before you book.
We deliver across the metro, from Santa Monica and Manhattan Beach to Atwater Village and South Pasadena. If your new place is not ready when your furniture arrives, short-term storage is available at the destination terminal.
Who Ships from Chicago to Los Angeles
Common reasons for this move include production and studio jobs around Burbank, tech and media roles in the Westside’s Silicon Beach, graduate programs at UCLA and USC, and retirees who are done with Illinois winters. Many are partial moves: one partner goes ahead with a bedroom set and a work setup while the rest of the household follows later. If an employer is paying for the move, see our corporate relocation service; a small business heading west can start with our office moves page.
Housing drives the size of the load. Rent in Los Angeles generally runs higher than in Chicago for the same space, so people often trade a roomy two-bedroom for a smaller one-bedroom and ship only the pieces that will fit. Measure the new place before you book, since a sectional that filled a Chicago living room may not clear a narrow LA stairwell.
This route ends with delivery in Los Angeles. For delivery details across the city, see our small moves in Los Angeles page.
Heading the other direction? See our small moves from Los Angeles to Chicago.
