The short answer
Two pricing systems, and you take whichever is cheaper for your pile.
Per item. Sofa $126. Queen mattress $103. Refrigerator $164. TV between 42 and 65 inches $68. Patio chair $30.
By truck fill. Quarter $241, three-eighths $338, half $431, five-eighths $513, three-quarters $587, seven-eighths $661, full $732.
Minimum per visit: $75. That is the floor, not an add-on. If your items total more than $75, you just pay the item prices.
What follows is the same list organized the way people actually shop: by the job they are trying to finish.
One-thing jobs
The most common call in this city is a single object somebody cannot move alone.
| Job | Price |
|---|---|
| Sofa | $126 |
| Loveseat | $119 |
| Recliner | $98 |
| Queen mattress | $103 |
| Mattress and box spring set | $143 |
| Refrigerator | $164 |
| Washer | $133 |
| Treadmill | $115 |
| Hot tub / spa | $322 |
| Upright piano | $290 |
Every one of those is above the $75 minimum, so the item price is the price.
One-room jobs
Bedroom, Chula Vista. Queen mattress and box spring set $143 + standard bed frame $68 + dresser $126 + nightstand $57 = $394.
Living room, North Park bungalow. Sofa $126 + armchair $77 + coffee table $67 + bookshelf $72 = $342.
Home office, Scripps Ranch. Desk $83 + office chair $61 + bookshelf $72 + computer monitor $58 = $274.
Patio, Pacific Beach. Patio table $89 + four patio chairs ($30 + $30 + $30 + $30 = $120) + propane grill $71 = $280.
Compare each against the quarter truck at $241. A single room often beats it; two rooms usually do not.
Whole-home jobs
Once you are past one room, stop counting items and size the truck.
- Studio or stripped one-bedroom - quarter to three-eighths truck, $241 to $338. Typical for an Ocean Beach or City Heights unit at lease end.
- Furnished one-bedroom - half truck, $431. Typical Hillcrest, North Park or Mission Valley move-out.
- Two-bedroom - three-quarters, $587. Mira Mesa, Clairemont, Chula Vista.
- Three-bedroom house with a full garage - a full load at $732, often twice. Allied Gardens, San Carlos, Serra Mesa, Rancho Bernardo.
The reason San Diego skews toward the big end is structural: no basements. Everything that would live under a house in another city lives in the garage here, and the garage is part of the job.
What does not change the price
This is the part that surprises people who have bought junk removal elsewhere. None of the following adds anything:
- Stairs. A third-floor walk-up in Pacific Beach with an exterior stairwell is the same price as a ground-floor unit.
- Canyon lots. Forty steps down from the street to the front door in Del Cerro, Mission Hills or Bay Park - same price.
- Distance to the truck. Long interior corridors in a Mission Valley garden complex, or a truck parked on the street because the La Jolla driveway is too steep - same price.
- Neighborhood. Oceanside, Coronado, National City, Escondido: same published prices.
- Day of week. No weekend or same-day surcharge.
- Disposal. Included in the item price, including the handling that mattresses, electronics and refrigerant appliances legally require in California.
The seasonal pattern
Prices do not move with the season here, but availability does, and San Diego's calendar is unusually spiky.
May and June are student move-out - SDSU and the College Area first, then UCSD and the University City rentals. June through August is military PCS season around Coronado, Point Loma, Murphy Canyon and the Miramar corridor, plus beach lease turnover in PB, OB and Mission Beach. September and October bring the Santa Ana winds and the yard-clearing that follows. January is the garage and the decluttering resolution.
If your job falls in the summer block, book it as soon as you have a date. The price will be the same in July as in February; the Saturday slots will not be.
Where the money usually goes
Looking across the job types, three categories account for most of a typical San Diego invoice:
- Upholstery. Sofa $126, sectional $141 or $185, sleeper $149. Heavy, bulky, and rarely donatable once the sun has had it.
- Appliances. Fridge $164, side-by-side $183, washer $133, dryer $128, chest freezer $146. Every San Diego garage has at least one.
- The pile. Small $82, medium $129, large $208 - the loose remainder that does not have a name.
If you want a fast mental estimate: count the upholstery, count the appliances, add one pile size, and check the result against the truck ladder.
How to check a quote from anyone
Four questions that separate a real number from a headline:
- Is disposal included or billed after?
- Is there a stair, walk-up or long-carry charge?
- Is there an extra charge for mattresses, TVs or refrigerant appliances?
- What is the minimum for a visit?
Ours: included; no; no; $75. If another company answers the same way, you are comparing like with like. If they will not answer until a crew is in your driveway, you are not comparing anything yet.
Frequently asked questions
Is the price different in North County or the South Bay?
No. Published item and truck-fill prices are the same across the San Diego market - Oceanside, El Cajon, Chula Vista, La Jolla.
Does the $75 minimum get added to my item total?
No. It is a floor. A sofa at $126 costs $126. Only a list totalling under $75 gets rounded up to $75.
What is the single most common San Diego job?
A sofa at $126 and a mattress set at $143 out of a beach-area apartment at the end of a lease, which is $126 + $143 = $269.
How accurate are the truck-fill tiers?
Accurate enough that we publish them. Send photos if you are between tiers and we will tell you which one it is before you book - the tiers step in eighths, so you are never jumping from a quarter to a full.
Is sales tax added?
The price you see when you book is the price you are charged. No line items appear afterwards.