Moving to or from Hawaii
Every move between Hawaii and another state crosses the ocean. Matson's household-goods rates, in effect since June 1, 2026, put a 20-foot container at about $8,060 from a West Coast port to Honolulu and $4,830 the other way, before trucking and loading. Door-to-door containers and full-service movers are below.
Moving cost: from $5,350
Moving a 2–3 bedroom home from California to Hawaii goes by sea. Published prices run from about $5,350 to $11,000 or more, depending on the method. Ocean freight alone runs about $8,060 to $8,910 before trucking and loading.
These are published prices for a 2–3 bedroom home, dated in each row, not quotes for your move. Ocean freight changes with fuel surcharges and sailing schedules, so get at least three written quotes.
| Moving method | Published range |
|---|---|
| Moving container, door to door You pack and load; U-Pack ships its ReloCubes by sea. Its quote from Sacramento, CA (the nearest of three starting points it published) for March 2024 moves; prices have likely risen since. | $5,350 – $7,490 |
| Shipping container you load, port to port Matson's published household-goods rates (from June 1, 2026, with its 14% fuel surcharge): 20-ft container from a West Coast port to Honolulu, up to 40-ft. Add trucking and loading. | $8,060 – $8,910 |
| Full-service movers Starting prices published by a Hawaii mover (Royal Hawaiian Movers, July 2026); it gives no upper figure. | From $11,000 |
Port-to-port rows cover the ocean leg only: add trucking to and from the ports, loading and unloading. Honolulu prices: moves to or from Maui, Kauai or the Big Island cost more.
Ranges combine 198 published quote ranges on 22 interstate routes (moveBuddha, retrieved 2026-09-24) with 47 independent published prices from U-Pack, HireAHelper and Move.org, which raised the top of several ranges. They are not quotes; get at least three written estimates.
Alaska and Hawaii ranges come from published carrier rates and moving quotes, dated in each row (Matson's household-goods rates, U-Pack, Royal Hawaiian Movers). See how we estimate.
For a 2–3 bedroom home, published prices start at about $5,350 to move to Hawaii and $4,830 of ocean freight to move away, before trucking and loading. Use the calculator for other home sizes and states.
What a Hawaii move costs, by home size
Published prices from carriers and moving companies, 2024–2026. Every move between Hawaii and another state crosses the ocean, so the price depends on how you ship and which way you go: shipping to Hawaii costs much more than shipping back.
Moving to Hawaii from the mainland
| Method | Studio–1 BR | 2–3 BR | 4+ BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moving container, door to door | $3,240–$3,920 | $5,350–$9,140 | no published price |
| Shipping container you load, port to port | no published price | $8,060–$13,230 | $8,910–$14,180 |
| Full-service movers | no published price | From $11,000 | From $16,000 |
Moving from Hawaii to the mainland
| Method | Studio–1 BR | 2–3 BR | 4+ BR |
|---|---|---|---|
| Moving container, door to door | no published price | no published price | no published price |
| Shipping container you load, port to port | no published price | $4,830–$11,280 | $5,350–$11,880 |
| Full-service movers | no published price | no published price | no published price |
A dash means we found no published price. Port-to-port rows are the ocean leg only. Prices are for Honolulu; the other islands cost more. The sources and dates are below.
Matson's published container rates (June 1, 2026)
Matson publishes household-goods container rates each year for military moves and says they may also apply to personal moves. They cover the ocean leg between the port of Honolulu and a West Coast port, or an inland rail ramp, from June 1, 2026. Matson carries the container; you arrange the trucking to and from the ports. We added Matson's fuel surcharge (14% since April 12, 2026) and the State of Hawaii's $26.14 port security charge.
| To Honolulu | From Honolulu | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mainland port or rail ramp | 20 ft | 40 ft | 20 ft | 40 ft |
| West Coast ports (Long Beach, Oakland, Tacoma) | $8,060 | $8,910 | $4,830 | $5,350 |
| Dallas, TX | $10,060 | $10,910 | $8,500 | $9,030 |
| Houston, TX | $10,260 | $11,110 | $8,130 | $8,650 |
| New Orleans | $10,710 | $11,560 | $8,130 | $8,650 |
| Salt Lake City, UT | $10,730 | $11,580 | $8,060 | $8,580 |
| Detroit, MI | $10,520 | $11,830 | $7,330 | $8,430 |
| Baltimore, MD | $11,100 | $11,950 | $10,060 | $10,580 |
| Charleston, SC | $11,100 | $11,950 | $10,060 | $10,580 |
| Jacksonville, FL | $11,100 | $11,950 | $10,060 | $10,580 |
| Kearny, NJ | $11,100 | $11,950 | $10,060 | $10,580 |
| Miami, FL | $11,100 | $11,950 | $10,060 | $10,580 |
| Norfolk, VA | $11,100 | $11,950 | $10,060 | $10,580 |
| Savannah, GA | $11,100 | $11,950 | $10,060 | $10,580 |
| Chicago, IL | $11,300 | $12,160 | $8,500 | $9,020 |
| Kansas City, KS | $11,360 | $12,210 | $9,270 | $9,790 |
| Denver, CO | $11,450 | $12,310 | $8,970 | $9,490 |
| Memphis, TN | $11,540 | $12,390 | $8,760 | $9,280 |
| St. Louis, MO | $11,790 | $12,640 | $8,710 | $9,230 |
| Cleveland, OH | $11,880 | $12,730 | $9,810 | $10,330 |
| Columbus, OH | $11,870 | $12,730 | $9,810 | $10,330 |
| Cincinnati, OH | $11,960 | $12,810 | $9,810 | $10,330 |
| Omaha, NE | $11,980 | $12,830 | $8,910 | $9,430 |
| St. Paul, MN | $12,050 | $12,900 | $9,280 | $9,800 |
| Charlotte, NC | $12,270 | $13,120 | $10,760 | $11,280 |
| Atlanta, GA | $12,370 | $13,230 | $9,650 | $10,170 |
A 45-ft container adds about $950 to Honolulu from the West Coast. Rows after the first are Matson inland rail ramps. Rates are per container, before trucking, loading and the State of Hawaii invasive-species fee on Hawaii-bound containers ($0.75 per 1,000 lb). Source: Matson, Hawaii household goods rates (effective June 1, 2026) (opens in new tab) and Matson household goods fuel surcharge notice (April 2026) (opens in new tab).
Door-to-door containers
U-Pack ships its ReloCube containers to Honolulu: you pack and load, it trucks the container to California and ships it. It counts one ReloCube for a studio or 1-bedroom, two for a 2-bedroom and three or four for a 3-bedroom. Its published quotes for moves in March 2024:
| From | 1 cube | 2 cubes | 3 cubes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sacramento, CA | $3,243 | $5,352 | $7,486 |
| Dallas, TX | $3,400 | $5,577 | $7,854 |
| Charlotte, NC | $3,918 | $6,416 | $9,138 |
These are 2024 prices. Matson's West Coast ocean rate for a 20-ft household-goods container rose 6% between its June 1, 2024 and June 1, 2026 rate sheets, so today's quotes are likely higher. Source: U-Pack, cost to move to Hawaii (quotes for March 2024 moves) (opens in new tab).
Full-service movers
Royal Hawaiian Movers publishes starting prices for full-service moves to Hawaii (July 2026), shown in the full-service row above: a 20-ft container, about a 2–3 bedroom home, and a 40-ft one for larger households. It gives no upper figure. For smaller moves it lists a liftvan, a crate that ships in a shared container, for about one small room, starting around $2,900; that is less than a studio or 1-bedroom usually needs, so we don't use it as a studio price. Source: Royal Hawaiian Movers, container shipping cost (July 2026) (opens in new tab).
What the published prices leave out
- Trucking and loading. Matson's rates start and end at the port or rail ramp. A September 2026 Hawaii shipping guide puts packing, loading, unloading and port trucking at another $2,000–$5,000 or more, and trucking from the East Coast or Midwest to a West Coast port at $1,500–$4,000 (How to Live in Hawaii, shipping guide (September 2026) (opens in new tab)).
- The other islands. Hilo, Kahului, Nawiliwili and Kawaihae pay their own wharfage and a higher port security charge ($39.24 a container instead of $26.14).
- Your car. Matson won't carry a car inside a household-goods container between Hawaii and the mainland, so it ships separately: see what shipping a car to Hawaii costs.
- Fuel surcharges move. Matson raised its Hawaii household-goods fuel surcharge to 14% on April 12, 2026 and adjusts it with fuel prices.
Where people from Hawaii move
The most common destinations in the latest IRS migration data, with the full cost comparison for each move:
- Hawaii to California (5,048 households)
- Hawaii to Washington (2,451 households)
- Hawaii to Texas (2,381 households)
- Hawaii to Nevada (1,863 households)
- Hawaii to Florida (1,553 households)
- Hawaii to Virginia (1,169 households)
- Hawaii to Colorado (1,159 households)
- Hawaii to Oregon (999 households)
Before you book
- Compare the total cost of living in your destination with the Hawaii relocation rankings.
- Get three written estimates and check each interstate mover's USDOT number with the FMCSA.
- Read how to cut the cost of a long-distance move and the moving out of state checklist.