If you are considering to move from San Francisco to Los Angeles, you might be wondering what to expect throughout your move or how you could possibly make your move a bit easier. After all, moving is a huge undertaking, and moving from one city to another can be very stressful, even when the cities are within the same state. California is known for being extremely diverse; no two cities are alike and each area of the state is unique. Therefore, for some people, a move from San Francisco to Los Angeles might seem like a move to an entirely different state or even country. Luckily, we have compiled a few helpful tips to prepare you for your upcoming move. The following are five key things to consider when moving from San Francisco to Los Angeles:
Prepare for traffic
If you are planning to move to Southern California, you have probably been warned about the difference in the amount of traffic that cities such as Los Angeles can have. Unless you are accustomed to driving in a city with a notorious traffic problem such as Atlanta, you might be unaccustomed to spending a large amount of time in your car. Plan to add a significant amount of time to your commute, whether to work every day or even just to the other side of town for a doctor’s appointment. We suggest planning ahead by loading new songs or even an audiobook onto your iPhone, or downloading an music streaming app such as Pandora, so that you can be entertained while driving. It might even be a great time to learn a new language, as there are many different language learning applications that you can listen to while driving. Waze is a great app that offers traffic updates and alternative routes to get to your destination. It can also be helpful to keep a stash of healthy snacks in your car, to keep your from getting famished while driving home before dinner. Of course, you can always consider moving to a location that is very near your work, which will cut down on your commute. While the beautiful weather of Los Angeles makes the drive a bit less miserable, it can be frustrating to sit in your car for long periods of time, moving along at 5 miles per hour. However, although the weather may be beautiful, the large population density leads to our next tip: smog.
Prepare for smog
The large concentration of cars at any given time on the roads of Los Angeles means there is great deal of smog that hangs over the city. The unfortunate amount of pollution from auto exhaust of course contributes to the smog levels, as does the overall pollution from buildings and factories of a large city. If you have asthma or other breathing problems, they may get worse due to the poor air quality.
You will need a car
Unlike some California cities which are extremely walkable or offer convenient public transportation (see our previous post about moving to Oakland), Los Angeles is a city in which you will definitely want to have your own vehicle. While Los Angeles does have public transportation and many areas can be very walker-friendly, overall, the city is very spread out and sprawling and you will not always be able to rely on buses to get everywhere you will need to get.
Prepare to pay more
If you haven’t already, start to save money as soon as possible for your upcoming moves. Moves can be expensive no matter where you are going, but moving to Los Angeles is notorious for being pricey. You are also likely going to pay more for everyday expenses such as groceries If you are moving to an apartment, you will definitely want to make sure you have enough money set aside for the application fees, deposits, and other startup costs that come with apartment living. Don’t forget the price of gas from driving around going to apartment tours and showings, and as we discussed in our previous tip, the cost of gas is going to add up due to the unfortunate amount of time you are likely to spend in traffic. Other potential moving costs include the moving van, packing supplies, and possibly storage spaces. However, there is one way to make your move easier and less costly, and lucky for you the solution is conveniently located right in the Bay Area!
Rent Plastic Moving Boxes
If you are planning on moving from San Francisco to Los Angeles or Los Angeles to San Francisco, you may be wondering what resources you have to move from one large city to another. If you’re looking for moving boxes San Francisco residents swear by the ones ZippGo delivers. ZippGo wants to make your move as easy as possible, make sure your precious belongings arrive unscathed, and also eliminate the waste that comes when you pack using cardboard moving boxes. We offer reusable plastic moving boxes to take the place of your flimsy cardboard boxes, to ensure that your belongings arrive safe and sound at their final destination. While there may be many things that you are stressed about concerning your San Francisco to Los Angeles move, the safety of your belongings should not be one of them. 
Perhaps the best and most convenient feature of our service is that we will actually deliver our moving boxes right to your door and pick them up from your new address after you’ve unpacked! This eliminates the need for you to add even more drive time to your move, and ultimately saves you gas, time, and money. If renting for a Northern California to Southern California move there is a $150 minimum order plus a $59 pickup fee, which is truly a great value for peace of mind in your move. When you are finished moving and have unpacked in your new home, we will come to your new house and pick up the boxes from you. The San Francisco to Los Angeles moving box service is a newer option we’ve recently added to our service in the San Francisco Bay area. Contact us with any additional questions or to book your reservation.