Patience is worth eleven dollars here
The gap between the slowest and fastest rows on the 5 lb box spans $17.30 to $28.19. If the recipient isn't watching a calendar, that difference stays in your pocket for choosing the longer window.
Coast to coast
Shipping from California to New York
This is the longest lane most Americans ever ship, and its pricing rewards patience above all. Below is the complete rate stack a real box drew on 2026-07-27, from the slow-and-cheap end to the two-day end, windows included.
Full lane snapshotDated live quotesNothing added at pay time
2,800 miles of choices
Five services quoted the same Los Angeles box for New York on 2026-07-27, spanning eleven dollars and five days.
Los Angeles 90012 to New York 10001, quoted 2026-07-27
The test package: a 12 by 10 by 6 inch box at 5 lb, the kind of carton that carries shoes, books or a small gift. Every service the calculator returned appears below, sorted cheapest first, prices exactly as checkout would have collected them.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted window |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $17.30 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $19.14 | about 6 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $19.30 | 6-7 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $27.17 | 3-4 business days |
| USPS | Priority Mail | $28.19 | 2-3 business days |
Heavier boxes on the same lane
From our weight ladder quoted the same day out of Los Angeles ZIP 90011, a block away in zone terms, here's what the winning label cost as cartons grew.
| Weight | Cheapest label | Service |
|---|---|---|
| 10 lb | $25.51 | UPS Ground Saver |
| 20 lb | $35.06 | UPS Ground Saver |
| 30 lb | $51.92 | UPS Ground |
| 50 lb | $76.04 | UPS Ground |
Note the pattern in the second table: the economy tier wins until 20 lb, then plain UPS Ground takes over for the heavy cartons. Rates on this corridor move with fuel and seasonal filings, so use these figures as a map of the terrain and get a fresh quote for the day you actually ship.
The middle rows are the trap
UPS Ground at $19.30 quoted the same 6-7 day window as the cheaper rows on this lane, an unusual quirk of cross-country routing. Always check whether a pricier row actually buys speed before paying for it.
Both directions price alike
Zones are symmetric, so New York back to Los Angeles quotes in the same neighborhood for the same box. If you're pricing a round-trip exchange or a return label, budget roughly double one leg.
California to New York, asked often
How much does it cost to ship from California to New York?
For a 12 x 10 x 6 in box at 5 lb, quotes on 2026-07-27 ran from $17.30 with USPS Ground Advantage up to $28.19 for Priority Mail. Heavier cartons on the same lane the same day won at $25.51 for 10 lb and $76.04 for 50 lb.
How long does California to New York shipping take?
Ground tiers quoted 6-7 business days on this lane. Paying up compressed that to 3-4 days on UPS 3 Day Select at $27.17, or 2-3 days on Priority Mail at $28.19, per the carrier windows returned on quote day.
What's the fastest option on this lane?
Of the services returned for our box, USPS Priority Mail carried the tightest window at 2-3 business days for $28.19. Overnight products exist beyond these, but they didn't surface for this package and cost several multiples more when they do.
Do these prices apply from anywhere in California?
They were quoted from downtown Los Angeles, ZIP 90012, to Manhattan 10001. Other California origins usually land near these figures since the zone distance barely changes, but a quote on your true ZIP pair settles it in under a minute.