New Mexico leans West: cheaper from Los Angeles than from the East Coast, with Albuquerque anchoring the state's routing.
The prices below were returned by the carriers on 2026-07-27 for the exact parcel described in the tables.
Albuquerque anchors this test. On 2026-07-27 the SMKlog calculator priced a 12 × 10 × 6 in box at 5 lb of household goods from Newark and again from Los Angeles, and the two tables below repeat the carriers' answers word for word. Each price is a completed checkout amount, label and SMKlog's charge included.
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPS | Ground Saver | $16.47 | 5 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $17.00 | 6-7 business days |
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $17.30 | 6-7 business days |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $17.52 | 7-8 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $25.00 | 3-4 business days |
| Carrier | Service | Price | Quoted transit |
|---|---|---|---|
| USPS | Ground Advantage | $13.29 | 3-4 business days |
| UPS | Ground Saver | $13.52 | 5 business days |
| UPS | Ground | $14.05 | 3-4 business days |
| FedEx | Ground Economy | $14.31 | 3-4 business days |
| UPS | 3 Day Select | $19.94 | 3-4 business days |
The 2026-07-27 lows: UPS Ground Saver at $16.47 from Newark, USPS Ground Advantage at $13.29 from Los Angeles. Santa Fe and Las Cruces price in the same bands as Albuquerque when the origin is distant, and pueblo or rural deliveries tend to use the whole quoted window. Rates being perishable, put your own ZIPs through before you decide.
Windows quoted to Albuquerque assume metro delivery. Addresses out on tribal land or ranch roads frequently take the last quoted day, occasionally one more. If the recipient is rural, treat the window's far edge as the estimate.
Zone distance is the backbone of every base rate, and New Mexico sits far fewer zones from Los Angeles than from the East Coast. Hence the tables above: $13.29 to start from the west, $16.47 from the east.
Any sturdy carton qualifies, reused or new, once old labels are gone. What matters is size. Carriers rate the outer box, so shaving an inch or two off each side often shaves the price too.
Our 12 × 10 × 6 in, 5 lb box quoted from $13.29 out of Los Angeles and $16.47 out of Newark on 2026-07-27. Every listed price already unites the label with the SMKlog charge. For your parcel, the live calculator has the current answer.
From Los Angeles, most tiers quoted 3-4 business days. From Newark the cheapest tier quoted 5 business days and the other ground rows ran longer, while 3 Day Select quoted 3-4 from both origins. The window beside each price is the carrier's own.
Shipping from the west is cheaper: $13.29 via USPS Ground Advantage from Los Angeles against $16.47 via UPS Ground Saver from Newark on our dated run. Different carriers topped different tables, so let a live comparison pick for your route.
It is not part of the process. Describe the shipment, give both ZIP codes, look at the live prices, pay for one. Label and tracking arrive together, immediately.