The FMCSA motor carrier census lists 309 household goods registrants whose physical address is in Austin, TX, and 53 of those are classified by FMCSA as interstate operations. BestMovers.info holds no Austin price measurement, only the Texas range on the Texas page. Moves that stay inside Texas are licensed by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division.
Key facts
Local rate, two movers
$95 to $145 per hour
2-bedroom interstate
$2,800 to $6,700
Intrastate regulator
Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division
Interstate licensing
FMCSA USDOT and MC authority
Company profiles shown
5
Pricing data as of
May 2026
Quick answer
Austin is the most expensive Texas metro to move in or out of — tech-sector relocations, SXSW and ACL surge pricing, and a tighter carrier base all push prices up. Here's how to navigate the 2026 market.
Common service neighborhoods: South Congress, East Austin, Hyde Park, Mueller, Westlake, Downtown.
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Updated August 2026 Reviewed by Brittany Evans5 companies analyzed
The local moving market in Austin, TX (2026)
Austin is the most expensive Texas metro to move in or out of — tech-sector relocations, SXSW and ACL surge pricing, and a tighter carrier base all push prices up. Here's how to navigate the 2026 market.
Market context
What shapes the local moving market
Austin's moving market is thin on carrier supply relative to demand. Tech-sector hires from Tesla, Apple, Oracle, and Meta all converge on Austin year-round.
Two events dominate the calendar: SXSW (March) and Austin City Limits (October). If you can move outside these windows, do.
Older bungalows with narrow driveways; truck-size limits common.
East Austin
Mostly easier access; rapid new construction means newer subdivisions on the east side.
Hyde Park & Mueller
Tree-lined streets with limited overhead clearance; verify truck height in advance.
Westlake & Lakeway
Hill-country single-family with steep driveways; long carries common.
Pricing
What it actually costs
Outbound interstate is competitive when you avoid event weeks. The Austin-to-Bay-Area lane is the most-priced route in the country thanks to tech-industry counter-flow. Use the moving cost calculator for a baseline before requesting quotes.
Local moves
TxDMV regulates intrastate. Required written estimates and bonded carriers. Event-week rates are above the standard tariff cap.
Long-distance moves
FMCSA-regulated. Always verify USDOT and confirm carrier vs broker. The Austin-to-California lane sees significant broker activity.
Top routes
Popular outbound routes
to Houston, TX
165 mi · same-day
to Dallas, TX
200 mi · same-day
to Denver, CO
920 mi · 3–5 days
to San Francisco, CA
1,750 mi · 6–9 days
to New York, NY
1,750 mi · 6–9 days
Seasonality
Austin has three peaks: SXSW (early March), May–September (school + relocations), and ACL (early October). Off-peak is November–February and the second half of April. Book event-week moves 6–8 weeks ahead.
Checklist
Practical considerations
Verify TxDMV intrastate or USDOT (interstate) before booking
How far is Austin from the places people move to most?
Austin to Dallas, TX is 195 driving miles, about 3 hours behind the wheel, with a typical transit of 1 to 3 days.
Austin to Houston, TX is 165 driving miles, about 3 hours behind the wheel, with a typical transit of 1 to 3 days.
Austin to San Antonio, TX is 80 driving miles, about 2 hours behind the wheel, with a typical transit of 1 to 2 days.
Austin to Frisco, TX is 221 driving miles, about 4 hours behind the wheel, with a typical transit of 1 to 3 days.
Austin to New York City, NY is 1,743 driving miles, about 32 hours behind the wheel, with a typical transit of 5 to 11 days.
Driving distances and transit windows from the routes dataset; transit days are carrier delivery spreads, not guarantees.
Estimate your Austin moving cost
Get a personalized estimate before any sales call. Editorial estimate based on broader national moving-cost data; BestMovers.info does not maintain a separate Austin transaction-price dataset.
IRS county migration data for filing years 2022 to 2023 records 61,097 returns moving out of Bastrop County, Hays County, Travis County and Williamson County, the counties Austin sits in, and 73,574 moving in. A return approximates a household rather than a person. Those filings cover 98,120 individuals leaving and 113,404 arriving.
Austin spans 4 counties, so these figures cover all of them: Bastrop County, Hays County, Travis County and Williamson County; returns moving between those counties are removed rather than counted as moves out of Austin.
The counties receiving the most households from Bastrop County, Hays County, Travis County and Williamson County were Harris County (3,520 returns), Bexar County (3,197 returns) and Bell County (2,397 returns).
Arrivals came mainly from Harris County (4,674 returns), Bexar County (3,429 returns) and Dallas County (2,366 returns).
These figures come from federal tax return data and cover all household moves, not only those using professional movers.
How many licensed moving companies are registered in Austin?
The FMCSA motor carrier census lists 309 registrants carrying household goods whose physical address is in Austin, and 53 of those are classified by FMCSA as interstate operations. That figure counts companies whose federal registration lists an address in Austin. It is not the number of companies that will serve a move there: a mover registered in a neighbouring city can take the job, and a company registered in Austin may not.
Moving crews quoting Austin work South Congress, East Austin, Hyde Park, Mueller, Westlake, Downtown and the surrounding areas.
Who licenses movers operating in Austin
Movers working inside Austin are licensed by the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division, whose licence, lookup route and complaint channel are set out on the Texas page.
These companies have a documented headquarters or company location in Austin or its metro. Placement is based on documented location information, not a numeric ranking.
Editorially independent, funded by referral fees. We may be paid when you request a quote from a company listed here. Payment does not decide who is listed or the order they appear in, and we publish no score or star rating. Advertising disclosure
Einstein Moving Company LLC files from Brown Lane in Austin, Texas, active on the federal census with 80 power units, seven non-commercial units, 182 drivers and an MCS-150 filed 27 March 2026. The registration is filed as intrastate only for non-hazardous cargo and the federal record carries no MC, MX or FF docket and no interstate operating authority. That is what the federal file shows and it is stated as a description of the filing, not as a finding about the company's right to operate: an intrastate Texas operation does not require interstate authority. A docket number circulated in secondary sources for this brand was not located on the federal record and is therefore not stored. The company publishes this USDOT number in its own footer together with a Texas Department of Motor Vehicles number, and it publishes a separate Florida registration for its Tampa operation; the Texas registration is the primary record this profile describes and the Florida registrant is disclosed separately as a related registration rather than merged into it. The state numbers are state identifiers and are not recorded as federal registrations. No federal safety rating was located for this registration, which is neither a positive nor a negative signal. The company states it was founded in 2012.
Why is this company shown here?
Einstein Moving Company publishes its headquarters in Austin, TX.
Large national footprint with 80+ branches but uneven customer satisfaction across markets. Get the all-in price (including fuel and equipment fees) in writing before booking.
Why is this company shown here?
All My Sons Moving & Storage is headquartered elsewhere in TX. That does not by itself confirm an office in Austin, and no service claim is made here.
North American Van Lines is part of SIRVA and moves interstate household goods through an agent-affiliate network. The federal registration shown here belongs to the van line, not to the local agent that loads the truck.
Why is this company shown here?
North American Van Lines publishes broad nationwide moving service on its own site. It is shown separately from companies based in this area and its presence here is not evidence of a local office.
United Van Lines is the largest brand under UniGroup and publishes the annual National Movers Study. It offers shipment tracking and a published claims process; we hold no dataset that compares its claims outcomes with other carriers.
Why is this company shown here?
United Van Lines publishes broad nationwide moving service on its own site. It is shown separately from companies based in this area and its presence here is not evidence of a local office.
70 companies with a Austin address on their federal registration hold a granted household goods authority from the FMCSA, and 45 of those identify as a moving business in their legal or trade name. The 30 listed below are the ones registered with the agency longest, ordered by the federal registration date, earliest first. Registration age is the agency's own record. It is not a ranking, it is not a quality judgement and it is not a recommendation.
378 active registrants in Austin tick household goods among their cargo types on the census form, and 128 of those carry any authority row at all. The cargo tick box is filled in by the registrant, so this list uses the agency grant instead, then sets aside general freight, trucking, logistics and courier registrants that hold the authority without presenting themselves as household movers. It is not every mover serving Austin: a company based elsewhere may serve the city, and a registered address is not a service area.
VOLUNTEER VAN LINES LLC
USDOT 1031213 · 9807 BROWN LANE, AUSTIN, TX 78754
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on May 29, 2002, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC251552, active as common carrier.
It filed 2 power units, registered with the FMCSA on May 11, 2005, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC524291, active as common carrier.
USDOT 1655425 · 11910 RESEARCH BLVD, AUSTIN, TX 78759
It filed 6 power units, registered with the FMCSA on June 13, 2007, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC609081, active as common carrier.
SANDRA FLORES RIVERA, trading as CHAPARRAL & A-1 ASSURED MOVERS
USDOT 1934705 · 8711 LEISURE DR, AUSTIN, TX 78754
It filed 0 power units, registered with the FMCSA on September 8, 2009, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1245152, active as common carrier.
It filed 1 power unit, registered with the FMCSA on March 23, 2012, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC781186, active as common carrier.
It filed 2 power units, registered with the FMCSA on May 15, 2012, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1003647, active as common carrier.
It filed 2 power units, registered with the FMCSA on November 16, 2012, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1283777, active as common carrier.
USDOT 2369843 · 11910 RESEARCH BLVD, AUSTIN, TX 78759
It filed 6 power units, registered with the FMCSA on January 14, 2013, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC812956, active as common carrier.
USDOT 2397343 · 11910 RESEARCH BLVD, AUSTIN, TX 78759
It filed 4 power units, registered with the FMCSA on April 16, 2013, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC824309, active as common carrier.
AFD MOVERS INC, trading as FIREFIGHTING'S FINEST MOVING & STORAGE
USDOT 2975193 · 1800 WEST HOWARD LN, AUSTIN, TX 78728
It filed 4 power units, registered with the FMCSA on February 15, 2017, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1016799, active as common carrier.
NORTHERN VOLUNTEER ENTERPRISES-AUSTIN LLC, trading as COLLEGE HUNKS MOVING
USDOT 3241188 · 6510 BLUE BLUFF ROAD, AUSTIN, TX 78724
It filed 2 power units, registered with the FMCSA on February 4, 2019, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1018074, active as common carrier.
USDOT 3255279 · 1714 FORT VIEW ROAD SUITE 106D, AUSTIN, TX 78704
It filed 3 power units, registered with the FMCSA on March 7, 2019, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1379105, active as common carrier.
USDOT 3352346 · 901 SOUTH MOPAC EXPRESSWAY SUITE 300 ROOM 317, AUSTIN, TX 78746
It filed 4 power units, registered with the FMCSA on October 30, 2019, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1086275, active as common carrier.
ACTIVUS MOVING LLC, trading as HEAVENLY CARE MOVING
USDOT 3429695 · 9311 N FM 620 STE 300, AUSTIN, TX 78726
It filed 11 power units, registered with the FMCSA on May 19, 2020, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1110864, active as common carrier.
USDOT 3538096 · 5206 WIND RIVER ROAD, AUSTIN, TX 78759
It filed 185 power units, registered with the FMCSA on December 17, 2020, and holds granted federal household goods authority under docket MC1361596, active as common carrier.
Data as of 2026-08-15 from the FMCSA company census, with authority status as of 2026-08-16. The query behind this list. Information provided by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Does a federal registration mean a Texas licence?
No. Federal registration and Texas authorisation are separate. The list above shows the federal record only, and we have not verified whether any company listed holds a Texas licence or permit.
A mover operating inside Texas needs the TxDMV motor carrier certificate of registration from the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles, Motor Carrier Division.
Texas publishes carrier records through the TxDMV Truck Stop motor carrier lookup; confirm a registration by name or USDOT number there, or by calling the consumer helpline.
Peak demand across Texas runs October–April. Dates outside that window, and dates away from the last and first few days of any month, are where carriers have spare capacity — and spare capacity is what makes a crew negotiable on price.
We do not publish a percentage saving for moving off-peak in Austin. We hold no month-by-month booking price data for this city, and a discount figure taken from a national average would not describe this market. What we can say is structural, and it holds in every market:
Mid-month beats month-end. Leases and closings cluster at the turn of the month, so that is when crews are fully booked and least flexible.
Mid-week beats the weekend. Saturday is the single most requested moving day; a Tuesday or Wednesday competes with far fewer households for the same trucks.
Off-peak beats October–April. Outside the peak window, carriers are trying to keep crews working rather than turning jobs away.
Flexibility is the lever, not the calendar alone. On an interstate move, giving the carrier a pickup window of several days rather than one fixed date is usually worth more than any single date choice, because it lets them combine your shipment with another on the same lane.
The only reliable way to price a specific date is to put the same date in front of several licensed carriers and compare written estimates. Ask each one what the same move costs two weeks earlier or later — the gap between those two numbers is your real off-peak saving in Austin, measured on your move rather than on an average.
A tip is never part of a written estimate and never part of a binding price. It is discretionary, it is paid per mover rather than per crew, and it is handed to each mover directly at the end of the job rather than to the foreman to divide. Our working guideline scales with hours rather than with the value of the shipment, because that is how moving labour is actually priced:
$10 to $20 per mover for a job of two hours or less.
$20 to $40 per mover for a local move under four hours.
$40 to $60 per mover for a full day, meaning six hours or longer.
These are a BestMovers.info editorial guideline, not a survey result. We hold no tipping survey for Austin and no federal record covers gratuities, so nothing here is a local figure. Read the full tipping guide for stairs, long carries, storage and interstate deliveries, where the crew that loads is not the crew that unloads.
Where can you get free moving boxes in Austin?
Free boxes come from businesses that receive stock in cartons and throw the cartons away, and from households that finished moving last week. The sources are the same in every city, including Austin:
Liquor stores, which have the sturdiest small boxes with dividers
Bookshops, for small boxes rated for weight
Grocery stores, for produce boxes
Offices, for paper boxes with lids
Appliance and furniture retailers, for large flat cartons
Buy Nothing groups and Facebook Marketplace
Craigslist free listings
The U-Haul box exchange
Anyone in your building who has moved in recently
Ask in the morning, when the overnight delivery has just been unpacked and the cartons have not yet been flattened. Skip anything damp, greasy or previously used for produce that leaked. The free boxes guide covers how many you need by home size — those counts are BestMovers.info planning estimates rather than measured figures — and which boxes are worth buying rather than scavenging.
There is no separate cost dataset for Austin. Using the national estimate, a one-bedroom local move is estimated at $420–$930 and a two-bedroom local move at $630–$1,395, while a two-bedroom interstate move from Austin is estimated at $3,000–$7,000. Final price depends on distance, packing services, and date.
When is the busiest moving season in Austin?
Late May through August is the peak window in Austin, with the heaviest volume around month-end weekends. Established companies commonly book out several weeks in advance during this period.
Should I get an in-home estimate or an online quote?
For local moves under 2,500 lb, an online or phone estimate is usually accurate. For interstate moves out of Austin or 3+ bedroom households, request a video survey or in-home estimate so the binding price reflects your actual inventory.
What's the most reliable way to verify a Austin mover?
Check the company's USDOT number on the FMCSA SAFER website, look at their BBB profile and current accreditation, and read recent reviews on Google and Yelp. Avoid any mover unwilling to share a USDOT number on request.
How long does a typical Austin move take?
A 1-bedroom local move in Austin usually takes 3–5 hours with two movers. A 3-bedroom local move runs 7–10 hours, and most movers won't book a same-day move past 4 PM start time.
How far in advance should I book during SXSW?
Six to eight weeks ahead. Top movers are sold out by mid-January for the first two weeks of March. Late bookings often mean broker-only options at 1.5–2x pricing.
Why are Austin movers more expensive than Houston?
Two reasons: tighter supply (Austin grew faster than the licensed mover base) and higher labor costs.
Is the Austin-to-California lane really one of the most expensive?
It's not the highest per mile, but it's one of the most-priced because of the volume: Bay Area tech transfers create constant demand. Capacity is good year-round, but always verify carriers, the lane attracts brokers.
How we evaluate Austin movers: we verify federal registration and operating authority against FMCSA records, record carrier or broker classification, and note state licensing where the state regulator publishes it. The list above is not ranked and carries no numeric score. Read the full methodology
