Texas Moving Cost Calculator (2026)

Texas is the size of France, and that single fact controls almost every pricing conversation in the state. A move from Houston to El Paso is the same time and distance as Paris to Berlin — eleven hours of windshield time, two days of crew labor, and a tariff that follows the FMCSA interstate playbook even though both addresses share the Lone Star State.

Local hourly rates ($95–$145 for two movers + truck) sit comfortably below the national average, driven by lower labor cost and a deep regional carrier base. Houston and Dallas–Fort Worth carry the largest mover supply, which keeps three-quote competition healthy. Austin's tech-relocation surcharge is the one outlier worth flagging: any quote that arrives with a "corporate package" line should be cross-checked against a residential rate sheet.

On long-haul lanes, Texas benefits from a structural backhaul advantage. The national van lines maintain freight imbalance into Texas (more freight comes in than goes out), so outbound interstate rates from Houston, DFW, and Austin typically price 8–12% lower than the reverse direction on the same inventory. If you're moving out of state, lean into that — request quotes from carriers with a confirmed hub in your destination state.

Heat is the one variable Texas movers price for that nobody else does. From late June through early September, OSHA-compliant crews take mandatory breaks every two hours of heat-index exposure, which extends a normal 7-hour 2BR local move to roughly 9 hours. The hourly rate doesn't change, but the bill does. March and October consistently come in 15–20% cheaper for the same inventory.

Verify USDOT through FMCSA SAFER on every quote, intrastate or interstate. Texas doesn't operate a separate state-level carrier registry the way California (CPUC) or Florida (DBPR) does, so the federal record is your only line of defense against rogue movers.