Every Houston move quote we send carries the same promise: the number on the estimate is the number on the invoice — no surprise fuel line, no Med Center after-hours markup invented on the dock, no “heavy item” fee tacked on at 9pm. We’re Houston-native operators running seven trucks out of 8200 Long Point Rd in Spring Branch, and the 2026 pricing you see below is what we actually charge customers from Memorial to Sugar Land to Kingwood. Read it as a working budget, then call us for the signed version.
2026 Houston Pricing At A Glance
| Service | 2026 Price |
|---|---|
| Local hourly (2 movers + truck) | $179/hr |
| 1-bedroom flat (under 18 mi) | $545 |
| 2-bedroom flat (under 18 mi) | $1,195 |
| 3-bedroom flat (under 18 mi) | $2,095 |
| Long-distance starting | $2,795 |
| Booking deposit (credits to invoice) | $215 |
| Upright/baby grand piano add-on | $445 |
| Labor-only load/unload | $125/hr |
| In-house climate-controlled storage | $185/mo per vault |
Our $179/hr local rate sits in the middle of the legitimate Houston market: cheaper than the all-Atlas franchises that bill $220-plus an hour, more expensive than the Craigslist crews that quote $89 then add charges until your bill is $1,400. Every hour starts when our truck rolls off the Spring Branch yard and stops when we lock the destination door — not when the dispatcher in another time zone says it stops.
What Bumps A Houston Bill
- High-rise dock-time. Galleria, downtown, and Med Center towers ration freight elevators by 90-minute slots. Miss the slot, idle on the curb. We book dock windows at COI submission, not move morning.
- Texas Medical Center after-hours. Houston Methodist and MD Anderson resident moves get scheduled around 6pm-2am clinical windows. Night-shift labor runs +20%, and we say so in the estimate, not the invoice.
- Hurricane-cone date-lock fee. When NOAA puts Houston inside a 5-day cone, evacuation demand spikes. A pre-booked sealed-pad evacuation move costs +15% over standard hourly to hold the truck and crew.
- I-610 Loop & Beltway 8 staging. Routes from West U to Katy or Kingwood eat 35-45 minutes of toll-road windshield time per leg. We bill toll passes at pass-through, not as a “fuel surcharge.”
- In-house storage. “& Storage” is literally in our name — 30,000 sqft climate-controlled at HQ. $185/mo per vault, daily rate for closing-gap stays, no third-party transfer fee.
Real Houston Long-Distance Mile Bands
Long-distance pricing in Texas is mileage-plus-weight-plus-cube. Below are the actual 2026 ranges we signed for two-bedroom loads (roughly 6,500 lb) leaving Houston this season. Three-bedroom loads run 1.4x-1.7x these numbers. Every quote is binding, not “not-to-exceed.”
| Destination | Distance | 2BR Range |
|---|---|---|
| Austin, TX | 165 mi | $2,795 – $3,650 |
| San Antonio, TX | 200 mi | $2,895 – $3,795 |
| Dallas/Fort Worth, TX | 240 mi | $3,150 – $4,250 |
| New Orleans, Houston | 350 mi | $3,795 – $4,950 |
| Memphis, TN | 560 mi | $4,450 – $5,895 |
| Atlanta, GA | 790 mi | $5,650 – $7,395 |
| Albuquerque, NM | 875 mi | $5,995 – $7,750 |
| Denver, CO | 1,080 mi | $6,895 – $8,950 |
“The Austin and Dallas runs we live on — one or two a week through summer. NOLA loads triple in August because of energy-sector transfers. The Denver number always surprises people; it’s a real 18-hour haul through the Panhandle and Raton Pass, and we won’t pretend it’s a $4,000 move just to win the booking.” — Kyle Bennett, owner, 1st Choice Moving & Storage
Two Honest Sample Estimates
Sample 1 — Heights bungalow to Sugar Land 3-bed. 2-bed contents, 22 mi, 3-man crew, dock-friendly both ends, no piano. Estimate: $1,995 flat. Includes wardrobe boxes, pad wrap on dressers, TV crating. Booked, signed, done in 6.5 hours.
Sample 2 — Memorial 4-bed to Memphis, TN. 3-bed plus garage, 560 mi, 4-man load crew, 2-man unload, no climate-controlled overnight. Estimate: $5,395 binding. Includes shrink-wrap on upholstery, 30 wardrobe boxes, signed delivery window of 36 hours from load close.
How To Read Our Estimate (And Anyone Else’s)
- Look for the phrase “binding estimate”, not “non-binding” or “not-to-exceed.” Non-binding means the bill can climb on weigh-out day.
- Confirm federal $0.60/lb baseline and full-value protection options are listed. Full-value runs $0.95-$1.10 per $100 declared, with deductible choices.
- Verify TX HHG license and DOT/MC authority on file. We’re a real licensed Texas household-goods carrier — not a broker handing your load to whichever truck shows up.
- Make sure your estimator did a walkthrough, in-home or video. Quotes built from a phone-only conversation tend to slide on moving day.
- If a quote is wildly under $1,200 for a 2-bedroom Houston move, ask which line items they left off. The answer is usually wrap, stairs, or long-carry.
Frequently Asked About Houston Cost
Why is your hourly $179 when I see $99 ads online?
Those $99 ads are usually 1-mover quotes, unlicensed, or bait pricing that resets the second the crew arrives. Our $179 buys two W-2 movers, a 26-ft truck, pads, dollies, shrink-wrap, and Texas-licensed carrier authority.
Do you charge for tolls on the Sam Houston Tollway or Hardy Toll?
Toll passes are billed at exact pass-through, not as a padded “fuel surcharge.” Most Heights-to-Katy and Memorial-to-Woodlands runs add $14-$22 in tolls, listed by line.
What does the $215 deposit cover?
It holds your truck, crew, and date. The full $215 credits to your final invoice. If we cancel for any reason, it refunds same-day.
Can you store between closing dates?
Yes — our HQ at 8200 Long Point Rd has 30,000 sqft of climate-controlled in-house storage. Daily rate for short closings, $185/mo per vault for longer holds. No third-party warehouse transfer.
Ready to see your Houston number on letterhead, signed, with the binding clause highlighted? Walk us through your home (local move, long-distance, storage, packing, or a commercial relocation) and we’ll send the estimate back the same business day. Request your free 1st Choice Moving & Storage quote today.