Selling an Austin house, buying on the Front Range
If you own in Austin, expect the numbers to move against you. Set your Austin sale against Denver's price: the median home there is worth $586,700, against $512,700 in Austin, a gap of 14%. Sell in one and buy in the other with the same budget, and you will usually get less house or a longer commute for the same money.
That reaches the move before a single box is packed. Decide what to sell, donate or store before you ask for estimates, not after. Mover pricing follows the weight and volume of what you ship, so every piece you leave behind in Austin is a piece you do not pay to carry across state lines.
Denver's market does offer a wider spread of price points than central Austin does, particularly in outlying areas and suburbs such as Aurora, Lakewood and Arvada.
Renting: Denver asks a little more
Denver's median rent is $1,770 a month, against $1,655 in Austin. That is 7% higher, a smaller step than the home-price gap. Renters will notice it, but it is not a shock.
Renters make up 56% of Austin's households and 51% of Denver's. Denver therefore has relatively more owner-occupied housing and a slightly smaller rental pool. If you plan to rent first and buy later, start the lease search early and ask about move-in dates, because a landlord's elevator booking or key handoff often sets your whole moving day.
Neighborhoods worth a look if you are coming from Austin
Moving companies will not choose this for you, but these Denver areas come up for people leaving Austin:
- Capitol Hill and Congress Park: dense, walkable, older housing stock, with an energy similar to Austin's central neighborhoods.
- RiNo (River North Art District): creative and industrial in feel, with restaurants and breweries.
- Washington Park: family-friendly and park-centered, quieter than the core.
- Highlands: established and walkable, with plenty of dining.
- Stapleton and Central Park: a newer planned community with a suburban feel and urban amenities.
- Aurora, Lakewood and Arvada: suburbs with more space and lower price points, still inside the metro area.
Stacked units or detached houses at the other end
Austin and Denver are close on housing type, but the split matters for logistics. Denver leans toward stacked units, with 45% of homes in buildings of five or more units and 41% detached houses. In Austin the figures are 42% and 44%. An Austin household that lived in a house with a driveway has a fair chance of landing in a multi-unit building in Denver.
That changes what you ask your mover:
- Apartment or condo arrival: ask whether the building requires a reserved elevator window, a loading dock slot or a certificate of insurance from the mover. Mention any long carry from the truck to the door.
- House arrival: ask about driveway slope, stairs and where a large truck can park on your street.
- Leaving Austin from either type: the same questions apply at the origin. A third-floor walk-up and a ranch house with a wide driveway are not priced alike.
Give every mover the exact building type and floor at both ends when you request estimates. Details left out of the estimate are the ones that change the bill on moving day.
A smaller city with the same churn
You are heading to the smaller city, since Denver has 713,734 residents and Austin has 967,862. You can browse movers in Austin for your departure and movers in Denver for anyone who handles the arrival end.
Turnover is nearly the same in both cities, one point apart: in the past year 20% of Denver residents moved, against 21% in Austin. Landlords, buildings and movers at both ends handle newcomers constantly, so questions about parking permits and elevator rules have standard answers.
Level paychecks, higher prices, and a new income tax
The median household income is $91,681 in Denver and $91,461 in Austin, essentially the same. Keep your income and Denver will still cost you more: home values are 14% higher and rent 7% higher while pay stays flat. Denver's cost-of-living index is 106 against Austin's 98, about 8% higher.
One line to add to the budget is tax. Texas has no state income tax; Colorado charges 4.4%. A household earning $100,000 in Denver pays roughly $4,400 a year in Colorado state income tax that it would not owe in Texas. Check all of this against your own budget before you sign a lease or make an offer, and keep the move itself lean.
Weather at each end, and when to go
Austin. Summers are long and extremely hot, regularly above 100 °F. Loading a truck in that heat is hard on people and on anything that dislikes it, so ask for an early-morning loading window, and keep water and a shaded spot for the crew and yourself. Spring brings severe thunderstorm and tornado risk, so a spring pickup may need a backup date. Winter ice storms, as in February 2021, can also stop trucks.
The road between. The Texas Panhandle and southern Colorado can see sharp weather swings. Spring can bring severe storms on the Texas side, and winter runs can meet ice and heavy snow near Raton Pass on the New Mexico–Colorado border. A loaded truck climbing into the Colorado Front Range is slower than a car.
Denver. About 300 days of sunshine a year, with warm, low-humidity summers (highs around 90 °F) and mild but snowy winters with periodic heavy snowstorms. A foot of snow can fall and largely melt within two days under that sun, but a winter delivery can still slip when a storm hits, so build slack into your dates if you arrive between late autumn and early spring. In summer, wildfire smoke from the Rockies and Front Range can drift over the metro. It does not stop a move, but it is a reason to protect furniture and keep dust off during unloading.
Putting it together. Late September through November avoids both extremes: Austin's summer heat has broken and Denver has not yet reached its snowiest months. Avoid winter if you can, because mountain passes are hard going for large trucks in heavy snow. Whatever month you pick, get the pickup and delivery dates or window in writing.
What shapes the price, and how to choose a mover
The Austin-to-Denver price range at the top of this page is a starting point. On this route the bill is driven by the weight and volume of your shipment, the stairs or elevator waits at each end, the season, how much room the truck needs to park, and any services you add, such as packing, storage or specialty items. A smaller Denver home usually means less to ship, which is where you can save the most.
For a long interstate haul, work through this in order:
- Collect at least three estimates and ask each company for a physical survey. Look up each company's USDOT number on the FMCSA website.
- Get the estimate type in writing. A binding or not-to-exceed price is the safer ask; a non-binding estimate can rise with the final weight.
- Ask about the delivery window in terms of the latest your shipment could arrive, not just the pickup date.
- Read recent reviews that cover interstate moves, not only local jobs.
- Confirm valuation options in writing before you sign (see the rules below).
- Check the FMCSA listing type. "Motor Carrier of Household Goods" means the company moves you; "Broker of Household Goods" means it hands you off.
Majestic Moving Companies is a directory, not a mover, so the Texas and Colorado companies you compare are the ones that do the moving. Our team has 35+ years of hands-on service-provider experience, including an operator who ran a moving company for 18 years. To compare options, find movers or browse by state covering both Texas and Colorado, and set a few estimates side by side.
The federal rules that govern this move
Austin to Denver crosses a state line, so federal rules apply, not Texas rules.
- Valuation: Full Value Protection applies automatically, so the mover must repair, replace or pay the replacement value. For Austin to Denver, the cheaper option, Released Value at 60 cents per pound per article, applies only if you sign a written waiver choosing it. Valuation is the mover's liability level, not insurance, so read what a Texas-to-Colorado quote assumes. Separate moving insurance is optional, and a third-party policy is worth considering for high-value items.
- Estimates: every written estimate for the Austin-to-Denver haul must say whether it is binding or non-binding. A binding estimate is paid at delivery, plus services you added and up to 15% for impracticable operations. On a non-binding estimate the bill follows actual weight, and the mover must release your goods once you pay 110% of the estimate at delivery; any remainder is billed after 30 days.
- Survey: a written estimate should rest on a physical survey, in person or by video, unless you waive it in writing. A sight-unseen phone quote for a Texas-to-Colorado move is a red flag.
- Delivery: between Austin and Denver no law sets a number of days. The date or window is whatever is written on the bill of lading, the mover must give 24 hours' notice, and it must tell you as soon as it knows of a delay.
- Paperwork: before the Austin pickup, you must get the bill of lading at least 3 days before loading and can cancel within 3 days. Never sign it blank.
- Claims: once your goods reach Denver, file in writing within 9 months of delivery. On a Denver claim the mover must acknowledge within 30 days and pay, decline or make an offer within 120 days. A note on the Denver delivery receipt is not a claim.
Settling in around Denver
- Altitude: Denver is a mile high. Some newcomers notice mild headaches or slight breathlessness, especially when exercising, which typically eases within a week or two.
- Insurance: your Colorado renter's or homeowner's policy may need to address hail specifically. Denver gets significant hailstorms that can hit roofs and vehicles, so sort this out before your first summer.
- Wildfire plans: if you are heading to the foothills or suburbs near open space, learn your local evacuation zones and keep a plan.
- Paperwork: for Colorado driver license, registration and tax questions, check with the state DMV and revenue office for current deadlines. Also update your voter registration, set up Colorado state tax withholding through your employer, and check whether your health plan has in-network providers in the Denver metro.
Questions about trading Austin heat for Denver snow
How long after pickup in Austin will my Denver delivery arrive?
Interstate moves on this route typically run from about 3 to 10 business days, though some carriers quote a window of up to 14 business days depending on load consolidation. Expedited service is sometimes available for an additional fee. The window that counts is the one written on your bill of lading.
Will Denver cost me more than Austin once I am settled?
Yes. Denver's cost-of-living index is about 8% above Austin's, home values are 14% higher and rent is 7% higher, and Colorado adds a 4.4% income tax that Texas does not have.
Is late September through November the best stretch for this move?
It avoids the worst of both ends: Austin's summer heat is behind you and Denver's snowiest months have not started. Winter is the one to avoid, since heavy snow makes mountain passes difficult for large trucks.
Who regulates my Austin-to-Denver mover?
Because the move crosses a state line, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration regulates it. Your mover must hold a USDOT number and interstate operating authority, so look both up before you sign.
What should I tip a crew on a long-distance job?
Tipping is not required, but it is appreciated for good service. A common benchmark on a long-distance job is $50 to $100 per mover per day, more for a difficult load or tricky access. The crew that loads in Austin and the crew that delivers in Denver may be different teams, so tip each separately.