Austin equity, Houston prices
If you own in Austin, this is the move where the numbers work for you. The median home in Austin sells around $512,700, and in Houston it sits at $253,400, which is 51% lower. A seller can buy a comparable home in Houston and keep a large share of the difference, or step up to a bigger house than the one left behind. Before you list, line up a Houston lender and a rough budget, because your moving date will follow the closing dates on both ends.
Both cities benefit from Texas having no state income tax, so that part of your budget stays the same on either side of the move.
The paycheck gap
Household income runs lower in Houston, at $62,894 for the median household, compared with $91,461 in Austin. That does not mean your own pay will drop. It does mean that if you are weighing a Houston job offer, you should set it against Houston living costs and not Austin ones. Home values fall much faster than incomes do on this route, so the move tends to favor people who bring Austin earnings or Austin sale proceeds with them.
Overall consumer prices are close to level: on the federal price index for 2024 (U.S. = 100), the Houston area scores 99 and the Austin area 98. The savings on this route sit in housing, not in groceries or gas.
Renting your way in
Renters get a smaller gap, but it is still a gap. Typical rent in Houston is $1,313 a month and in Austin it is $1,655, a difference of 21%. If you are not ready to buy, a first lease lets you learn which side of the metro fits your commute before you commit to a purchase.
Houston has 2,300,419 residents and Austin has 967,862, so you are moving to a place more than twice as big. It is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the choice of neighborhood matters more there than it did in Austin. Look at several areas before you sign a lease, since a wrong guess about traffic is harder to undo than a wrong guess about a floor plan.
In Houston, 17% of residents had a different address a year earlier, while Austin's figure is 21%. Give yourself lead time on the Houston side to find the unit you want, and ask your Austin landlord what notice is required so your lease end and your Houston start date do not leave you with a loaded truck and nowhere to put it.
Where to look in Houston
These are the areas worth researching, matched to what is bringing you:
- The Heights and Montrose: walkable and eclectic, with a creative and dining scene, in the Inner Loop.
- Midtown: dense and urban, close to the downtown job centers.
- Museum District and Medical Center: central and walkable, a fit if you are moving for healthcare or academic work.
- Sugar Land and Missouri City: southwest suburbs with strong school districts, newer construction, and a lower price per square foot than comparable Austin suburbs.
- The Woodlands: a master-planned community north of Houston, with highly rated schools and a suburban feel, on the I-45 North corporate corridor.
- Katy: a western suburb with family neighborhoods and easy access to the Energy Corridor job hub.
Houston's geography is complicated, and a crew that knows these neighborhoods helps on move-in day. Whichever area you pick, keep the commute in mind: the metro is vast and sprawling, and commute times depend heavily on where you live compared with where you work. Houston is also one of the most car-dependent large cities in the country, with limited transit and an extensive toll road network, so budget for parking and tolls and plan on driving for most errands.
Apartments and houses on both ends
Renting is common in both places: 58% of households rent in Houston and 56% in Austin. The housing mix is close too. In Houston, 44% of homes sit in buildings of five or more units and 43% are detached houses. In Austin the split is 42% in larger buildings and 44% detached. So a person leaving an Austin apartment may well land in a Houston apartment, and a person leaving a house may land in a house.
That matters on moving day. A larger building means asking about the elevator, the loading dock, where a truck can legally stop, and whether the property manager wants a certificate of insurance first. A house means looking at the driveway, the stairs and how close the truck can park. Tell every mover which kind of home sits at each end, because it changes the crew size and the time they quote.
Heat, humidity and the Gulf
Austin summers are long and extremely hot, often above 100 °F, but dry. Spring brings severe thunderstorm and tornado risk, and there is the occasional winter ice storm, as the region saw in February 2021. Houston summers are hot and humid, with highs routinely above 95 °F, mild winters with occasional freezes, hurricane risk from the Gulf and a tendency toward severe flooding.
A few habits follow from that:
- Load early in the day in summer, so nobody works through the worst of the heat.
- Plan for rain or storms at both addresses, covering boxes, furniture and electronics.
- Ask about delays. If a storm is forecast near Houston, ask your mover what their policy is, and keep your essentials with you instead of on the truck.
- Check the air conditioning. In Houston humidity it is infrastructure, so have the HVAC system looked at before you arrive or soon after.
- Check the flood record of any Houston place before you sign a lease or close on a home. FEMA flood maps are publicly available; ask about flood history, and know that standard homeowners and renters policies do not cover flooding.
What the truck day and the paperwork look like
Because both cities are in Texas, this is an in-state move. Texas rules apply and the federal interstate rules do not. The state regulator is TxDMV, and it is the place to check any mover you are considering. Here is what to hold the mover to:
- Before loading, the mover must give you a written proposal that is either binding or not-to-exceed. Do not accept a verbal number.
- Liability is whatever you and the mover agree to in writing. It can even be $0 if the contract says so, and 60 cents per pound is a common example, so read that line before you sign. Ask what fuller coverage the mover offers, and get the options in writing instead of assuming a level of coverage.
- Claims for damage must be made within 90 days.
The price of this move depends on how much you own, how many stairs or elevator trips are involved, the parking at each end, and any packing you hand over. The price range at the top of this page shows where those factors tend to land. Ask each mover for a written estimate after a walk-through, whether in person or by video, and pick your date once your lease or closing is fixed.
Houston's rush-hour traffic is a reason to ask each mover for a loading window that gets the truck into Houston outside it. Ask also what happens if the truck arrives later than planned and what your recourse is. A larger home, or one where you hand over the packing, may call for a two-day window, so ask the mover how they would schedule it.
Settling in after the drive
Several things change even though you are staying in Texas:
- Address updates: tell the Texas DPS about your new address for your driver's license, and update the vehicle registration address with the tax assessor-collector in your new county. Check each office for its deadline.
- Emissions testing: Houston is one of the metro areas where emissions tests still apply, so find out what that means for your vehicle.
- School-tax homestead exemption: if you buy, the exemption is $140,000 (plus $60,000 if you are 65 or older or disabled), and you file by April 30.
Picking a mover for Austin to Houston
Our team has 35+ years of hands-on service-provider experience, including an operator who ran a moving company for 18 years.
Majestic Moving Companies is a directory. We connect people with licensed movers and we do not move, pack or store anything ourselves. Here is what to check:
- Credentials. Texas intrastate movers must be registered with the Texas Department of Motor Vehicles. Ask for the company's TxDMV number and confirm it is active.
- Three written proposals, compared line by line. Do not look only at the bottom number. A very low figure on paper can turn into larger charges at delivery.
- Track record on this route, not only on local moves. Look at review platforms for a consistent history.
- Who arrives. Ask how many people, and what happens if the date slips.
You can start with movers in Austin if you are loading there, look at movers in Houston if you want someone who knows the destination streets and buildings, or use find movers to compare options. If you are still deciding where to live in Texas or beyond, browse by state.
Austin-to-Houston questions, answered
Will the truck load in Austin and unload in Houston on the same day?
Ask each mover for the delivery window in writing; in Texas it is whatever you and the mover agree to. Loading in Austin in the morning gives the crew the best chance of reaching Houston ahead of the evening traffic. Add packing or a larger home and the mover may suggest two days.
Is moving from Austin to Houston treated like a long-distance move?
For the rules, no. Both cities are in Texas, so TxDMV rules apply, not the federal ones. Expect a written proposal before loading, either binding or not-to-exceed, and a walk-through estimate in person or by video.
Does leaving Austin for Houston mean spending less each month?
On housing, yes: rent is $1,313 in Houston against $1,655 in Austin, and the median home is $253,400 against $512,700. Median household income is lower in Houston too, so set any job offer against Houston costs.
What do I look at in Houston that I never checked in Austin?
Flood exposure first, then the drive. Look up the flood zone and flood history of the property and ask about flood insurance. Then test the commute at the hours you would drive it, since Houston is sprawling and car-dependent.