A bigger city with a higher housing bill
The first number to absorb is the price of a house. Memphis sits at a $157,100 median home value; in Houston it is $253,400, a 61% premium. If you plan to buy, that gap sets the budget before anything else does.
Renters feel a smaller but steady difference: Houston renters pay $1,313 a month where Memphis renters pay $1,123, about $190 more every month. Incomes are higher in Houston as well ($62,894 against $51,211 for the median household), so set the rent gap against your own paycheck rather than against an average. The federal price index for 2024 puts the Houston area at 99 and the Memphis area at 92 (U.S. = 100), a 7-point difference overall.
One thing does not change at the state line: Tennessee and Texas both leave wages free of state income tax.
Scale changes too. Houston has 2,300,419 residents, more than three and a half times the 629,063 in Memphis, and it is the fourth-largest city in the country. It sprawls across hundreds of square miles, which makes the choice of area, covered below, matter more than it would in a compact city. If you want a sense of the Memphis end first, start at movers in Memphis.
What pushes a Memphis-to-Houston quote up or down
Start from the range at the top of this page. What moves a quote on a haul between Tennessee and Texas:
- How much your home holds, since the weight of the shipment sets the base.
- Packing, whether the mover does all of it, some of it, or none.
- Specialty items and storage, if you need either.
- Carries at either door: stairs, elevators and the walk from the entrance to the truck.
Start collecting quotes six to eight weeks before loading day, and have each mover name a loading window instead of one date.
At the survey step, a mover should look at your belongings, in person or by live or recorded video, before issuing a written estimate, unless you waive that in writing. A quote given over the phone without anyone seeing your home is a warning sign.
Estimates, coverage and paperwork between Tennessee and Texas
Crossing a state line puts the whole move under federal rules, and the choices below are the ones that protect your bill.
Memphis to Houston is an interstate move, so each written estimate must state whether it is binding or non-binding. Movers commonly offer not-to-exceed pricing, a form of binding estimate, and it is worth requesting.
Under a binding estimate you owe the quoted figure at delivery, plus services added after signing, plus up to 15% for impracticable operations collected at delivery; anything above that is billed later. A non-binding estimate follows actual weight instead. Under it, the mover must release your goods once you pay 110% of the estimate at delivery, with any remaining balance billed after 30 days from delivery. That 110% is the amount due at the truck, not a ceiling on the final total.
Coverage is a separate decision. Full Value Protection applies automatically, so the mover must repair, replace or pay replacement value for anything it damages or loses. Only a written waiver from you choosing Released Value, 60 cents per pound per article, puts that option in force. Neither is insurance; each sets the mover's liability, and separate moving insurance is optional and state-regulated.
Our team has 35+ years of hands-on service-provider experience, including an operator who ran a moving company for 18 years.
Booking the haul from Memphis to Houston, step by step
- Line up several written estimates, three at minimum. Do not book from a phone call alone.
- Look up the carrier's USDOT and MC numbers on the FMCSA website before you hand over a deposit. Any carrier moving goods from Tennessee into Texas needs federal registration. In FMCSA's search, a "Motor Carrier of Household Goods" listing means the company moves you itself; "Broker of Household Goods" means it passes your job to another carrier.
- Get the binding or not-to-exceed estimate in writing, so what you pay at delivery matches what you signed.
- Read reviews from long-distance customers. A company that handles city moves well may not handle a long haul well.
- Ask for the delivery window in writing. The law sets no number of days for delivery. Hauls like this one often get quoted windows of 2 to 5 business days, but the date or window on your bill of lading is what counts. Expect 24 hours' notice before delivery, and the mover must tell you as soon as it knows of a delay.
- Read the bill of lading before loading day. You must receive it at least 3 days before loading, and you can cancel within 3 days. Never sign it blank. Federal rules set no cap on deposits, and a large cash deposit is a red flag.
After delivery, if something arrives damaged, file the claim in writing within 9 months. The mover has 30 days to acknowledge it and 120 days to pay, decline or make an offer. A note on the delivery receipt does not count as a claim.
To compare carriers that serve both states, browse by state, or open the full list of movers and check each company's details. For the receiving end, see movers in Houston.
Moving day: houses in Memphis, apartment buildings in Houston
Buildings differ more than the figures suggest. In Memphis, 60% of homes are detached houses and 25% sit in buildings of five or more units; in Houston those shares are 43% and 44%.
That changes how the day works:
- Loading in a Memphis house: driveways, stairs and how close the truck can park are the questions. Tell the mover about steps and narrow turns when it surveys your belongings.
- Unloading in a Houston apartment building: find out whether elevators can be reserved, whether there is a loading dock and where a truck may stand.
Renting is common at both ends: 58% of Houston households rent, against 54% in Memphis. If you plan to rent in Houston, tour in person or by video before you sign, and measure the rooms against your furniture while you are still deciding what to bring.
Six Houston areas, from the Inner Loop to Clear Lake
With no traditional zoning code, Houston's areas feel very different from one another. Six to look at first:
- Inner Loop, Midtown and Montrose: urban and walkable by Houston standards, with restaurants and nightlife. Rents run higher, but living near work cuts gas costs.
- The Heights: bungalow streets, independent shops and a strong community feel.
- Sugar Land and Missouri City (southwest): suburban and family-oriented, with highly rated school districts and a South Asian and Chinese-American community. It is one of the most diverse suburban pockets in the country.
- The Woodlands (north): master-planned, green and upscale, with top-tier schools and a quieter pace, though the commute to downtown is long.
- Katy (west): fast-growing and more affordable than the city core.
- Clear Lake and the NASA area (southeast): home to Johnson Space Center, with a close community of engineers, scientists and aerospace workers.
Traffic is heavy across the metro. Drive the commute at rush hour before signing any lease or purchase contract.
Storm season, floods and the earthquake you leave behind
Memphis sits near the New Madrid Seismic Zone, and it sees ice storms in winter and severe thunderstorms and tornadoes in spring. Houston is not a significant earthquake risk. In its place come hurricanes and tropical storms from the Gulf of Mexico, and flooding that has been catastrophic in recent decades. Trade the earthquake kit for a hurricane supply kit and a go-bag, ready from June 1 through November 30.
Before you pick a street, look up the FEMA flood zone map for the address. Standard homeowner's and renter's policies do not cover flood damage, so price a separate policy through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private carrier, even outside the mapped flood zones. Learn your evacuation routes before storm season starts.
Zoning works differently too. Houston has no traditional zoning code, so a nail salon can sit beside a house beside a warehouse. Deed restrictions and homeowners' association rules govern established neighborhoods, so read them for any address you are considering.
Heat is the part Memphis prepares you for. Both cities pass 95°F in summer, and Houston's highs stay above that from June through September. Cooling is a monthly bill you should budget for, in a house or an apartment.
Texas paperwork after you land
- Driver license: you have 90 days from becoming a resident to get a Texas license. Texas licenses come from the driver license office (DPS).
- Vehicle registration: register within 30 days. The $90 new-resident tax stands in for sales tax when the car was already registered in your name in another state.
- Inspection: since January 1, 2025, a safety inspection is no longer required for most cars and a $7.50 fee applies instead. Emissions tests still apply in the Houston area.
- Homeowners: the school-tax homestead exemption is $140,000, with an extra $60,000 if you are 65 or older or disabled. File by April 30.
Start the license and registration visits in your first weeks, since both deadlines run from the day you become a resident.
Timing a Memphis-to-Houston load-out around the weather
Weather can set the schedule at both ends. Summer pushes past 95°F in Memphis and Houston. Hurricane season in Houston does not end until November 30, and its summer heat eases in the fall, so December through February is the stretch with the fewest weather hazards at the Houston end. Memphis winters can bring ice storms, which can still disrupt loading.
Ask your mover what happens if a storm delays the truck at either end, and keep your own travel dates flexible enough to absorb a late delivery.
Memphis-to-Houston questions, answered
How much more will housing cost after leaving Memphis?
Rent runs about $190 more a month, $1,313 against $1,123, and a median Houston home is worth $253,400 against $157,100. That is a 61% gap on home values, so set the purchase budget before you start looking.
Do I pay state income tax after crossing from Tennessee into Texas?
Neither state taxes wages. Your paycheck is untouched on both sides of the state line, though Houston's overall prices sit a little higher on the federal price index.
Will my homeowner's or renter's policy cover Houston flooding?
No. Standard policies do not cover flood damage. Check the FEMA flood zone for the address, then price a separate policy through the National Flood Insurance Program or a private carrier.
When does the hurricane season I am moving into end?
It runs through November 30. If your dates are open, loading between December and February sidesteps both the hurricanes and the hottest months.
What should I ask a Houston apartment building before moving day?
Ask whether it reserves elevators, whether it has a loading dock, and where a truck may park. In a city where 44% of homes are in buildings of five or more units, those answers can decide how long unloading takes.