Best Moving Companies in Texas 2026

How much you pay for your move depends on whether you move yourself or hire movers, the move distance, how much you’re moving and any additional services (like packing or storage) you choose.

Local movers typically charge by the hour, with a team of two movers costing $80 to $100 per hour as of publishing. Long-distance movers typically charge a flat fee, which may range anywhere from $2,000 to $8,000. Packing and unpacking services will cost you more. Tipping movers is optional but customary (10% to 20% of the total cost).

Estimates for moving services from Houston (77002)

The figures below are based on current (as of publishing) industry estimates for a three-bedroom home with no additional services.

There are ways to ease the stress of a move and simplify the process — it just takes some planning.

1. Get an idea of the scope of the move

Think about how much time, energy and money the move will require. Evaluate your time frame, the number of items you need moved and your budget. Set aside extra funds for unexpected costs.

» SMART MOVE: How to make a moving budget

2. Declutter in advance

Reduce the weight and volume of your belongings to save on moving costs. Consider donating or selling items you no longer need. Your city or town may have local or national charities that offer donation pickup, including for larger furniture items.

3. Start packing early

Begin packing items from less frequently used areas or seasonal items first. As you get closer to your move-out date, aim to pack one room per day and label boxes clearly.

» MORE: How to pack for a move

4. Make sure your essentials are easily accessible

Pack a box or bag for each person in your household containing essentials for moving day and the following day. Include a change of clothes, toiletries and any necessary medications — you don’t want to be without these during the move, especially if you’re driving a long distance.

5. Know how to contact your mover

Have a reliable contact for the moving company so you can communicate logistics, ask questions and track your move. Some companies offer tracking via an app; find out ahead of time so you can download it and be ready for moving day.

» MORE DETAILS: Moving checklist

ConsumerAffairs carefully collects in-depth, verified reviews to tell each customer’s experience with a company. We believe customer experiences are a crucial indicator when evaluating companies, so these reviews are a significant factor when selecting our top picks.

To choose the top moving companies in Texas, we started with the 80 popular providers listed in our main moving guide. First, we narrowed it down to the ones available in Texas. We then weighted several key features to get our final rankings:

• Storage options: We looked at the availability of storage units and any free storage periods.
• Packing services: We considered the types of packing services offered, including whether a company offers packing services and whether it offers both full and partial packing.
• Deposit requirements: We prioritized companies that ask for 20% or less down versus those with higher deposit requirements.
• Discounts: We outlined how many discounts each company offers and what types (e.g., senior, military, student).
• App: We gave a company preference if it has an app with a useful service, like requesting a quote or tracking a move.

You don’t have to be into the rodeo — or even the Dallas Cowboys — to want to move to Texas. With a strong job market and a solid mix of urban, suburban and rural neighborhoods, Texas has a place for everyone. But which one is right for you? If you’re starting your wish list from scratch, it may be worth considering the big-picture data points. To determine the best places to live in Texas in 2025, our research team analyzed the state's 50 largest cities based on affordability, safety, economic strength, health care and education, and quality of life.

Texas is one of the top states people are moving to in 2025 — and there’s room for newcomers. Houston, Dallas, San Antonio and Austin are among the cities building the most homes in the United States. But when you’re looking at a state made up of over 260,000 square miles, 254 counties and more than 1,200 cities, how do you narrow down the search for a new neighborhood? Keep reading to find out the five best places to move to in Texas.

1. Allen

All work and no play? Not in Allen. With an award-winning Parks and Recreation department and a jam-packed community calendar, Allen is a bustling suburb that holds its own in the Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington metro area. Among the 50 largest cities in Texas, Allen has the highest percentage of people living within a 10-minute walk of a green space, at 87%.

Allen gets recognition outside of the Lone Star State, too. It ranked third on our list of best places to live in the South.

• Access to nature: 87% of Allen’s residents live within a 10-minute walk of green space, the best proximity to parks of any Texas city on our list.
• Low crime rates: Allen ranks second overall for safety, with the lowest property crime rate (8.5 crimes per 1,000 people) and the seventh-lowest violent crime rate (1.2 crimes per 1,000 people).
• Relative affordability: The cost of living in Allen ranks in the top 20, featuring a home-price-to-income ratio that ranks seventh lowest in the state.

2. Frisco

Frisco calls itself “the City That Plays” — an apt reference to its thriving sports culture, which includes the world headquarters of both the Dallas Cowboys and PGA of America. It has the seventh-strongest economic ranking in the state, including just 3.4% of the population living below the poverty level. And Frisco’s health care and education ranking (fifth) is the best of any city in the top five overall.

• Highest education rate: Frisco’s high school completion rate of 97.7% is the highest in Texas.
• Accessible health care: With 29.9 health care professionals per 1,000 people, Frisco ranks seventh in the state. (Texas’ statewide rate is 19 per 1,000).

3. Plano

Just 20 miles north of Dallas, Plano is an ideal suburb for movers looking for green space, safe streets and fun activities — like “fowling,” a unique mix of football and bowling. Who knew? For residents who like their adventures on the dinner table, Plano is also home to one of the largest food halls in the United States, where diners can sample duck fried chicken, authentic Mexico City tacos and wine all under one roof.

• High walkability: Plano ranks second overall for quality of life. It has great access to parks (81.9% of residents live within a 10-minute walk to green space) and earned a walkability score 10 points higher than the Texas average.
• Healthy and educated: High scores in health care (29.2 health professionals per 1,000 people) and education (a 95.1% high school completion rate) put Plano in sixth place in the health care and education category.

4. McKinney

Worried moving to the South will mean you miss out on East Coast autumnal vibes? Look no further than McKinney, which has declared itself the “Inflatable Turkey Capital of Texas.” (You can find an interactive online map so you don’t miss a single bird.)

Of course, there’s more to McKinney than holiday celebrations (though the city goes all out for Christmas, too!). This Dallas suburb is home to a recreation district, plenty of outdoor activities and a historic downtown.

• Low crime: McKinney ranks third overall for safety, just behind Allen. The city has the fourth-lowest rates of both property crime (nine crimes per 1,000 people) and violent crime (1.1 crimes per 1,000 people).
• Worth the cost: McKinney isn’t the most affordable place in Texas — the median rent is slightly higher than the state's ($1,823 versus $1,741). However, the city ranks seventh overall for health care and education, with accessible health care (27.3 health care professionals per 1,000 people) and an above-average high school completion rate (95.2%).

5. Leander

Leander’s origin dates back to the 1880s, when a rail line was constructed to connect Austin to Abilene. Today, this Austin suburb has a population of about 86,000 residents and ranks first in safety and second in economic strength. Nowhere among Texas’ largest cities is violent crime less common, and over the past five years, no metro area has experienced faster job growth.

• Best overall safety: Leander is home to the state’s second-lowest property crime rate (8.9 crimes per 1,000 people) and the lowest overall violent crime rate (0.7 crimes per 1,000 people).
• Thriving economy: Leander ranks second overall economically, with the lowest unemployment rate among our top five cities (3.2%, compared with Texas’ overall unemployment rate of 5.1%).
• Strong job market: Moving to the Austin area for a new job? Good news — the metro area has seen a 25.4% five-year job growth rate, the highest we analyzed.

Whether you’re a Texan at heart or trying on a 10-gallon hat for the first time, there are a lot of factors that go into choosing where you should live. Everyone has different priorities, whether it’s green space, the economy, public safety or something else — so check out our full dataset below to get the big picture on Texas living.

The ConsumerAffairs Research Team evaluated the 50 most populous cities in the state across five weighted categories to identify the best cities to move to in Texas. In each category, the city that performed the best received the highest possible score, while others received relative scores. We added the category scores together to get an overall score, which is out of 100 points.

• Affordability (30 points): This category includes the median rent for each city in September 2025 (15 points) and the affordability ratio of median home sale price to median income in each metro area (15 points). Data is from the U.S. Census Bureau (2024) and Zillow (2025).
• Safety (30 points): This score is based on the rates of violent crime (15 points) and property crime (15 points) per 1,000 residents. Data is from NeighborhoodScout (2023).
• Economy (20 points): The economy score considers job growth in each metro from 2020 to 2025 (10 points), the city’s percentage of residents below the poverty level (7 points), and the unemployment rate (3 points). Data is from the U.S. Census Bureau (2023-2024) and Texas Workforce Commission.
• Health care and education (10 points): This category includes the number of health care professionals per 1,000 people (5 points) and the high school completion rate (5 points). Data is from the U.S. Census Bureau (2024).
• Quality of life (10 points): The quality of life score considers walkability (5 points) and the percentage of the population living within a 10-minute walk of a green space (5 points). Data is from Walk Score (2025) and NYU Langone Health (2024).

For questions about the data or if you'd like to set up an interview, please contact dedens@consumeraffairs.com.

Reference policy

We love it when people share our findings! If you do, please link back to our original article to credit our research.