The short answer

Two ways to price it. Item by item if the list is short, or by truck volume if it is not.

Quarter truck $241, three-eighths $338, half $431, five-eighths $513, three-quarters $587, seven-eighths $661, full $732. Minimum $75 per visit.

A one-bedroom apartment leaving behind a sofa, a bed and some boxes: usually a quarter to three-eighths. A four-bedroom in Katy or Cypress with a loaded garage: three-quarters to a full truck, sometimes two.

Houston moves on a different calendar

Two engines drive relocation here and they run on separate clocks. The Texas Medical Center turns over on the academic year — residency matches, fellowship rotations, thirteen-week travel-nurse contracts — which bunches move-outs into a few predictable weeks. The Energy Corridor and the wider industrial west side move on project and contract cycles, which do not respect June at all.

Both have the same consequence for you: if you are moving in one of the busy weeks, the truck you want and the cleanout slot you want are being competed for. Booking the clear-out a week ahead rather than the night before is worth more than any discount.

The garage is the real job

Nothing here has a basement. Whatever a family would store under the house elsewhere is in the garage: bins of paperwork, camping gear used twice, an exercise bike, the paint from the last repaint, the mower, and the boxes that came back down after the last storm and never went back up.

Movers charge by weight and volume, so paying to relocate a garage full of things you will not unpack is the most expensive mistake in the whole move. Clear the garage before you get a moving quote, not after.

Common garage items and their flat prices: lawn mower $65, treadmill $115, weight set $93, metal shelving $71, bicycle $37, a 20 lb propane tank $33, a one-gallon can of paint $30.

What the climate has already ruled out

Do not plan to move upholstery or particleboard that has been living in an unconditioned space. Houston humidity puts mildew into fabric and swells chipboard joints, and a flat-pack bookcase that comes apart in a Houston garage does not go back together in a new house. The same goes for a mattress that has been stored on its side in there since spring.

Solid wood, metal and appliances travel fine. Everything soft that has been out of the air conditioning deserves a hard look before it goes on a truck you are paying for.

Common move-out lists

  • Sofa, queen mattress set, standard dresser: $126 + $143 + $126 = $395
  • Dining table for six, six chairs: $163 + $45 + $45 + $45 + $45 + $45 + $45 = $433
  • Washer, dryer, standard refrigerator: $133 + $128 + $164 = $425
  • Sofa, TV between 42 and 65 inches, entertainment center, large area rug: $126 + $68 + $96 + $68 = $358

Where an item list lands close to a truck tier, take the tier — a half truck at $431 beats a $433 item list, and we will point that out rather than let you overpay.

Apartments, townhouses and houses each fail differently

In an apartment there is no curb. The dumpster sits in a gated enclosure with a gate too narrow for furniture, and anything left beside it comes back as a charge on your final statement. Book before the walkthrough while you still have building access.

In an inner-loop townhouse the problem is the stairs — three storys over a garage, two switchback runs, a landing too tight to turn a sofa. That is included; there is no stair charge. It is just worth telling us at booking.

In a house, the question is whether your city runs a bulky collection and whether its window lines up with your closing date. It usually does not, which is why sellers book instead of waiting.

Sequence it properly

Garage first, two or three weeks out. Then the rooms you are not using. Then the cleanout of whatever is left, booked for two or three days before the walkthrough or the closing — not after, when getting back into the building or the house becomes somebody else's decision.

You will see the price on screen before anyone drives out, and it does not change because the stairwell turned out to be tight or because you asked for a Saturday.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a move-out cleanout cost in Houston?

Usually $241 for a quarter truck up to $587 for three-quarters, depending on volume. Short lists price better item by item — a sofa is $126, a queen mattress and box spring $143, a standard dresser $126.

When should I book it?

Two or three days before your walkthrough or closing, while you still have access. Book earlier than that in the busy Medical Center turnover weeks, when slots go quickly.

Should I move things I am unsure about?

Not if they have been in the garage. Movers charge by weight and volume, and Houston humidity means stored upholstery and particleboard often will not survive the move in usable condition anyway.

Is there a charge for a third-floor townhouse?

No. There is no stair charge and no walk-up fee, which matters here because so much newer inner-loop housing stacks three storys over a garage.

Can you take appliances?

Yes. A washer is $133, a dryer $128, a stacked washer-dryer combo $189, a standard refrigerator $164 and a dishwasher $109.