The short answer
Two pricing modes. Item pricing for a list you can write down, volume pricing when you cannot.
Volume ladder: quarter truck $241, three-eighths $338, half $431, five-eighths $513, three-quarters $587, seven-eighths $661, full truck $732. Minimum $75 per visit.
You see the number before anyone drives out. It does not change on the driveway, and there is no stair charge, no walk-up fee and no same-day surcharge.
The single-item call
This is the most common booking in Houston and it is almost always one of about eight things.
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Sofa / Couch | $126 |
| Mattress — Queen | $103 |
| Refrigerator (Standard) | $164 |
| Washer | $133 |
| Treadmill | $115 |
| TV (42" to 65") | $68 |
| Hot Tub / Spa | $390 |
| Window AC Unit (Large, 8k+ BTU) | $109 |
Anything under $75 on its own comes up to the $75 visit minimum, which is why we always suggest adding whatever else is leaning against the garage wall while a truck is already there.
The living room, the bedroom, the patio
Real lists, with the addition shown so you can check it against your own.
- Sofa and loveseat out of a Montrose bungalow: $126 + $119 = $245
- Queen mattress, box spring and metal frame from a Medical Center apartment: $103 + $92 + $68 = $263
- Patio table, four patio chairs and a propane grill ahead of a storm: $89 + $30 + $30 + $30 + $30 + $71 = $280
- Washer and dryer from a Katy laundry room: $133 + $128 = $261
- Three-piece sectional and a 65-inch-plus television: $185 + $73 = $258
The garage job
Houston's signature booking, because there are no basements here and the garage has been absorbing everything for years. One bay usually comes out at the three-eighths or half tier — $338 or $431. Both bays, floor to rafters, is three-quarters to a full truck at $587 or $732.
Out on the Grand Parkway the garages are bigger and the jobs skew larger. Inner-loop detached garages behind Heights and Norhill bungalows are smaller but the carry down a narrow side drive is longer. Same price ladder, different day.
The seasonal spike
Houston's demand is not flat across the year and it is worth knowing where you are in it.
- May and early June — the pre-hurricane-season garage and patio clear. Patio furniture, grills, planters, anything that becomes a projectile.
- June through November — storm-driven work. Ground-floor furniture, soaked carpet, garage contents that met water.
- Late June and early July — the Medical Center turnover. Apartments emptied on a residency and rotation calendar.
- January — the exercise equipment cycle running in reverse. A treadmill is $115 and an elliptical $97.
The flood job
The most expensive call in this city is the one that follows water into a ground floor, and it is expensive because of volume rather than because of any special rate. Carpet removal is $71 per room, rolled carpet $68, drywall $37 per sheet or small bundle, and the furniture is priced exactly as it would be on a dry day.
Most of these land on the volume ladder rather than on items — a flooded ground floor is usually a three-quarter or full truck, and sometimes more than one. There is no emergency surcharge and there never has been.
What nobody pays
Worth saying plainly, because the questions come up every week. There is no stair charge. No walk-up fee. No fee for a third-floor apartment with no lift. No same-day surcharge. No fuel surcharge for a Grand Parkway address. No refrigerant handling fee on an appliance. No disposal charge added at the end, because disposal is in the published price.
What you see when you book is what you pay.
Frequently asked questions
What is a typical junk removal price in Houston?
Single items run from the $75 minimum up — a sofa is $126, a queen mattress $103, a standard refrigerator $164. Whole-room and garage jobs are usually $241 to $587 on the truck-volume ladder.
Is there a minimum charge?
Yes, $75 per visit. If your one item prices below that, it comes up to $75, so it is usually worth adding anything else that needs to go while the truck is there.
Do prices go up during hurricane season?
No. There is no emergency rate and no seasonal surcharge. What changes in storm weeks is availability, not price, so book as early as you can.
Do I pay more for a third-floor apartment?
No. There is no stair charge and no walk-up fee. Garden-style walk-ups are the standard job in much of this city.
Is disposal included?
Yes. Transport and disposal are both inside the published item or volume price. Nothing is added afterwards.