My third Austin move cost me $387 total. One-bedroom apartment, about eight miles across the city, done in a single day with just me, Sarah, and a rented truck. No professional movers, no horror stories, no hidden fees. I had learned enough from my first two moves to do this one cheaply and without losing my mind. This is exactly what I did, every dollar of it.
$387. That is what it cost me to move from East Sixth Street to my current place in Mueller in 2025.
I want to give you that number right at the start because when I tell people this they usually do not believe it. A one-bedroom apartment, eight miles across Austin, done properly, under $400. It is possible and this post is the proof.
My first move to Austin in 2020 cost me well over $1,500 before I had unpacked a single box, mostly because I had no idea what I was doing and paid for things I did not need to pay for. You can read about that in my first Austin apartment move-in post. By move number three, I had figured a few things out.
Why I Did Not Hire Movers This Time
My second Austin move, from the three-bedroom near UT to the East Sixth one-bedroom in 2022, I hired a moving company. They were good. The move went smoothly. It also cost $320 just for the truck and two movers, not counting tips or supplies.
For this third move I looked at my stuff honestly. One bedroom. Not a lot of furniture. A couch that I had bought for $120 off Facebook Marketplace, so I was not precious about it. A bed frame, a mattress, a desk, a dresser, and maybe 20 boxes.
I asked Sarah, my coworker at the startup who had helped me with a bunch of apartment stuff over the years, if she would help me for a day in exchange for lunch and dinner on me. She said yes immediately, mostly because she found moving logistics genuinely fun, which is a personality trait I do not fully understand but was very grateful for that Saturday.
No movers needed. Just two people, one truck, and a reasonable plan.
The Truck
I rented a cargo van from U-Haul. Not the big truck, just the van. My stuff was not huge and I was pretty sure we could do it in two trips if we packed carefully, or maybe one if we were smart about it.
The base rate for a local in-town rental was $19.95 for the day. That sounds almost too cheap, and it kind of is, because you also pay per mile on top of that. I drove about 24 miles total, counting both trips and the drive to and from the U-Haul pickup location.
At the per-mile rate that added up to about $45 in mileage. Then there was a fuel charge because I did not return it completely full, which cost me another $18 because I was lazy about stopping at a petrol station on the way back. That was my fault and I knew it when I handed over the keys.
Total for the truck: $83.
Not $320. Eighty-three dollars.
The Full Cost Breakdown
Let me just put this all in one place so you can see it clearly.
The food was the second biggest expense after the truck. I had promised Sarah a proper thank you meal and I kept that promise, lunch at a place she liked near the new apartment and dinner in the evening. Worth every dollar of it.
The boxes I bought fresh because my old ones from the last move had gotten damaged from being stored in a damp cupboard. If I had kept them properly I could have cut $34 off the total.
What Made It Actually Work
Renting a cargo van instead of a full truck was the main thing. Most people default to a ten or twelve foot truck when they move, but for a one-bedroom without enormous furniture, a cargo van is often enough and costs significantly less per mile.
I also moved on a Saturday in early 2025, not during the peak summer months when Austin moving truck demand is highest and prices go up. Mid-week is even cheaper if you can manage it, but a Saturday outside summer peak was fine.
Sarah was the other thing that made it work. I want to be honest that this move required two people minimum. One person moving a mattress alone is not realistic. One person carrying a couch down a staircase is how people hurt their backs. If you do not have a friend who can help, factor in hiring even one helper for a few hours, which typically costs around $50 to $80 in Austin for casual moving help found through apps like TaskRabbit.
The Stuff I Did That Saved Money
I sold three things before the move that I did not want to move again. A second bookshelf I had never really needed, an old floor lamp, and a small table I had used as a nightstand. I sold all three on Facebook Marketplace over about two weeks before the move. Got $75 total for them. That $75 is not in my move budget at all, I have kept it separate, but if you count it then the real net cost of my move was more like $312.
I also donated about eight boxes of stuff to a charity shop two weeks before move day. Fewer things to move means fewer trips, less time, and less fuel. Every box you do not move is money you do not spend moving it.
The other thing I did was start packing ten days before move day, not the night before. This sounds obvious but I had done the night-before thing on a previous move and it is genuinely awful. Having everything already in boxes on move day means the actual moving part takes half the time.
What It Costs If You Do Need Professional Help
If you do not have a Sarah in your life, or if you have more stuff than a one-bedroom, professional movers are still the right call for some people. I wrote about how to get proper quotes and avoid getting overcharged in the moving quotes Austin post. The short version: get at least three quotes, ask if they are binding or hourly, and get everything in writing before moving day.
Professional movers for a one-bedroom Austin move run somewhere between $300 and $600 depending on the company and the day of the week. Still manageable if you plan ahead, just not under $400 the way my DIY version was.
FAQ
Is it really possible to move a one-bedroom in Austin for under $400?
Yes, if you do it yourself with help from a friend and rent a cargo van instead of hiring movers. My actual cost was $387 including the truck, food, boxes, and everything else. The main requirement is having at least one other person to help you, since moving solo is not realistic for most furniture.
What is the cheapest way to rent a truck for a local Austin move?
U-Haul cargo vans start at $19.95 for the base day rate for local in-town moves. You pay extra per mile on top of that, so the total depends on how far you are going and how many trips you make. Return it with a full tank of fuel or you will pay a premium for the top-up, which I learned the slightly annoying way.
What day of the week is cheapest to move in Austin?
Mid-week, Tuesday to Thursday, is usually the cheapest because demand for trucks is lower. Saturdays are more expensive. The summer months, June through August, are peak moving season in Austin and prices go up across the board. If you can move in late winter or early spring you will generally pay less.
What if I do not have a friend who can help me move?
Look at TaskRabbit or similar apps where you can hire one or two people for a few hours of moving help. Rates in Austin typically run $50 to $80 per person for a few hours. Even adding $100 to $160 for help still keeps your total well under what professional movers charge for the whole job.
Should I buy new boxes or find free ones?
Free boxes are everywhere if you look a week or two before your move. Liquor stores, bookshops, and supermarkets often have boxes they are throwing out and will give them to you for free if you ask. Facebook Marketplace also has people giving away moving boxes after their own moves. Buying new like I did is the lazy option and it cost me $34 I could have saved.
What is the biggest mistake people make when trying to move cheaply?
Not planning far enough ahead. Booking a truck last minute during a busy period costs more. Not starting to pack early means moving day runs long and you end up paying for an extra day. The cheap move only works if you give yourself enough time to do it right.
