Moving to Houston: A Complete Guide

“Houston, The Eagle has landed.” Thousands of new families are landing in Houston and calling it their new home. H-Town is the second-fastest-growing city in the U.S. and is only getting bigger and better!

If you’re looking to move to Space City, then strap in because this city moves as fast as a jet engine! Get ready for standout cuisine, relaxing bays and beaches, and unforgettable attractions.

At U-Haul, more than 13,000 people have already used U-Haul moving equipment in 2025 to move to Houston. Whether you’re moving with a truck, trailer, or portable moving container, we know what works best for you.

This guide outlines what you can expect when moving to Houston, as well as providing all the necessary tips.

Cost of Living Overview

Growing cities are typically marked by a substantial increase in housing permits, and Houston is number one in that category. In the first two months of 2025, Houston has already issued more than 11,000 new building permits.

The reason? Houston does not have formal zoning laws. When a city wants to attract new hopeful transplants and homebuyers, zoning laws are often the one thing that slows growth. Houston doesn’t have this problem.

Housing Costs: Houston’s rental prices, on average, are 20% less than the national average. Most apartments in Houston range from $750-$1200, with most concentrated in the southwest and northern areas of Houston. This means more money in your pocket to pay for the inevitable summer air conditioning bill.

Utilities: Between April and October, Houston's humidity and heat can make 90 degrees feel like 100. For an average-sized apartment (750 square feet), running the air conditioning all day would cost $360 a month, or around $120 for eight hours a day, per month. Unfortunately, air conditioning needs to be run to keep humidity at bay, or else water damage is inevitable.

Transportation: This may be the only city in the country where a car is essential. METRO is Houston’s only form of public transportation, and while bus lines run throughout the whole city, the light rail is very limited. Most people who use METRO use park-and-ride stations, and METRO sees about 1 million rail riders a month and 5 million bus riders a month. Expect to pay around $500 a month in total for gas, insurance, METRO costs, and vehicle maintenance.

Where to Live

Ten total counties are a part of the Houston metro, meaning there are countless new places to call home. New housing and apartment developments are also becoming a constant feature of outer Houston areas.

On the contrary, with how car-centric Houston is, it is nearly a requirement to live near where you end up working. Houstonians refer to destinations in their city by specifying if they are ‘inside’ or ‘outside’ of the loop. This loop is the Interstate 610 that feeds every other major interstate and state route in the city.

Young Professionals: Young professionals should try to stick to the inside of the loop, as most major corporations are headquartered Downtown. In the northwest corner of the loop is The Heights. With walkable and bikeable areas close to the University of Houston and Downtown, you’re never too far from the party.

Families/Long-Term Residents: Just a little north of The Heights is Greater Heights. This area still contains most of the elements of The Heights, but more of a laid-back vibe. The Museum District is also a great and affordable option for those looking to purchase a home. This district has more than 15 museums and is great for families and friends looking to have a relaxing weekend.

Military Moves: Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base is located in southeast Houston. This base is unique; it is shared by numerous active and reserve military branches. The base was also the support base for NASA’s Apollo missions. Those choosing to live on or off base can easily find housing options all around southeast Houston.

The Houston Housing Market

Like most booming metros, cities want to have their citizens to have the opportunity to be homeowners. This is why the City of Houston’s Housing and Community Development (HCD) Single Family division has an affordable home development program. This program aids potential homebuyers in subsidizing, educating, and providing useful information on how to get started.

Types of Housing: Within the loop, single-family and multifamily homes are about a 50/50 split. Outside of the loop, single-family homes make up 2/3 of the total housing available, with multifamily and mobile homes taking up the rest.

Property and Sales Tax: Everything is bigger in Texas, including property and sales taxes! One of the reasons why property taxes and sales taxes are much higher in Texas is due to the lack of an income tax. According to Texas state law, lawmakers are allowed to increase property taxes without a public vote to combat natural disaster costs (flooding/hurricanes).

Flood Insurance: Scott Elmer with the Harris County Flood Control District said he cannot overstress the importance of flood insurance, whether you are in or out of the mapped floodplains. Flood insurance takes effect 30 days after you buy it, so make sure that it is purchased when moving into a new home.

Planning the Move

The Houston metro is larger than the state of New Jersey, so there are going to be loads of housing options and neighborhoods to consider looking into. A standard rule to keep your move as smooth as possible is to plan three to four months in advance and get housing squared away first. Try finding a place that will let you hold/lease an apartment or house for at least 60 days before move-in.

Looking for Your New Home: If you’re planning a visit to Houston to scope out the city, one of the best ways to make the most out of your visit is to hire a real estate agent. For most rental markets, the landlord is responsible for paying the broker fees, but make sure to check up front on how your real estate agent takes their pay.

When to Pack: Once you have housing checked off, pack an ‘essentials’ suitcase about one month before the move. This suitcase should hold a week's worth of clothes, including work, exercise, and lounging. All the necessary toiletries and any laptop/handheld game console (to cure the boredom of packing).

Take your Time Packing: The best way to space out your move is with U-Box Containers. With their renter-friendly size, U-Box Containers can go where other portable moving containers can’t. You can reserve as many containers as you need. U-Haul won’t charge you for U-Box Containers you don’t end up using.

Working for the Weekend: Packing on the weekends months in advance will give you enough time to clean every single room. This will get you your necessary security deposit or potential cleaning fees out of the way, saving you money. Pack all your cleaning supplies at the end of your move and make them easy to access when arriving in Houston.

Life After the Move

In Houston, the activities and spots to hang out are going to be in and around the loop. Houston is a flat city close to the ocean, so don’t expect too many hikes and trails. What you should expect is amazing local restaurants and cafes.

Finding Local Spots: Moving to a completely new city like Houston can be intimidating with its size and countless things to do. So, try writing down a list of nearby locations to explore. One of the best local Speakeasy-bar locations in Downtown Houston is Behind Closed Doors. This all-in-one space features a relaxing bar experience with great drinks and a dance floor upstairs that really brings the party!

Sites to See: From museums, parks, the zoo, and Asiatown, you might need a few pages to write down everything there is to see in Houston. Over 6,000 species call The Houston Zoo home, and you can even see the University of Houston’s live cougar mascot, Shasta! If you’re more into food and Tolkien, stop by the Hobbit Café! This café is a Houston staple, showing love to all of Middle-earth.

Houston Traffic: Traffic in Houston is no joke, and many highways, even outside of rush hour, can become extremely congested. One main highway to avoid is Interstate 45, and some roadways to avoid are Easton and Campbell Road. Planning your routes around rush hour is best if you want to increase your car’s fuel economy.

A Sports Fan’s Heaven: The Houston Astros, Rockets, Texans, Dynamo, and Dash are all within a 15-minute drive of Downtown Houston! Sports in Houston are a year-round event, and the food in H-Town is hard to beat.

FOOD, FOOD, FOOD: Houston has one of the best food scenes in the entire U.S. Being close to Louisiana and New Orleans, it has soul food infusions with Cajun and Creole creations. With Tex-Mex cuisine, barbecue, Asiatown eats, and five Michelin Star restaurants, you’ll always be close to a premier dining location.

Make Moving to Houston Easier with U-Haul

Beat the Heat: With U-Box Containers, you can move at your own pace. With added Moving Help, all you have to worry about is getting yourself to your new destination! Plus, with U-Box Containers' breathable plywood, you can forget about Houston’s humidity damaging your items.

Hands-on Approach: Need to be with your belongings the whole way? U-Haul Trucks is a great way to conveniently take your items wherever you need them, whether it's storage, a friend's house, or your new home. With pull-out ramps and lower loading decks, we make moving more accessible to everyone.

How to Pack: Just putting all your items in a moving truck without any boxes or moving blankets would spell disaster. That’s why at U-Haul, we have everything to protect your items! Custom wrap your credenza with Enviro-Bubble and Mover’s Wrap! Have a precious flat screen? Our expandable TV kits can hold a TV up to 86 inches!

Have More to Store: With U-Haul Self Storage, there are 20 U-Haul Moving & Storage centers around the city of Houston that offer a wide range of storage solutions. Need a climate-controlled unit to combat the humidity? We have you covered.

Hands-Free Moving: Are you moving to Houston in the summer? Sweating at all in high humidity is dangerous, especially for a do-it-yourself mover. Take yourself out of the heavy lifting equation by getting Moving Help!