Los Angeles to Dallas Movers
| Long-Distance Moving Services

Los Angeles to Dallas moving guide: the route, the cost, and what to expect

How far is Los Angeles from Dallas?

About 1,435 driving miles. That is roughly 22 hours behind the wheel nonstop, or 25–27 hours once you add fuel, meals and rest stops — which is why most families who drive it themselves spread it over three to four days (distance and drive time).

The standard route leaves LA on I-15 north to Barstow, then follows I-40 east across the Mojave Desert, through Kingman and Flagstaff in Arizona, past Albuquerque, and across the Texas Panhandle via Amarillo before dropping south into Dallas–Fort Worth on US-287. A southern I-10 routing through Phoenix and El Paso exists but adds miles; it is mostly used for West Texas destinations. Your household goods travel in our own GPS-tracked trucks, and at this distance delivery typically takes several days door to door — not a single day.

What your flat rate includes

• Our own crew and truck — no broker hand-offs. Move & Care is headquartered in Woburn, MA, with offices in Boston, Charlotte, Austin, San Antonio and Irvine.
• Fuel, tolls and mileage.
• Disassembly and reassembly of furniture, done when a piece needs it — beds, tables, wardrobes — not sold as an upgrade.
• Moving blankets, dollies and tools to protect your belongings on the job. We do not lay floor runners.
• Basic coverage at 60 cents per pound per article. That is the federal minimum, and it pays very little on light-but-valuable items — a 10-pound television that cost $800 recovers $6. Full Value Protection is available for an extra cost and is worth pricing if you carry electronics, art or antiques.
• No separate stair or long-carry fee. If a piece cannot fit through a stairwell or elevator and must be hoisted, hoisting is $40 per item per flight.
• The price does not change if the move takes longer than planned. It is locked to the inventory and services you approve. Move & Care takes a deposit to hold your dates.

What moves the price

• Volume and weight of the shipment — a Koreatown studio and a four-bedroom house in Sherman Oaks price nothing alike.
• Access at both addresses. Stairs and long carries are free, but hoisting, parking permits and elevator logistics affect the plan.
• How much packing you do yourself versus what our crew packs.
• Dates. Late spring through summer is peak season; mid-week and mid-month dates are easier to book.
• Add-ons such as storage if there is a gap between your LA move-out and Dallas move-in, and special items like pianos, safes or gym equipment.

Big moves get an in-home or video estimate. Small and average moves need no visit — a video inventory is enough, and your flat rate is confirmed against the approved list before anything is loaded.

Leaving Los Angeles: what you arrange, what we arrange

The LA end is where moves lose hours. You handle the building logistics: reserve the truck’s parking permit or curb space, book the elevator or loading-dock window, and check your building’s move-in/move-out rules. Move & Care does not file permits or post signs. Most managed buildings also require a Certificate of Insurance (COI) — send us your building’s exact COI requirements and we provide the certificate. Booking these one to a few weeks ahead keeps move day to the actual moving.

On the day, our crew works around your curb window: room-by-room wrapping, mattress bags, padded furniture strapped for a multi-day haul, and boxes labeled by destination room so Dallas unloading is placement, not sorting.

Arriving in Dallas–Fort Worth

DFW is spread-out and neighborhood-driven — the opposite of vertical LA. Common landing zones: Uptown and Victory Park high-rises (freight elevators and COI rules apply, just like at home), Deep Ellum and Oak Lawn townhomes, and houses in Plano, Frisco, Richardson, McKinney and Las Colinas, where driveways and garages usually make this the easiest access of the move. Suburban HOAs can still have their own rules, so check yours before delivery day. Your delivery window is confirmed in advance, and your coordinator keeps you updated while the truck is in transit.

Why people make this move

• Cost of living: Dallas runs roughly 18–20% below Los Angeles including rent, with housing the biggest gap (Numbeo’s LA vs Dallas comparison). Numbeo’s current city index shows LA at 76.3 against Dallas at 60.8 — about a 20% difference.
• No state income tax: Texas does not tax personal income (the state’s taxes are listed — income tax is not among them), which changes take-home pay for most movers coming from California.
• Jobs: Dallas–Fort Worth is home to more than 20 Fortune 500 headquarters, including AT&T, Texas Instruments, Toyota North America and McKesson (Dallas Regional Chamber major-companies report), and finance employers keep expanding — the local press calls it “Y’all Street.”
• Space: more square feet and a yard for the money. The trade is weather — humid summers and a stronger storm season than LA’s Mediterranean climate.

Full-service movers vs containers vs a rental truck on this route

Containers can look cheaper for a small load, but you do all the loading and your things may wait for a consolidation window. A rental truck means ~1,435 miles of desert driving yourself, plus fuel, hotels and every heavy lift. Full-service means one flat rate and a crew that wraps, loads, drives and rebuilds at the other end. If you are moving a family, working full-time, or carrying anything fragile, the flat-rate option usually wins once you price in your own time and risk — and that is the model we run.

Booking timeline

• 4+ weeks out: request your estimate, walk your inventory by video (or in-home for large moves), and lock your dates with a deposit.
• 2–4 weeks out: reserve elevator and dock windows and parking permits at both ends; send us each building’s exact COI requirements.
• Week of the move: confirm access details, label boxes by destination room, and keep one essentials box with you.
• Delivery day: we unload, place furniture in the right rooms, and reassemble what we took apart. If anything is damaged or missing, call our office immediately so the claim starts the same day.