My Move from San Antonio to NYC with U-Pack
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San Antonio, TX → New York, NY
$1,911
One ReloCube, 2,500 pounds
$2,500.98
+$589.98 for local movers and tip
1,833 mi
Long-distance, interstate
- I compared four quotes before I hired U-Pack for my San Antonio to New York City move.
- My final bill landed $589.98 over the container quote, because New York City rules meant U-Pack couldn’t deliver to my door and I had to hire local movers.
- I shared all of it, my quotes, my bills, and my ratings, as part of moveBuddha’s Better Moves Project.
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This account is based on a conversation with Janna G., who moved from San Antonio, Texas, to New York, New York, in 2022 using U-Pack. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
My move from Texas to New York
I spent four years as a percussionist on Broadway before the pandemic closed the theaters. When Broadway shut down I moved to San Antonio, where the cost of living gave me room to work out my next step and time to write a musical I’m still composing. When the chance came to go back to New York, I was ready.
Moving back meant moving a lot of gear: guitars, a bass, a keyboard, a synth, a full drum set, percussion instruments, a vibraphone, monitors, an audio interface, a preamp, microphones, and more. Getting all of it there undamaged was my whole concern, which is why I looked at moving container companies rather than a truck I’d have to drive 1,833 miles myself.
I used moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to compare quotes and find the right company for the job. According to moveBuddha, users who compare movers this way save more than 30% versus taking the first quote they get.
My U-Pack experience at a glance
Here’s what stood out most about moving with U-Pack, good and bad.
- Communication: U-Pack was responsive but not proactive. They answered clearly every time I called, and they rarely reached out first, so I had to stay on top of it myself.
- Pricing accuracy and transparency: The container price was exactly what I was quoted at $1,911. What moved my total was a delivery restriction I had to solve myself, not a change to U-Pack’s number.
- Check parking rules before you book: New York City doesn’t allow moving containers on certain residential streets, so U-Pack couldn’t deliver to my apartment. I hired local movers to collect everything from a storage facility in New Jersey, which added $589.98 to my total.
- Timeliness: U-Pack ran late on both pickup and delivery days, and my ReloCube reached the New Jersey facility three days after the scheduled date.
- Loss and damage: Nothing was damaged. Every instrument I packed, including the vibraphone and the drum set, arrived in the condition it left in.
- Would I use U-Pack again? Yes, and I’d price PODS alongside it next time, because PODS delivers to Manhattan doorsteps and would have cut out the New Jersey step entirely.
over my original U-Pack quote
Find out what a move from Texas → New York actually costs before a mover tells you.
Why I chose U-Pack
I got quotes from four container companies, and U-Pack was the most affordable for what I needed. PODS was my first call and quoted $2,500 for the same route. U-Pack came in at $1,911, and I knew I could hold costs down further by loading and unloading the container myself.
I went in knowing I’d need local movers at the other end. U-Pack can’t deliver to doorsteps in Manhattan, only to Brooklyn and Queens, so collecting my things from a New Jersey storage facility was always part of the plan. Even with that added in, U-Pack was still the better deal. What I found out afterward is that PODS does deliver to Manhattan doorsteps, which would have simplified the logistics, though I’m not certain it would have come out cheaper. Our PODS vs. U-Pack comparison lays out where each one fits.
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My move at a glance
Here are the basics of my relocation, including what I was quoted and what I actually paid for my San Antonio to New York City move.
| Moving from | San Antonio, TX 78209 |
|---|---|
| Moving to | New York, NY 10031 |
| Distance | 1,833 miles |
| Move size | One ReloCube, 2,500 lbs, 6 feet x 7 feet x 8 feet |
| Moving company | U-Pack and TaskRabbit |
| Moving quote | $1,911 for the U-Pack ReloCube |
| Actual cost | $2,500.98 ($1,911 U-Pack + $529.98 TaskRabbit movers + $60 tip) |
That gap between quote and final cost is entirely down to New York City rules that keep moving containers out of certain residential neighborhoods. The container price never changed.
We found that when you use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator, you can save 30% on moving costs compared to customers who go with the first quote they receive.
Quotes I compared
I priced four container companies for the same 1,833-mile route. These are the two I documented, and the $589 spread between them is what settled the decision.
Pickup day
I packed and secured everything myself before the container arrived, fragile instruments included. That part took longer than the loading did.
The U-Pack ReloCube was delivered on schedule, and I loaded it myself in about four hours. Once I finished, the driver had the ReloCube on the truck in roughly 10 minutes.
If you’re shipping instruments, the packing is the job. The container is just the container.
Delivery day
My things were supposed to arrive between 8 a.m. and noon. By 12:15 nothing had appeared, so I called.
I’d already called a few times before the scheduled date to check on the shipment, and I learned U-Pack was waiting on other deliveries, which pushed my timeline back. Three days after the original date I got a text saying my ReloCube had reached the storage facility in New Jersey. I then hired moving labor through TaskRabbit to bring everything to my apartment in Harlem.
The TaskRabbit movers spent about three hours getting it all from the storage unit to my place. I have a two-story apartment, and there is no version of this where I get my desk or bookshelf upstairs without help.
If you’re moving somewhere with strict street or parking rules, check them before you book a container. Some cities, New York City among them, don’t allow containers in certain residential neighborhoods, and that means cost and logistics you didn’t plan for.
Final thoughts
The thing I’d change is giving the local movers an accurate inventory. When the TaskRabbit driver reached the New Jersey facility, he couldn’t fit everything in his van, U-Pack was about to charge me a weekend storage fee, and the facility was closing within the hour. He strapped my bookshelf to the roof and rearranged the rest until it worked, but that was a stressful hour I created for myself.
I’d use U-Pack again. The pricing was fair, the ReloCube held everything, and my instruments arrived safely, which was the whole point. The delays were frustrating without changing my overall impression. Next time I’d also try PODS, since delivering to Manhattan would remove the New Jersey step altogether and might hold to the schedule better.
Planning a long-distance move? Use moveBuddha’s moving cost calculator to compare quotes from top-rated movers and find the right option for your budget.
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Tips for future movers
These are the practical steps we recommend based on Janna G.’s experience:
- Check container rules at your destination before you book: Janna G.’s $1,911 quote became $2,500.98 because New York City doesn’t permit containers on certain residential streets. Call your city or building first, because this is the single largest cost surprise in her move and it was knowable in advance.
- Give your local movers a real inventory: The TaskRabbit driver arrived with a van too small for the load, against a closing storage facility and a looming weekend fee. List what you have, including the awkward pieces, before anyone quotes you.
- Price the doorstep, not just the container: PODS quoted $589 more than U-Pack but delivers to Manhattan addresses. Once Janna G. added local movers and a tip, the cheaper container was no longer clearly cheaper.
- Budget your own time for packing, not just loading: Loading the ReloCube took Janna G. four hours and the driver needed 10 minutes to load it onto the truck. Packing fragile gear properly is the part that actually takes the days.
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