Houston, Texas
Cost of living, housing, income, commute, climate, and safety — compiled for relocators researching Houston.
Key figures
Each metric shows how Houston compares with the U.S. baseline (ACS/BLS nationals where available; catalog-city averages for crime, climate, and commute). Income, housing, population, and crime are for the incorporated city (city limits), not the broader metro/MSA — unemployment is county-level (BLS LAUS).
- Population
- 2,300,419City limits · not metro/MSA
- Median household income
- $62,894Incorporated place (ACS)20% below U.S. avgU.S. $78,538
- Housing cost index
- 90ACS home+rent vs U.S. (100 = avg)10% below U.S. avgU.S. 100
- Median home value
- $253,400City limits (ACS)16% below U.S. avgU.S. $303,400
- Median rent
- $1,313City limits (ACS)Near U.S. avg ($1,348)U.S. $1,348
- Unemployment
- 4.6%County LAUS · not city-onlyNear U.S. avg (4.2 pts)U.S. 4.2 pts
- Avg commute
- 28 min12% above U.S. avgU.S. 25 min
- Walk Score
- 47Near U.S. avg (45)U.S. 45
- Violent crime rate
- 1072.2annualized per 100k · citywide78% above U.S. avgU.S. 602.7
- Property crime rate
- 4319.5annualized per 100k · citywide40% above U.S. avgU.S. 3084.9
- Summer high
- 92°F5.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 87°F
- Winter low
- 48°F14.0°F above U.S. avgU.S. 34°F
- Annual rainfall
- 55.6 in69% above U.S. avgU.S. 32.9 in
- Sunny days
- 258Near U.S. avg (266)U.S. 266
Compare Houston with another city
Hot summers, sprawling freeways, and no state income tax dominate comparisons. With about 55.6 inches of rain a year, wet-season drainage and mold checks are worth asking about. Average one-way commute time is about 28 minutes, and Walk Score estimates land around 47/100. Labor-market readings near 4.6% unemployment are neither boom nor bust by national standards. FBI CDE violent-offense rates run comparatively high (~1072.2 per 100k annualized), so block-by-block due diligence is especially important.
Houston, Texas counts about 2,300,419 residents inside the city limits. With median income around $62,894 and a cost index of 90, the market reads below the national housing-cost baseline. A typical home near $253,400 and rents around $1,313 frame most shortlists.
Ask locals about Downtown versus Montrose — those two pockets illustrate how different daily life can feel inside the same city limits, with The Heights as a common third option. Figures on this page are merged from Census ACS, BLS LAUS, FBI Crime Data Explorer, and NOAA Climate Normals — use them to compare Houston with nearby alternatives before you relocate.
Neighborhoods often researched
- Downtown
- Montrose
- The Heights
- Midtown
Nearby & similar cities
Continue researching with these internal links — each page is a full data profile.
Sources
- Census / ACS: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 2023 5-year (Houston city, 1600000US4835000)
- BLS: BLS LAUS LAUCN482010000000003 (Harris County, May 2026)
- Crime: FBI CIUS Table 8 (2019) city offenses known to law enforcement — rates per 100k; CDE API unavailable at enrich time
- Climate: NOAA 1991–2020 Monthly Normals (USW00012918 HOUSTON HOBBY AP)
Last updated 2026-07-28