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Texas city profile

What Is It Like to Live in Houston?

What it costs to live in Houston, and how it compares with other Texas cities, in plain numbers.

Value score

15

195th best value in Texas

How much you get for what you pay, versus other Texas cities.

Overall livability

25

187th overall in Texas

Cost, safety, schools, jobs and quality of life combined.

Houston is home to about 2,293,288 people. A typical home runs $200,700 and a household earns around $56,000, a price-to-income ratio of 3.6. Among Texas's largest cities, it ranks 195th for value and 187th overall.

Houston at a glance

Median home price

$200,700

180th in TX of 198

Median rent

$1,136/mo

Median household income

$56,000

Home price to income

3.6x

Unemployment

6.5%

157th in TX of 198

School rating

4/10

121st in TX of 198

Air quality (AQI)

45

0th in TX of 198

Walk score

100/100

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‹ See all top Texas cities ranked  ยท  Texas state profile ›

Sources: Home prices and rent from Zillow; income, unemployment and commute from the U.S. Census; school ratings from state education data; crime from the FBI; air quality from the EPA. City rankings are within Texas only. Updated 2026.