• At 17.3 percent below the national average, Houston’s housing costs are the second most affordable among the most populous U.S. metros, according to the C2ER Cost of Living Index for 2023 Q2. Furthermore, housing costs in Houston are 84.4 percent below the average of the most populous U.S. metros. Lower housing costs are one of the reasons Houston’s overall living costs are 28.8 percent below the large-metro average. (This housing index is based 68.3 percent on homeownership and 31.7 percent on rental occupancy).
• Excluding the two most expensive housing markets—New York and San Francisco—which tend to skew the average, Houston’s housing costs are still 57.3 percent below the major metro average.

Prepared by Greater Houston Partnership Research

Aaron Brown
Senior Analyst, Research
abrown@houston.org