What's it like to live in Houston, TX?

Houston, TX (Last updated: September 24, 2026)

Houston is a large city on the flat Gulf Coastal Plain and the center of the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area. Its landscape is crossed by bayous and defined by a broad urban footprint, with dense central districts, established neighborhoods, and newer development extending toward the city’s edges.

Housing includes both owner-occupied and rental properties, with options ranging from downtown apartments and townhomes to bungalows, ranch-style houses, and larger detached homes. The average home value is $261,740, down 2.3% over the past 12 months. The average rent is $1,542/mo, up 0.1% during the same period. Prices and housing forms vary considerably by neighborhood, location, age, and access to employment centers.

Houston’s economy has major concentrations in energy, health care, aerospace, manufacturing, logistics, and international trade. The Texas Medical Center, Port Houston, and NASA’s Johnson Space Center anchor significant employment areas. Interstate highways, toll roads, METRORail, and local bus service connect key districts, though driving remains central to many commutes. Walkability and transit access are strongest in selected central neighborhoods and along rail corridors.

Daily-life amenities range from neighborhood shopping centers and varied dining districts to major cultural institutions in the Museum District and Theater District. Memorial Park, Hermann Park, Buffalo Bayou Park, and an expanding network of bayou trails provide green space and recreation. Sports venues, universities, libraries, grocery stores, and health care facilities are distributed across the city, while Houston’s decentralized layout gives individual districts distinct architecture, street patterns, and commercial centers.

Average home value

$261,740-2.3% YoY

Average rent

$1,542+0.1% YoY

Homes for sale

12,351

Homes for rent

35,981

Walk score

Transit score

Walk and transit scores are based on listings near the region's geographic center.

Homes for sale Rentals

What are Houston home prices and rents today?

How sale and rent prices have moved over time, and where Houston sits today.

Houston house prices

Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI)

$261,740-2.3% YoY

The average home value in Houston is $261,740, down 2.3% over the past 12 months. As a buyer, you should aim to keep your mortgage payment at or below 28% of your gross monthly income when considering what you can afford.

Houston rental prices

Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI)

$1,542/mo+0.1% YoY

The average rent in Houston is $1,542/mo, up 0.1% over the past 12 months, indicating little change. As a renter, you should aim to spend no more than 30% of your gross monthly income on rent when setting your budget.

How competitive is Houston Housing?

Buyers: market comparison

Houston's for-sale market is moderately competitive based on its market temperature of 47, with a 71-day average for-sale pace. Spring has the shortest nearby pace but a lower market temperature, while South Houston has the highest temperature and longest days on market, indicating mixed competitive signals across the comparison.

Most competitive nearby marketSouth Houston has the highest nearby market temperature, placing it in the moderate-high competitiveness tier. Its limited inventory may contribute to that reading, although its 180-day for-sale pace is the longest in the comparison.
Nearby market with more choiceSpring has the most active for-sale listings among the nearby markets, though Houston itself has substantially more inventory.
Nearby market that's more affordableSouth Houston has the lowest typical home value among the nearby markets and is lower-cost than Houston.
Closest comparable market conditionsHumble most closely matches Houston's for-sale pace and market temperature. Its active inventory is much smaller, but both markets fall within the moderate competitiveness tier.

Region	Average home value	Inventory	Days on market	Competitiveness	Key driver
Houston	$261,740	High	71 days	Moderate	Large inventory with a typical market temperature
Spring	$363,173	High	60 days	Lower	Shorter pace paired with a lower market temperature
Humble	$253,294	Moderate	69 days	Moderate	Pace and temperature closely track Houston
Pasadena	$218,883	Low	64 days	Moderate	Moderate temperature with limited inventory
South Houston	$191,642	Low	180 days	Moderate-high	High temperature index despite a long for-sale pace

Renters: market comparison

Houston and every nearby rental market are classified as having excess supply, resulting in lower competitiveness across the comparison. Houston has the largest active rental inventory, and its 47-day median active rental listing age is older than those in Spring, Humble, and Pasadena but younger than South Houston's.

Most competitive nearby marketNo nearby market has a higher rental competitiveness classification; all are categorized as excess supply. Humble's listings are 33 days old, the lowest median active rental listing age in the comparison, as inventory-freshness context rather than evidence of higher competitiveness.
Nearby market with more choiceSpring has the most active rentals among the nearby markets. Houston still offers a substantially larger active rental inventory.
Nearby market that's more affordablePasadena has the lowest current rent among the nearby markets and is lower-cost than Houston.
Closest comparable market conditionsSpring is the closest rental comparison because it shares Houston's excess-supply classification and has the largest nearby active rental inventory. Its median active rental listing age is 38 days, compared with 47 days in Houston.

Region	Average rent	Inventory	Average listing age	Competitiveness	Key driver
Houston	$1,542/mo	High	47 days	Lower	Excess supply; 47-day median active rental listing age
Spring	$1,795/mo	High	38 days	Lower	Excess supply with the largest nearby rental inventory
Humble	$1,596/mo	Moderate	33 days	Lower	Excess supply; 33-day median active rental listing age
Pasadena	$1,378/mo	Low	36 days	Lower	Excess supply with limited active rental inventory
South Houston	$1,400/mo	Low	50 days	Lower	Excess supply; 50-day median active rental listing age

Understand affordability

Mortgage calculator

Estimate what it takes to own in this area. Zillow's mortgage calculator helps buyers understand their potential monthly payment-including principal, interest, taxes, and insurance-so they can quickly gauge what home prices fit their budget in this market. Adjust key factors like down payment and interest rate to see how affordability changes and confidently move into your home search.

Calculate mortgage cost

Rent vs. buy calculator

Not sure whether to rent or buy in this community? This tool compares the long-term costs of both options and shows your breakeven point: the time it takes for buying to become more affordable than renting. Use it to understand how local home prices, rents, and your timeline impact the smarter financial move before starting your search.

Compare rent vs. buy

Rent affordability calculator

See what you can comfortably afford to rent in this area. By factoring in your income, budget, and expenses, Zillow's rent affordability tools help you set a realistic price range-so you can focus on listings that fit your lifestyle and avoid stretching beyond your means as you explore rentals in this market.

Calculate affordability

How does Houston compare to nearby cities

Houston’s median sale price is below Spring’s but above those of Humble, Pasadena, and South Houston; its monthly rent similarly falls between the higher figures in Spring and Humble and the lower figures in Pasadena and South Houston. Houston combines dense urban districts and extensive parks with broader bus and rail access, while nearby regions generally feature lower-density streetscapes and more limited transit.

Metric	Houston	Spring	Humble	Pasadena	South Houston
Average sale priceExplore price per property type	$310,000	$397,165	$273,000	$241,083	$236,086
Average rent priceExplore price per unit size	$1,542/mo	$1,795/mo	$1,596/mo	$1,378/mo	$1,400/mo
Transit access	Bus and light rail	Limited local bus access	Limited bus transit access	Regional bus routes available	Limited local bus service
Neighborhood vibe	Urban districts and parkland	Wooded streets and storefronts	Low-rise blocks and parks	Suburban blocks and bayous	Compact grid and bungalows
Top POIs	Hermann Park (Park); Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (Museum); Space Center Houston (Science museum)	Pundt Park (Park); Spring Historical Museum (Museum); TGR Exotics Wildlife Park (Wildlife park)	Humble Museum (Museum); Schott Park (Park); Hirsch Memorial Park (Park)	Armand Bayou Nature Center (Nature center); Strawberry Park (Park); Pasadena Heritage Park and Museum (Museum)	South Houston Branch Library (Library); South Houston City Park (Park); Kathryn C. Butchek Park (Park)