*Metro areas represented by most dominant urban area. Riverside, California is among the 20 most populous metros, but did not submit COLI data.
Source: Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), Cost of Living Index, Annual Average 2019 Data (Data based on a survey of 257 urban areas, published May 2020).
The C2ER Cost of Living Index for the first quarter of ’20 indicates that Houston’s housing costs are 12.9 percent below the nationwide average and 49.1 percent below the average for the 20 most populous U.S. metros. Lower housing costs are one of the reasons Houston’s overall living costs are 24.1 percent below the large-metro average. (This housing index is based 71.0 percent on homeownership and 29.0 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 36.8 percent below the major metro average.
Roxana Guzman
Intern, Research
Elizabeth Balderrama
Manager, Research
713-844-3615
ebalderrama@houston.org
Patrick Jankowski, CERP
Senior Vice President, Research
713-844-3616
pjankowski@houston.org
Houston’s housing costs are 12.9 percent below the nationwide average
Housing costs in Houston are the 3rd lowest among the top 20 U.S. metros
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