*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, 2020 Annual Average (Data based on a survey of 269 urban areas, published February 2021)
 

At 14.7 percent below the national average, Houston’s housing costs are the second most affordable among the 20 most U.S. metros, according to the C2ER Cost of Living Index for ’20.  Furthermore, housing costs in Houston are 52.4 percent below the average of the 20 most populous U.S. metros. Lower housing costs are one of the reasons Houston’s overall living costs are 26.4 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 42.1 percent below the major metro average.