Cities Similar to Houston, TX
The top 10 most similar cities based on cost of living, home prices, rent, population, and region.
Cities similar to Houston, TX
1. Dallas, TX
1,304,379 people · Southwest
COL Index
101.0
Home Price
$292K
Rent
$1,100/mo
2. Phoenix, AZ
1,608,139 people · Southwest
COL Index
103.2
Home Price
$414K
Rent
$1,150/mo
3. Fort Worth, TX
918,915 people · Southwest
COL Index
95.0
Home Price
$263K
Rent
$1,000/mo
4. San Antonio, TX
1,547,253 people · Southwest
COL Index
91.0
Home Price
$215K
Rent
$850/mo
5. Austin, TX
978,908 people · Southwest
COL Index
103.0
Home Price
$558K
Rent
$1,400/mo
7. Albuquerque, NM
564,559 people · Southwest
COL Index
95.0
Home Price
$337K
Rent
$850/mo
9. Arlington, TX
394,266 people · Southwest
COL Index
95.0
Home Price
$292K
Rent
$1,000/mo
10. Oklahoma City, OK
695,724 people · Southwest
COL Index
87.0
Home Price
$197K
Rent
$700/mo
How We Find Cities Similar to Houston
Our similarity algorithm compares Houston, TX against every other city in our database across multiple dimensions: cost of living index, median home price, average rent, population size, and geographic region. Each factor is weighted and normalized, then combined into a single similarity score from 0–100%.
Cities with high similarity scores share a comparable financial profile to Houston — meaning your dollar goes about as far, housing costs are in the same ballpark, and the overall lifestyle cost is similar. This is useful if you love Houston but want to explore other options with a similar feel and price point, or if you’re relocating and want to understand which cities offer a comparable standard of living.
Click on any city in the results to see a detailed cost of living comparison, including category-by-category breakdowns for housing, groceries, transportation, healthcare, and more. You can also adjust the search to find cities similar to any location in the United States.