Abilene vs Houston
The short version
- Abilene is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 8% lower than in the Houston area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $183,700 in Abilene and $277,800 in Houston.
- Houston has the warmer winter: January highs of 64°F vs 59°F.
- Commutes are shorter in Abilene (16 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Abilene, TX | Houston, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 131,588 | 2,397,315 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.3% | +4.2% |
| People per square mile | 1,234 | 3,741 |
| Median age | 32.8 | 34.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27% | 37% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $62,648 | $64,813 |
| Median home value | $183,700 | $277,800 |
| Home value to income | 2.9× | 4.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,157 | $1,361 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 90.4 | 98.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 73.8 | 104.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $67,800 | $74,000 |
| Homeowners | 56% | 42% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 15.6 | 27.2 |
| Work from home | 8% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3% | 6.9% |
| Poverty rate | 16.1% | 19.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 34° | 64° / 44° |
| July high / low | 96° / 73° | 95° / 76° |
| Precipitation per year | 25 in | 52 in |
| Snowfall per year | 4 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 102 | 111 |
| Nights below freezing | 48 | 10 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 83.8 | 99.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | n/a | 10% |
| Home prices, past year | +9% | +3.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +46.3% | +32.7% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Abilene: March to April and October to November. Houston: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Abilene weather by month and Houston weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $67,800 in Abilene and $74,000 in Houston. Moving from Abilene to Houston, you would need about $81,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Abilene and Houston
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Abilene and Houston.
Which would you pick?
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