Amarillo vs Houston
The short version
- Amarillo is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 7% lower than in the Houston area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $196,900 in Amarillo and $277,800 in Houston.
- Houston has the warmer winter: January highs of 64°F vs 52°F.
- Amarillo gets far more snow: 17 inches a year vs 0.
- Houston has more scorching days: 111 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 72.
- Commutes are shorter in Amarillo (20 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Amarillo, TX | Houston, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 205,130 | 2,397,315 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.4% | +4.2% |
| People per square mile | 1,980 | 3,741 |
| Median age | 35.1 | 34.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 27% | 37% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $65,912 | $64,813 |
| Median home value | $196,900 | $277,800 |
| Home value to income | 3.0× | 4.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,092 | $1,361 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 91.8 | 98.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 78.4 | 104.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $68,900 | $74,000 |
| Homeowners | 60% | 42% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 19.6 | 27.2 |
| Work from home | 7% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 3.4% | 6.9% |
| Poverty rate | 15.8% | 19.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 52° / 25° | 64° / 44° |
| July high / low | 93° / 66° | 95° / 76° |
| Precipitation per year | 20 in | 52 in |
| Snowfall per year | 17 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 72 | 111 |
| Nights below freezing | 108 | 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) | 90.5 | 99.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 78% | 10% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.1% | +3.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +34% | +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: Amarillo: April to May and September to October. Houston: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Amarillo 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 $68,900 in Amarillo and $74,000 in Houston. Moving from Amarillo to Houston, you would need about $80,600 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Amarillo 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 Amarillo and Houston.
Which would you pick?
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