Denver vs Houston
The short version
- Houston is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 7% lower than in the Denver area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $277,800 in Houston and $616,000 in Denver.
- Households earn more in Denver ($94,718 vs $64,813 median).
- Houston has the warmer winter: January highs of 64°F vs 47°F.
- Denver gets far more snow: 49 inches a year vs 0.
- Houston has more scorching days: 111 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 42.
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; Colorado's top rate is 4.4%.
Side by side
| Denver, CO | Houston, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 740,613 | 2,397,315 |
| Growth since 2020 | +3.5% | +4.2% |
| People per square mile | 4,838 | 3,741 |
| Median age | 35.3 | 34.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 57% | 37% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $94,718 | $64,813 |
| Median home value | $616,000 | $277,800 |
| Home value to income | 6.5× | 4.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,831 | $1,361 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 105.8 | 98.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 146.9 | 104.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $79,300 | $74,000 |
| Homeowners | 49% | 42% |
| Top state income tax | 4.4% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 7.89% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 24.9 | 27.2 |
| Work from home | 27% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 4% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 4.9% | 6.9% |
| Poverty rate | 11.2% | 19.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 47° / 18° | 64° / 44° |
| July high / low | 90° / 59° | 95° / 76° |
| Precipitation per year | 15 in | 52 in |
| Snowfall per year | 49 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 42 | 111 |
| Nights below freezing | 156 | 10 |
| Comfortable months | 3 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.2 | 99.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 29% | 10% |
| Home prices, past year | -0.5% | +3.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +21.4% | +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: Denver: May to June and September. Houston: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Denver 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 $79,300 in Denver and $74,000 in Houston. Moving from Denver to Houston, you would need about $69,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Denver 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 Denver and Houston.
Which would you pick?
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