El Paso vs Houston
The short version
- El Paso is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 9% lower than in the Houston area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $184,500 in El Paso and $277,800 in Houston.
- Households earn more in Houston ($64,813 vs $59,745 median).
- Houston has the warmer winter: January highs of 64°F vs 59°F.
- Houston is growing faster: +4.2% since 2020 vs +0.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in El Paso (23 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| El Paso, TX | Houston, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 683,012 | 2,397,315 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.6% | +4.2% |
| People per square mile | 2,639 | 3,741 |
| Median age | 34.5 | 34.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28% | 37% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $59,745 | $64,813 |
| Median home value | $184,500 | $277,800 |
| Home value to income | 3.1× | 4.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,073 | $1,361 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 89.9 | 98.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 71.2 | 104.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $67,400 | $74,000 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 42% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.4 | 27.2 |
| Work from home | 9% | 13% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6% | 6.9% |
| Poverty rate | 18.4% | 19.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 35° | 64° / 44° |
| July high / low | 96° / 73° | 95° / 76° |
| Precipitation per year | 9 in | 52 in |
| Snowfall per year | 3 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 117 | 111 |
| Nights below freezing | 42 | 10 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.5 | 99.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 18% | 10% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.2% | +3.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +48% | +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: El Paso: March to April and October to November. Houston: November to April.
Full monthly tables: El Paso 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 $67,400 in El Paso and $74,000 in Houston. Moving from El Paso to Houston, you would need about $82,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between El Paso 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 El Paso and Houston.
Which would you pick?
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