Houston vs San Ramon
The short version
- Houston is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 15% lower than in the San Ramon area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $277,800 in Houston and $1,509,500 in San Ramon.
- Households earn more in San Ramon ($196,161 vs $64,813 median).
- Houston has the warmer winter: January highs of 64°F vs 57°F.
- Houston has more scorching days: 111 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 52.
- Houston is growing faster: +4.2% since 2020 vs -0.3%.
- Commutes are shorter in Houston (27 vs 35 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| Houston, TX | San Ramon, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 2,397,315 | 86,209 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.2% | -0.3% |
| People per square mile | 3,741 | 4,298 |
| Median age | 34.4 | 41.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 37% | 72% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $64,813 | $196,161 |
| Median home value | $277,800 | $1,509,500 |
| Home value to income | 4.3× | 7.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,361 | $2,968 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 98.6 | 115.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 104.5 | 194.7 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $74,000 | $86,700 |
| Homeowners | 42% | 71% |
| Top state income tax | None | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 27.2 | 34.7 |
| Work from home | 13% | 34% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6.9% | 5.2% |
| Poverty rate | 19.9% | 4.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 64° / 44° | 57° / 38° |
| July high / low | 95° / 76° | 88° / 57° |
| Precipitation per year | 52 in | 15 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 111 | 52 |
| Nights below freezing | 10 | 20 |
| Comfortable months | 6 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.9 | 99.5 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 10% | n/a |
| Home prices, past year | +3.4% | -4.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +32.7% | +8.2% |
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: Houston: November to April. San Ramon: April to June and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Houston weather by month and San Ramon weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $74,000 in Houston and $86,700 in San Ramon. Moving from Houston to San Ramon, you would need about $87,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Houston and San Ramon
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Houston and San Ramon.
Which would you pick?
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