Orlando vs The Woodlands
The short version
- The Woodlands is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 3% lower than in the Orlando area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $394,100 in Orlando and $511,700 in The Woodlands.
- Households earn more in The Woodlands ($140,701 vs $72,336 median).
- Orlando has the warmer winter: January highs of 72°F vs 64°F.
- Orlando is growing faster: +8.4% since 2020 vs +0%.
Side by side
| Orlando, FL | The Woodlands, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 333,888 | 121,002 |
| Growth since 2020 | +8.4% | n/a |
| People per square mile | 3,005 | 2,796 |
| Median age | 35.1 | 40.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 43% | 66% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $72,336 | $140,701 |
| Median home value | $394,100 | $511,700 |
| Home value to income | 5.4× | 3.6× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,747 | $1,822 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 101.4 | 98.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 123.4 | 104.5 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $76,100 | $74,000 |
| Homeowners | 40% | 73% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.2 | 27.0 |
| Work from home | 16% | 22% |
| Take public transit | 2% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.2% | 4.9% |
| Poverty rate | 14.7% | 5.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 72° / 50° | 64° / 44° |
| July high / low | 92° / 73° | 95° / 76° |
| Precipitation per year | 52 in | 52 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 110 | 111 |
| Nights below freezing | 2 | 10 |
| Comfortable months | 7 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 98.4 | 95.7 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 70% | 10% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.8% | +3.4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +45.4% | +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: Orlando: October to April. The Woodlands: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Orlando weather by month and The Woodlands weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $76,100 in Orlando and $74,000 in The Woodlands. Moving from Orlando to The Woodlands, you would need about $72,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Orlando and The Woodlands
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Orlando and The Woodlands.
Which would you pick?
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