Houston, Texas, is among the top cities with a free business environment. According to our city rankings, this is a good place to live with high ratings in startups, healthcare and leisure & culture.
Houston is one of the top ten city matches for 0.5% of Teleport users.
/11,45,1/510x340.png?access_token=pk.eyJ1IjoidGVsZXBvcnQiLCJhIjoiY2lnM3VqNXVqMDJsaHYza2gwN2wzdXhidCJ9.PuTxgLkbswKZzPhzlKgv4A)
Housing| Large apartment | $1700.00 |
|---|---|
| Medium apartment | $1400.00 |
| Rent index [score] | 0.50 |
| Small apartment | $1200.00 |
Cost of Living| 5km taxi ride | $11.00 |
|---|---|
| A Cappuccino | $4.70 |
| A beer | $2.10 |
| A kilogram of Apples | $3.60 |
| Bread | $0.83 |
| Inflation [score] | 0.62 |
| Lunch | $13.00 |
| Monthly fitness club membership | $37.00 |
| Monthly public transport | $49.00 |
| Movie ticket | $11.00 |
| Price of a meal at a restaurant | $70.63 |
Startups| Average monthly increase in number of startups | 25 |
|---|---|
| Average monthly increase in number of startups [score] | 0.74 |
| Coworking spaces [score] | 0.68 |
| Coworking spaces on WorkFrom.co | 56 |
| Meetups [score] | 0.71 |
| Meetups groups | 198 |
| Meetups members | 104334 |
| Number of investors | 232 |
| Number of startup events in the last 12 months | 2056 |
| Number of upcoming meetup events | 109 |
| Startup climate scene [score] | 0.66 |
| Startup events | 363 |
| Startup events [score] | 0.87 |
| Startups [score] | 0.85 |
| Total number of startups | 865 |
Venture Capital| Funding accelerator names | SURGE, NextHIT |
|---|---|
| Number of funding accelerators | 2 |
| Venture capital [score] | 0.45 |
Travel Connectivity| Airport hub | 176 |
|---|---|
| Airport hub [score] | 0.75 |
| Intercity train connectivity [score] | 0.11 |
Commute| Human city page | http://cities.human.co/details/United_States/Houston |
|---|---|
| Traffic handling [score] | 0.39 |
Business Freedom| Business freedom | 84.70 |
|---|---|
| Business freedom [score] | 0.86 |
| Freedom from corruption | 74.00 |
| Freedom from corruption [score] | 0.79 |
| Lack of labor restrictions | 91.40 |
| Lack of labor restrictions [score] | 1.00 |
| Time to open a business | 5.60 |
| Time to open a business [score] | 0.95 |
Safety| Crime rate [score] | 0.30 |
|---|---|
| Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year | 11 |
| Guns per 100 residents | 123 |
| Lack of gun related deaths [score] | 0.71 |
| Lack of guns [score] | 0.32 |
| Lack of guns and gun-related deaths [score] | 0.52 |
Healthcare| Healthcare expenditure [score] | 0.99 |
|---|---|
| Healthcare quality [score] | 0.83 |
| Life expectancy (years) | 79.28 |
| Life expectancy [score] | 0.76 |
Education| Best university in ranking | Rice University |
|---|---|
| Best university ranking | 87 |
| Country mean scores in PISA math test | 478.04 |
| Country mean scores in PISA reading test | 497.58 |
| Country mean scores in PISA science test | 497.41 |
| PISA math ranking (high school) | 30 |
| PISA ranking | 24 |
| PISA ranking (high school) [score] | 0.72 |
| PISA reading (high school) | 16 |
| PISA science (high school) | 19 |
| Percent of happy students | 0.77 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA math test | 0.26 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA reading test | 0.17 |
| Percent of low performers in PISA science test | 0.18 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA math test | 0.09 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA reading test | 0.08 |
| Percent of top performers in PISA science test | 0.07 |
| University quality [score] | 0.26 |
Environmental Quality| Air quality [score] | 0.49 |
|---|---|
| Cleanliness [score] | 0.51 |
| Drinking water quality [score] | 0.57 |
| Urban greenery [score] | 0.55 |
Economy| Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area | 1.00 |
|---|---|
| Currency for urban area | USD |
| GDP growth rate | 0.02 |
| GDP growth rate [score] | 0.43 |
| GDP per capita | $54596.65 |
| GDP per capita [score] | 0.87 |
Taxation| Effective company profit tax rate on payouts as dividends [score] | 0.54 |
|---|---|
| Income tax level [score] | 0.41 |
| Profit tax (% of profit) | 0.44 |
| Time overhead to file company taxes | 175 |
| VAT (Sales Tax) | 0.08 |
Internet Access| Download speed (Mbps) | 74.92 |
|---|---|
| Internet access (download) [score] | 0.76 |
| Internet access (upload) [score] | 0.49 |
| Upload speed (Mbps) | 11.69 |
Leisure & Culture| Art galleries | 219 |
|---|---|
| Art galleries [score] | 0.70 |
| Cinemas | 193 |
| Cinemas [score] | 0.79 |
| Comedy clubs | 104 |
| Comedy clubs [score] | 0.88 |
| Concert venues | 221 |
| Concerts [score] | 0.86 |
| Historical sites | 178 |
| Historical sites [score] | 0.69 |
| Museums | 141 |
| Museums [score] | 0.74 |
| Performing art venues | 218 |
| Performing arts [score] | 0.77 |
| Sport venues | 173 |
| Sports [score] | 0.89 |
| Zoos | 73 |
| Zoos [score] | 0.91 |
Tolerance| LGBT Equality Index | 64.44 |
|---|---|
| LGBT Equality Index [score] | 0.65 |
| LGBT adoption rights | Ambiguous |
| LGBT age of consent | ✔ Equal |
| LGBT blood donation regulations | ✖ Banned (indefinite deferral) |
| LGBT conversion therapy regulations | Ambiguous |
| LGBT discrimination legality | ✖ No protections |
| LGBT employment discrimination legality | ✖ No protections |
| LGBT gender changing rights | ✔ Legal, but requires surgery |
| LGBT homosexuality rights | ✔ Legal |
| LGBT housing discrimination legality | ✖ No protections |
| LGBT marriage rights | ✔ Legal |
| Tolerance towards minorities [score] | 0.42 |
Outdoors| Elevation (hills or mountains) [score] | 0.13 |
|---|---|
| Median peak in meters | 122.50 |
| Seaside access | 1.00 |
| Urban area elevation (meters) | 12.00 |
| Water access [score] | 0.95 |
Costs of living in Houston are in the 101st place of all 248 Teleport cities. Average living expenses are significantly higher compared to other cities, especially in the housing market. Sign up for free to get access to our cost of living index and use our international cost of living calculator to do cost comparison by city.
 Monthly fitness club membership | $37 |
|---|---|
 Movie ticket | $11 |
 Broadband internet connection | $44 |
 Monthly public transport | $49 |
 Lunch | $13 |
Software Engineer salaries in Houston are high. For this job type, Houston ranks 38th for salaries among 265 cities. Get access to our salary comparison calculator by signing up. Compare salaries city by city with our free salary wizard and convert your own salary to a local salary in Houston.
Let the jobs come to you! Sign up with your email and we’ll start working on getting job offers from Houston delivered to you. It's free. No strings attached. You can unsubscribe anytime.
What kind of job are you looking for?
The overall crime rate puts Houston in position 232 of 266 Teleport Cities in a ranking for the safest cities.
Legal
Legal
But Requires Surgery
No Protections
Legal
Ambiguous
91Houston is a sprawling port city in Southeastern Texas. A recent oil boom and continuing international immigration has brought explosive growth to the city, and it is now the fifth largest metropolitan area in the United States. While at first glance, the city appears to be a 9-5 central business district surrounded by a sea of suburbs and strip malls, there are many hidden gems to be discovered.
The city's districts used to be called "wards" and they tended to have distinct populations. Today, the lines are blurring and continual sprawl has created new districts, some with a distinct character.
Houston has a character that, while very "Texan," is also a great melting pot of many cultures and socio-economic groups. You'll find well-to-do suburban mansions, LA-style shopping strips, Latin-American neighborhoods, towering skyscrapers, historic African-American neighborhoods fighting off gentrification, massive refinery complexes, large Asian communities, and pockets of artist communities. From October to May, the weather is relatively pleasant, and many restaurants and bars take advantage of it with plenty of outdoor seating and beautiful lighting. Houston's proximity to the Gulf of Mexico also makes it a lush, tropical paradise compared to the rest of Texas.
Read moreEvery city comes with a country. How is this one doing in terms of giving back to the global community? Our friends at The Good Country Index measure what each country on earth contributes to the common good of humanity, and what it takes away, relative to its size.
Teleport Zen is a personalized to-do list and moving guide.
We've got you covered from job search and apartment hunting to visa advice.
Find on Facebook