Houston

Life quality score

City ranking

Housing

5
196/265
Details
Large apartment$1700.00
Medium apartment$1400.00
Rent index [score]0.50
Small apartment$1200.00

Cost of Living

6
101/248
Details
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

8
29/264
Details
Average monthly increase in number of startups25
Average monthly increase in number of startups [score]0.74
Coworking spaces [score]0.68
Coworking spaces on WorkFrom.co56
Meetups [score]0.71
Meetups groups198
Meetups members104334
Number of investors232
Number of startup events in the last 12 months2056
Number of upcoming meetup events109
Startup climate scene [score]0.66
Startup events363
Startup events [score]0.87
Startups [score]0.85
Total number of startups865

Venture Capital

4
51/192
Details
Funding accelerator namesSURGE, NextHIT
Number of funding accelerators2
Venture capital [score]0.45

Travel Connectivity

4
78/266
Details
Airport hub176
Airport hub [score]0.75
Intercity train connectivity [score]0.11

Commute

4
215/255
Details
Human city pagehttp://cities.human.co/details/United_States/Houston
Traffic handling [score]0.39

Business Freedom

9
69/264
Details
Business freedom84.70
Business freedom [score]0.86
Freedom from corruption74.00
Freedom from corruption [score]0.79
Lack of labor restrictions91.40
Lack of labor restrictions [score]1.00
Time to open a business5.60
Time to open a business [score]0.95

Safety

3
257/266
Details
Crime rate [score]0.30
Gun-related deaths per 100,000 residents per year11
Guns per 100 residents123
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

9
93/265
Details
Healthcare expenditure [score]0.99
Healthcare quality [score]0.83
Life expectancy (years)79.28
Life expectancy [score]0.76

Education

5
87/240
Details
Best university in rankingRice University
Best university ranking87
Country mean scores in PISA math test478.04
Country mean scores in PISA reading test497.58
Country mean scores in PISA science test497.41
PISA math ranking (high school)30
PISA ranking24
PISA ranking (high school) [score]0.72
PISA reading (high school)16
PISA science (high school)19
Percent of happy students0.77
Percent of low performers in PISA math test0.26
Percent of low performers in PISA reading test0.17
Percent of low performers in PISA science test0.18
Percent of top performers in PISA math test0.09
Percent of top performers in PISA reading test0.08
Percent of top performers in PISA science test0.07
University quality [score]0.26

Environmental Quality

5
170/266
Details
Air quality [score]0.49
Cleanliness [score]0.51
Drinking water quality [score]0.57
Urban greenery [score]0.55

Economy

7
16/263
Details
Currency exchange rate per US dollar for urban area1.00
Currency for urban areaUSD
GDP growth rate0.02
GDP growth rate [score]0.43
GDP per capita$54596.65
GDP per capita [score]0.87

Taxation

5
118/266
Details
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 taxes175
VAT (Sales Tax)0.08

Internet Access

6
69/266
Details
Download speed (Mbps)74.92
Internet access (download) [score]0.76
Internet access (upload) [score]0.49
Upload speed (Mbps)11.69

Leisure & Culture

7
64/264
Details
Art galleries219
Art galleries [score]0.70
Cinemas193
Cinemas [score]0.79
Comedy clubs104
Comedy clubs [score]0.88
Concert venues221
Concerts [score]0.86
Historical sites178
Historical sites [score]0.69
Museums141
Museums [score]0.74
Performing art venues218
Performing arts [score]0.77
Sport venues173
Sports [score]0.89
Zoos73
Zoos [score]0.91

Tolerance

5
214/266
Details
LGBT Equality Index64.44
LGBT Equality Index [score]0.65
LGBT adoption rightsAmbiguous
LGBT age of consent✔ Equal
LGBT blood donation regulations✖ Banned (indefinite deferral)
LGBT conversion therapy regulationsAmbiguous
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

5
78/266
Details
Elevation (hills or mountains) [score]0.13
Median peak in meters122.50
Seaside access1.00
Urban area elevation (meters)12.00
Water access [score]0.95
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Cost of living

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.

Housing costs (USD)

$1,400$2,000
$1700
Median rent for
apartments in city center

Daily living costs (USD)

Monthly fitness club membership$37
Movie ticket$11
Broadband internet connection$44
Monthly public transport$49
Lunch$13
-34%
compared to
San Francisco
See more prices and detailed cost of living data in Houston

Job salary calculator

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.

Estimated annual salary (in USD)

$75,580
Median salary
See more details and salary rankings for all job types in Houston

Locals review Houston

Do locals recommend living in Houston?

What could Houston do better?#improveHouston

How could Houston improve to make it a more liveable city? We will make sure that the local government will know about the suggestions that reach enough votes*.
*Suggestions will be delivered to: Mayor of Houston - Sylvester Turner
You can be the first! 😊  Tell us something that can be improved about your city.

What makes Houston a special place?#praiseHouston

Is Houston a great place to live? What makes it special for you? What makes it liveable? What should others know about? Why should they move here? Why do you love it?
You can be the first! 😊  Tell us something nice about your city.

Taxation

Personal taxation

Effective income tax rate

14%
For annual salary of $40000
20%
For annual salary of $80000

Value added tax (VAT)

8%
Standard tax rate. Different rates might apply for certain product categories.

Compared to other cities

102/266

Corporate taxation

Compared to other cities

113/263
See more details on taxation in Houston
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Safety

Overall crime rates

Assault
Low
24/51
Theft
Moderate
37/49
Robbery
Moderate
31/41
Motor vehicle theft
Very Low
3/24

Crime rate development in the last 7 months

Change in the last 7 months

  • Assault-71%
  • Robbery-41%
  • Theft-36%

Gun crimes & Ownership

122.79
Guns per 100 people
10.50
Gun deaths per 100k people / year
HIGH GUN CRIMELOW GUN CRIMEFEW GUNSMANY GUNS
North America
Europe
Asia
South America
Africa
Oceania

Overall crime rate city ranking

The overall crime rate puts Houston in position 232 of 266 Teleport Cities in a ranking for the safest cities.

WORSTBEST
See more details on gun crime and safety in Houston

Visa

For visits up to 90 days

Required with citizenship of
Get more information about visas in Houston here

Explore Houston’s neighborhoods

PreviousNext

Great for

  • Eating Out
  • Internet Access
  • Shopping Options
  • Parks & Recreation
  • Clean & Green

Not Great for

    Who lives here

    • Professionals
    • Singles
    • Families with kids
    • Retirees
    • Trendy & Stylish
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    People in Houston

    Population of Houston

    4,356,000
    321 /km²
    233/264
    Density (people per unit of area)
    11%
    Growth in 2015-2020
    Houston

    Demographics of United States

    Median age
    38
    Elderly people
    15%
    Life expectancy at birth
    80
    GDP per capita (in USD)
    $54,597
    12/263
    Unemployment
    5%
    110/264

    Languages

    English proficiency score
    100
    1/228
    Common spoken languages
    English

    Friends living in Houston

    Find out which of your friends are living in Houston. Nothing is better than knowing a local 😉

    Teleport Users  X  Houston

    Teleport users who are      Houston

    Work in:

    Software Engineer
    8.68%
    Marketing Manager
    4.57%
    Administrative Assistant
    3.20%
    Project Manager
    3.20%
    Web Developer
    3.20%
    Sales Manager
    3.20%
    Mechanical Engineer
    3.20%
    Other
    70.78%

    Come from:

    Climate

    Average number of clear days per year

    91

    Climate type

    Humid Subtropical

    Average daily maximum temperature

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    On living in Houston

    Houston 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 more

    Good Country Index

    Every 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.

    Overall ranking

    United States
    23rd from a total of 163 countries

    World Order

    26th

    Refugees hosted

    Refugees generated

    Charity giving

    Birth rate

    UN Treaties signed

    International Peace & Security

    66th

    Dues in arrears to UN peace keeping budgets

    International violent conflict

    Peacekeeping troops

    Arms exports

    Internet security (2014)

    Planet & Climate

    34th

    Ecological footprint

    Reforestation since 1992

    Hazardous pesticides exports

    CO2 emissions

    Ozone

    Prosperity & Equality

    46th

    Development assistance

    FDI outflows

    Fairtrade market size

    UN volunteers abroad

    Open trading

    Culture

    53rd

    Freedom of movement

    Press freedom

    Creative services exports

    UNESCO dues in arrears as % of contribution

    Creative goods exports

    Science & Technology

    20th

    Nobel prizes

    Patents

    Journal exports

    International publications

    International Students

    Health & Wellbeing

    12th

    Pharmaceutical exports

    Voluntary excess donations to the WHO

    Food aid

    Humanitarian aid donations

    International Health Regulations Compliance

    See details ▽

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