Measured against area pay, Houston costs less to live in than 69% of U.S. towns
Builders were permitted 3 new homes in 2025.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Anchorage, AK metro area ($101K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 4 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Anchorage-area metro earn ($101K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.9 years of metro income, and 51% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,270a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 2.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$101K, Anchorage-area income
- 11%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 51%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Alaska: 45%Census 2020–24
- 29%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What kind of housing town is Houston?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Houston’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Houston is more affordable than 69% of U.S. towns. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
A year’s rent takes 11% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Houston’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Houston home, with $105K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,270 a month here, $470 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Houston’s typical property tax (0.79% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,270
Renters already here pay a median of $887, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Matanuska-Susitna Borough, AK HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
3 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 3 new homes in Houston in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $1 million to build. That's 1.6 per 1,000 residents, about the pace of Alaska as a whole. Over the past 10 years, Houston has permitted 77 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Houston gained 63 residents while 70 new homes were permitted: about 0.9 new residents per new home. Building outpaced population growth, which usually means smaller households or homes used part of the year. 16% of Houston's homes are seasonal or vacation homes, which adds housing without adding residents. Across Alaska: 1.8 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 16 | 16 | 0 | $4.7 million |
| 2025 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2024 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2023 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $6.9 million |
| 2022 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2021 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2020 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $3.3 million |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $566,000 |
| 2018 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2017 | 10 | 8 | 2 | $2.4 million |
| 2016 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $800,000 |
| 2015 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2014 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $836,000 |
| 2013 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2012 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2011 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $973,000 |
| 2010 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2009 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2008 | 14 | 14 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2007 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $3.2 million |
| 2006 | 43 | 43 | 0 | $4.7 million |
| 2005 | 68 | 68 | 0 | $7.5 million |
| 2004 | 54 | 54 | 0 | $5.9 million |
| 2003 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
Houston's permit office reported 11 of 12 months in 2025; the Census estimated the rest.
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Alaska norm
The median bill is $2,316 (Alaska: $3,901), 0.79% of a home’s value a year, against 1.11% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Houston vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Houston. Meadow Lakes and Big Lake have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston | B+ | — | $295K | 0.79% | $1,270 |
| Big Lake | B− | — | $299K | 1.06% | $1,250 |
| Willow | B | $252K | $314K | 1.02% | $1,310 |
| Meadow Lakes | C+ | — | $323K | 1.09% | $1,480 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Houston
Is Houston expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Houston costs less than 69% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 2.9 years of the median household income of the Anchorage, AK metro area ($101K).
How much is rent in Houston?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,270 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $887 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Houston?
The median bill is $2,316 a year, 0.79% of the median home value (Alaska: $3,901, 1.11%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Houston buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, May 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.