Wunsche Bros. Saloon and Hotel · Photo: AggiePV · CC BY-SA 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Spring costs more to live in than 75% of U.S. towns
It ranks #393 of 642 in Texas for affordability. Down 0.6% in a year, 22% above the Texas typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area ($82K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Spring’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($82K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 26% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 39% of renters.
In dollars
- $361Ktypical home, 22% above the Texas typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,950a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 99prices across the Houston metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 105)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 2.8 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$82K, Houston-area income
- 25%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 39%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Texas: 52%Census 2020–24
- 26%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Spring
What’s behind Spring’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Spring is more affordable than 25% of U.S. towns, #393 of 642 in Texas. Rent pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
Values have outpaced Texas: the typical Spring home is up 16.0% in five years, against 10.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 16% in five years
Faster than Texas (10.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Spring | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $233,000 | $188,000 |
| 2018 | $237,000 | $200,000 |
| 2019 | $248,000 | $212,000 |
| 2020 | $257,000 | $221,000 |
| 2021 | $276,000 | $240,000 |
| 2022 | $330,000 | $284,000 |
| 2023 | $364,000 | $310,000 |
| 2024 | $360,000 | $308,000 |
| 2025 | $366,000 | $308,000 |
| 2026 | $364,000 | $300,000 |
| September 2026 | $361,000 | $296,000 |
A typical Spring home worth $231K in October 2016 is worth about $361K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A balanced market
About 5.1 months of supply: neither buyers nor sellers have a clear edge.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A year’s rent takes 25% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Spring’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $76K short of a typical Spring home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,950 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, Spring’s typical property tax (1.74% 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 $1,950
Renters already here pay a median of $1,711, 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 (Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX 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.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $4,027, under the Texas median of $4,232, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.74% a year, against 1.49% 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+”.
The rest of a budget near Spring
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, or Texas. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 99 | TX 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 101 | TX 98 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 95 | TX 88 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 96 | TX 97 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Spring vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Spring has the 2nd-lowest.
Questions about the cost of living in Spring
Is Spring expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Spring costs more than 75% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #393 of 642 in Texas. The typical home costs 2.8 years of the median household income of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area ($82K).
How much does a house cost in Spring?
About $361K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 0.6% in a year. The Texas typical home is $296K.
What salary do you need to live in Spring?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $104,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,420 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $78,000.
How much is rent in Spring?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,950 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,711 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Spring?
The median bill is $4,027 a year, 1.74% of the median home value (Texas: $4,232, 1.49%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Spring going up?
No: down 0.6% in the past year and 16.0% in five years, against 10.1% across Texas (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Spring buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community 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.