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Housing costs in Houston are more affordable than the national rate, and due to population growth, the demand is greater, according to an economic report by the Greater Houston Partnership.
During its Midyear Economic Update on Aug. 5, GHP Director of Economic Research Chris Baker presented the organization’s findings on housing trends in the past 12 months in Houston.
Breaking it down
Houston’s overall inflation is about 0.8% compared to the United States’ 4%, which Baker said ties to housing.
“Locally here, we're a bit more insulated from overall price changes,” Baker said. “Housing continues to get more expensive around the rest of the country, but as of the most recent reading, we have essentially flat year-over-year housing-related price increases in Houston, which is helping to keep Houston more affordable than many other metros.”
Holly Heard, senior vice president of research at GHP, said most of the growth has been pushed into the suburbs.
She said immigration has played a big role in metro population growth, though it has slowed due to federal policies.
According to the presentation, between July 2024 and July 2025, the city of Houston added 11,515 residents. Harris County added 48,695 during that same time, while the Houston metro area added 126,720.
Montgomery County and Fort Bend County are also in the top 10 among all counties in the U.S. for population growth, Heard said.
“Much of that for them is driven by their domestic growth,” she said. “People migrating from other countries, from other states and also maybe even from other counties within Texas.”
Something to note
Heard said the Houston area also has the space to grow, and its zoning laws make it easier to keep housing affordable.
“It’s also easier to build, particularly in the city of Houston,” she said. “We have much more amenable, kind of lack of zoning. Houston was leading the state in many ways in terms of reducing the minimum lot size. Those kinds of rules that were started in Houston have now spread to other parts of the state, and so in that sense we're a leader.”
Although rent and home prices are increasing in the city, Heard said it is still less than in other cities comparable to Houston.
