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Best places to live in Texas

We ranked 7 Texas cities on home prices, space, winters and trips home. Every number has a source, and every city gets its trade-off.

By Sol Lakein. Updated October 2026.

How the score worksFull method
  • 40%Home prices
  • 20%Space for the money
  • 20%Milder winters
  • 10%Nonstop to New York
  • 10%Net move-ins

The top 3 in Texas

Tap a city for rent, monthly costs, weather and flights.
  1. Anthony Acosta / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
    1

    McAllen

    Score 75 of 100
    Median home
    $258,750
    Per month
    $1,422
    Prices
    14% cheaper
    • Prices 14% below the US average
    • Homes list 38% below the US median
    • University town

    Trade-offHot summers. July highs average 98.5°F.

    Cost of living in McAllen
    The numbers behind it
    • Prices 14% below the US average. Everyday prices, rent included, index at 85.9 against a US average of 100. (BEA regional price parities, 2024)
    • Homes list 38% below the US median. $258,750 median listing against $419,250 nationally. (Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026)
    • University town. South Texas College main campus (Slower Sundays city profile)
    • Hot summers. July highs average 98.5°F. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)

    Price level 85.9 (US average = 100).

    Home price: Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026. Price level: BEA, 2024.

  2. San Antonio

    Score 67 of 100
    Median home
    $320,374
    Per month
    $1,761
    Prices
    5% cheaper
    • Prices 5% below the US average
    • Homes list 24% below the US median
    • Mild winters

    Trade-offHot summers. July highs average 94.9°F.

    Cost of living in San Antonio
    The numbers behind it
    • Prices 5% below the US average. Everyday prices, rent included, index at 94.7 against a US average of 100. (BEA regional price parities, 2024)
    • Homes list 24% below the US median. $320,374 median listing against $419,250 nationally. (Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026)
    • Mild winters. January lows average 41°F with 0.2 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
    • Hot summers. July highs average 94.9°F. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)

    Price level 94.7 (US average = 100).

    Home price: Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026. Price level: BEA, 2024.

  3. Houston

    Score 63 of 100
    Median home
    $353,995
    Per month
    $1,945
    Prices
    1% cheaper
    • Prices 1% below the US average
    • Homes list 16% below the US median
    • Mild winters

    Trade-offHot summers. July highs average 94.5°F.

    Cost of living in Houston
    The numbers behind it
    • Prices 1% below the US average. Everyday prices, rent included, index at 98.6 against a US average of 100. (BEA regional price parities, 2024)
    • Homes list 16% below the US median. $353,995 median listing against $419,250 nationally. (Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026)
    • Mild winters. January lows average 43.7°F with 0.1 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
    • Hot summers. July highs average 94.5°F. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)

    Price level 98.6 (US average = 100).

    Home price: Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026. Price level: BEA, 2024.

Ranks 4 to 7

  1. 4

    Texarkana

    Score 57 of 100
    Median home
    $275,000
    Per month
    $1,511
    Prices
    16% cheaper

    Trade-offHot summers. July highs average 93.3°F.

    Why it ranks here
    • Prices 16% below the US average
    • Homes list 34% below the US median
    • Mild winters
    • Prices 16% below the US average. Everyday prices, rent included, index at 84.0 against a US average of 100. (BEA regional price parities, 2024)
    • Homes list 34% below the US median. $275,000 median listing against $419,250 nationally. (Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026)
    • Mild winters. January lows average 33.1°F with 2.1 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
    Call Texarkana Home: $5,000 cash
    Cost of living in Texarkana

    Price level 84.0 (US average = 100).

    Home price: Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026. Price level: BEA, 2024.

  2. Downtown El Paso towers including the Plaza Hotel, El Paso
    5

    El Paso

    Score 41 of 100
    Median home
    $314,987
    Per month
    $1,731
    Prices
    10% cheaper

    Trade-offHot summers. July highs average 95.8°F.

    Why it ranks here
    • Prices 10% below the US average
    • Homes list 25% below the US median
    • Mild winters
    • Prices 10% below the US average. Everyday prices, rent included, index at 89.9 against a US average of 100. (BEA regional price parities, 2024)
    • Homes list 25% below the US median. $314,987 median listing against $419,250 nationally. (Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026)
    • Mild winters. January lows average 34.5°F with 2.8 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
    Cost of living in El Paso

    Price level 89.9 (US average = 100).

    Home price: Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026. Price level: BEA, 2024.

  3. Downtown Dallas under a blue sky, seen from Reunion Tower, Dallas-Fort Worth
    6

    Dallas-Fort Worth

    Score 36 of 100
    Median home
    $422,495
    Per month
    $2,322
    Prices
    3% pricier

    Trade-offPrices 3% above the US average. Everyday prices index at 103.1 against a US average of 100. Still well below New York's 112.6.

    Why it ranks here
    • Mild winters
    • Nonstop flights to New York
    • People are moving in
    • Mild winters. January lows average 37.9°F with 1.7 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
    • Nonstop flights to New York. From DFW to JFK, LGA, EWR. (Airport route page, accessed November 3, 2026)
    • People are moving in. 18,197 more people moved here from other US metros than left, July 2024 to July 2025. (US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025)
    Cost of living in Dallas-Fort Worth

    Price level 103.1 (US average = 100).

    Home price: Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026. Price level: BEA, 2024.

  4. Austin skyline at sunrise, Austin
    7

    Austin

    Score 29 of 100
    Median home
    $446,450
    Per month
    $2,453
    Prices
    2% cheaper

    Trade-offHomes list 6% above the US median. $446,450 median listing against $419,250 nationally.

    Why it ranks here
    • Prices 2% below the US average
    • Mild winters
    • Nonstop flights to New York
    • Prices 2% below the US average. Everyday prices, rent included, index at 98.1 against a US average of 100. (BEA regional price parities, 2024)
    • Mild winters. January lows average 41.8°F with 0.2 inches of snow a year. (NOAA 1991-2020 normals)
    • Nonstop flights to New York. From AUS to JFK, EWR. (Airport route page, June 2026)
    Cost of living in AustinAustin vs Nashville

    Price level 98.1 (US average = 100).

    Home price: Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026. Price level: BEA, 2024.

How we ranked them

Each city is scored against the others in the state on five sourced measures, then weighted. Nothing about who lives in a place goes into the ranking.
  1. Lower home prices40%Lowest median listing in the state gets full points, the highest gets none. Source: Realtor.com via FRED.
  2. More space for the money (price per square foot)20%Lowest price per square foot gets full points, the highest gets none. Source: Realtor.com via FRED.
  3. Milder winters (January low)20%Warmest January low gets full points, the coldest gets none. Source: NOAA 1991-2020 normals.
  4. Nonstop flights to New York10%Full points for a year-round nonstop to New York. Seasonal, none or no figure scores zero. Source: Airport route pages.
  5. More people moving in than leaving10%Full points if more people moved in from other US metros than left, July 2024 to July 2025. Source: US Census Bureau, Vintage 2025.

Points on each measure run from none to full, then the weights above add up to a score out of 100. A city with no figure for home price, price per square foot or January low gets half points on that measure. No flight or migration figure scores zero.

Weigh things differently? The quiz ranks every city on your own priorities.

More on Texas

Questions people ask

What is the best place to live in Texas?

On our ranking, McAllen. It scores highest among the 7 Texas cities we cover on home prices, space, winters, flights to New York and net move-ins. See the full method on this page.

What is the cheapest place to live in Texas?

Of the cities we cover, McAllen, with a median listed home of $258,750 (Realtor.com via FRED, September 2026).

Do you rank places by who lives there?

No. Rankings use home prices, price per square foot, weather, flights and net migration only.

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