Houston Named Most Affordable Big City for New College Grads — and ATX's Rank Will Shock You

Houston Named Most Affordable Big City for New College Grads — and ATX's Rank Will Shock You

WHAT DOES IT mean to be "rent-burdened"? The phrase describes those who spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing, and it's become an increasingly relevant part of the larger conversation about the American economy in a post-Covid world.


But a new study shows that Houston, specifically, is actually the most affordable large metro in the United States for recent college graduates. The rent.com report analyzed what percent of income was needed to afford living "alone" (in a one-bedroom apartment) versus living with roommates in several cities across the U.S. Houston is one of only four places where recent college grads are not, on average, rent-burdened: They spend around 27 percent of their income on a one-bedroom apartment, the smallest share in the nation. According to the survey, the median rent in Houston ($1,142) is the lowest among the 33 markets analyzed, and the median salary ($60,277) is on par with the national median.

And for those recent college graduates seeking to live with roommates, Houston becomes even more affordable: The typical grad needs to spend only 17.2 percent of their income on rent when looking at splitting a two-bedroom apartment.

Nationally, these figures are much higher. The average college grad in the U.S. shells out around 38 percent of their income on rent to live alone, and the most expensive cities are New York (56.3 percent), Los Angeles (54.9 percent), Boston (54.8 percent) and Riverside (53.7 percent).

One of the "most interesting" metros in the dataset, according to the report, is Austin, which went from unaffordable (35.2 percent) to affordable (28.3 percent) between 2023 and 2024. It ranks as No. 3 in the current report, between Houston and No. 2 Detroit.

"This makes sense," reads the analysis, since "Austin was the poster child for booming metros during the pandemic, seeing a huge surge in migration from 2020 to mid-2022. This flood of new money and demand led to skyrocketing housing costs, large inflation increases, and a surge in new construction. However, once the sharp interest rate hikes and return-to-office mandates started in 2023, the city’s fortunes reversed, leading to price drops and population loss. Now, some property managers are having to compete for tenants."


Home + Real Estate

Spring Expression

WHILE SPRING CAN seem fleeting in Houston, chef de cuisine Felipe Botero at Le Jardinier inside the MFAH is making the most of the season’s freshest ingredients. French for “the gardener,” Le Jardinier is helping to extend Springtime sensations, even if it’s just through the extra-fresh ingredients Botero has used to craft the seasonal menu.

Keep Reading Show less

ON MARCH 29, the same day Beyoncé dropped her celebrated Cowboy Carter album and sent Nashville’s most prickish pundits into a tizzy, Texas icon Willie Nelson and young buck Orville Peck released their duet, “Cowboys Are Frequently, Secretly Fond of Each Other,” further scrambling the brains of close-minded country fans with the catchy refrain: “Say, what do you think all them saddles and boots was about?”

Keep Reading Show less
Art + Entertainment