Houston rental affordability in 2026: Why it takes about $61,760 a year to rent the typical home

Typical rent in Houston was $1,544 a month in September 2026, essentially unchanged from a year earlier and 0.8% below its April 2025 peak of $1,556, according to RentDataNow data built on the Zillow Observed Rent Index. To keep that rent at 30% of gross income, the usual affordability line, a household needs about $61,760 a year.

The bar moves a lot with unit size. Here's what each size takes at the 30% rule, using our bedroom estimates:

Whether Houston counts as affordable depends on whose income you use. The median household, owners included, earned $64,813 in the Census Bureau's 2020-2024 survey, so typical rent equals about 29% of it. Renters earn less. The median Houston renter household earned $48,086 in 2024, and a year of typical rent would take about 39% of that. About 57% of the city's renter households already spent 30% or more of their income on housing, and about 58% of Houston households rent.

Houston has been unusually steady. Typical rent is up 17% since 2021, from $1,320, while median household income rose about 16% over a similar stretch, so rent and paychecks have moved roughly together. Our Rent Reality Score puts Houston's rent about 5% below where its own history says it should be. Of the 84 Houston zip codes with a full year of data, rent fell in 41.

The neighborhood you pick matters more than the timing. Typical rent ranges from $830 in 77013, on the east side, to $2,160 in 77005, around West University Place and Rice Village, where it's up 7.2% in a year. Other high-end zips include 77019, around River Oaks, at $2,124, and 77004, covering the Third Ward and Museum District, at $2,116. Near the low end, Gulfton's 77081 is $933 and Sharpstown's 77036 is $934.

The suburbs mostly cost more because more of their rentals are houses. Typical rent is $1,997 in Sugar Land, down 0.8% in a year, $1,939 in Katy, down 1.0%, $1,898 in Pearland, a record, and $1,759 in Spring. Pasadena, at $1,361, is cheaper than the city.

Over the past 11 years, Houston rent has usually been lowest in January and highest in July, a swing of about 1.3%. For a neighborhood-by-neighborhood look, see Houston rent prices by neighborhood, and for why low rent doesn't always mean affordable, Houston rent looks cheap until you compare incomes.

Sources

• RentDataNow Houston rent data, anchored to the Zillow Observed Rent Index, September 2026, with bedroom estimates based on HUD fair market rents and Rent Reality Score trend comparisons

• US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year estimates, 2024, for renter income and the share of renters spending 30% or more on housing, and 5-year estimates, 2020-2024, for household income and tenure