Rental market data · 2024 Census estimates

Houston, TX rental yield and cash flow

In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro, the median owner-occupied home was valued at $327,400 and the median gross rent was $1,469 a month in 2024. That is a gross rent yield of 5.38%, rank 27 of the 100 largest metros we track.

$327,400Median home value (±$2,789)

$1,469Median gross rent / mo (±$15)

5.38%Gross rent yield

18.6Price-to-rent ratio

1.45%Median taxes ÷ median value

39%Renter-occupied homes

0.45%Monthly rent ÷ price (1% rule)

7.80MMetro population

Does the median home cash flow at today's rate?

We priced a hypothetical rental at the metro medians: $327,400 purchase, $1,469 rent, 25% down, a 30-year loan at 7.28% (Freddie Mac's 30-year average for the week of October 1, 2026), $4,750 in annual property taxes, insurance at 0.5% of price, and 5% vacancy, 10% repairs and 8% management.

At these assumptions the median-priced home runs about $1,081 a month short of covering its costs (DSCR 0.36). Rent would need to reach about $2,873, 96% above the median, to break even, or the price would need to be near $107,639 for a 1.25 DSCR. Net operating income is about $7,187 a year, a 2.20% cap rate, against $20,161 of annual debt service.

Investment-property loans usually price above the owner-occupant average this survey reports, and your insurance quote, tax bill and rent will differ from a metro median. Change any input below.

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How Houston compares

Metros with the nearest gross yields among the 100 we track. * Cash flow uses the same assumptions as above.

Rank	Metro	Median value	Median rent	Gross yield	Price-to-rent	Cash flow / mo*
24	Wichita, KS	$223,700	$1,010	5.42%	18.5	-$684
25	Palm Bay, FL	$372,900	$1,681	5.41%	18.5	-$991
26	Tulsa, OK	$247,500	$1,115	5.41%	18.5	-$681
27	Houston, TX	$327,400	$1,469	5.38%	18.6	-$1,081
28	Akron, OH	$237,300	$1,059	5.36%	18.7	-$774
29	Deltona, FL	$362,600	$1,614	5.34%	18.7	-$999
30	Harrisburg, PA	$282,600	$1,254	5.32%	18.8	-$866

What these numbers leave out

Census gross rent includes utilities when the tenant pays them, so it can overstate what a landlord collects. Median value describes owner-occupied homes, not the rental stock, and a metro median hides wide neighborhood differences. Treat this page as a screen, then underwrite the specific property.

Sources

U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25064 (median gross rent)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25077 (median value, owner-occupied housing units)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25103 (median real estate taxes paid)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B25003 (housing tenure)
U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 1-year estimates, table B01003 (total population)
Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey (30-year fixed average, week of October 1, 2026)

Data snapshot October 7, 2026. Methodology: all metros.