01
Photo by Grace Estrada on Unsplash
El Paso
TX · 872k metro
El Paso tops Texas: $1,473 median rent, 222 pleasant days, and a metro of 872k, all with no state income tax.
$1,473
median rent / month
222
pleasant days a year
872k
metro residents
a landable guide
No state income tax and a huge range of options. Texas cities ranked by affordability, weather, things to do, and quality of life.
By Karol Gajda
Texas gets pitched as the move for affordability and taxes. The no-income-tax case is real. The affordability case varies wildly by city: Austin and Dallas are not cheap, while El Paso and the smaller metros are. The state contains most of the national range inside its own borders.
This list covers every Texas metro in the Landable dataset, ranked by the full composite with no rent cap. The weather score penalizes extreme heat, so the most brutal summers rank lower.
01
Photo by Grace Estrada on Unsplash
TX · 872k metro
El Paso tops Texas: $1,473 median rent, 222 pleasant days, and a metro of 872k, all with no state income tax.
$1,473
median rent / month
222
pleasant days a year
872k
metro residents
02
Photo by Justin Wolff on Unsplash
TX · 2.7M metro
San Antonio lands second with $1,394 rent and 167 pleasant days. Texas value without the marquee-market price.
$1,394
median rent / month
167
pleasant days a year
2.7M
metro residents
03
Photo by Mitchell Kmetz on Unsplash
TX · 2.5M metro
Austin takes third: $1,583 a month, 170 pleasant days, and a Walk Score of 99.
$1,583
median rent / month
170
pleasant days a year
2.5M
metro residents
04

Photo by Talena Reese on Pexels
TX · 8.1M metro
Dallas pairs $1,647 rent with 171 pleasant days and a metro of 8.1M. No income tax, real room in the budget.
$1,647
median rent / month
171
pleasant days a year
8.1M
metro residents
05
Photo by Hameen Reynolds on Unsplash
TX · 446k metro
Corpus Christi earns its spot on balance: $1,410 median rent, 171 pleasant days, metro of 446k.
$1,410
median rent / month
171
pleasant days a year
446k
metro residents
06
Photo by Adrian Newell on Unsplash
TX · 7.5M metro
Houston is the mid-list Texas pick that holds up: $1,610 rent, 171 pleasant days, Walk Score 77.
$1,610
median rent / month
171
pleasant days a year
7.5M
metro residents
07

Photo by Talena Reese on Pexels
TX · 360k metro
Lubbock clears the bar with 186 pleasant days, $1,384 median rent, and a metro of 360k.
$1,384
median rent / month
186
pleasant days a year
360k
metro residents
We rank by 30% affordability, 25% weather, 20% things to do, 15% parks, and 10% walkability among Texas cities. No state income tax statewide.
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