Durham, NC vs Houston, TX

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Durham

69.4

#1213 nationally

Houston

72.1

#926 nationally

Houston leads in walk score (48 vs 33). Durham leads in average commute (22.8 min vs 28.5 min). Durham leads in median household income ($67,432 vs $57,791).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Durham, NC	Houston, TX
WhereAtHome Score	69.4 (#1213)	72.1 (#926)
Population	283,506	2,314,157
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$395,976	$263,563
Median Household Income	$67,432	$57,791
Average Commute	22.8 min	28.5 min
Walk Score	33	48
Crime Level	Moderate	Moderate-High
School Rating	6.4	5.5
Cost of Living Index	102	96
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	D+61.9	D+5.5