Houston vs Jacksonville
Sun Belt real estate market comparison · data as of 2026-04
While Houston's $350,500 median price undercuts Jacksonville by $39,400 and its 50-day market velocity rewards decisive buyers, Jacksonville's 0.98% property tax rate saves homeowners roughly $3,500 annually versus Houston's 2.09% — largely erasing that purchase-price edge within a decade.
Compare two markets
- Market A
Houston, TX
Energy capital with one of the most affordable price points in major Sun Belt metros
$360K-2.7% YoYMedian home price
- Market B
Jacksonville, FL
North Florida's port-and-logistics metro with Sun Belt prices and insurance pressure
$395K-1.2% YoYMedian home price
The Verdict: Houston vs Jacksonville
Choose Houston
Choose Houston if you're chasing career upside over lifestyle polish — the city's 24 Fortune 500 HQs, Texas Medical Center, and NASA footprint create a job market Jacksonville simply can't match in depth or sector diversity. Yes, the 2.09% property tax rate stings (~$7,330/year on a median home), but a $39,400 lower purchase price and faster 50-day market velocity favor buyers who need to move decisively.
Choose Jacksonville
Choose Jacksonville if you're a remote worker or military-adjacent buyer optimizing for total cost of ownership: at ~0.98% property tax, you'll pay roughly $3,500 less per year than a comparable Houston homeowner despite the higher $389,900 sticker. The 234 sunny days, slightly cooler summer highs of 91°F, and 3.6% unemployment rate sweeten a market that's already showing post-correction momentum with a +2.1% MoM price rebound.
The Deciding Factor
Property taxes are the hidden price tag: Houston's 2.09% rate costs roughly $3,500 more per year than Jacksonville's 0.98% on comparable homes, largely erasing Houston's $39,400 purchase-price advantage within a decade of ownership.
Market Stats Comparison
| Metric | Houston | Buyer-favourable indicator | Jacksonville |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median Home Price | $360K | $395K | |
| YoY Price Change | -2.7% | -1.2% | |
| Active Listings | 32,681 | 7,617 | |
| Months of Supply | 2.8 mo | 2.3 mo | |
| Days on Market | 48 days | 58 days | |
| Cash Buyer Share | 24% | 26% | |
| MoM Price Change | +2.7% | +1.3% |
Median Home Price
YoY Price Change
Active Listings
Months of Supply
Days on Market
Cash Buyer Share
MoM Price Change
City Fundamentals
Demographics, taxes & livability · researched at generation time
| Category | Houston | Jacksonville |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 7.8M (2024, U.S. Census ACS 1-year est., Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands MSA) · +9.5% (2020–2024, 7.12M → 7.80M; 2nd-fastest growing large U.S. metro) | 1.76M (2024, ACS 1-year est., U.S. Census Bureau) · +9.6% (2019–2024 est., based on 1.605M in 2020 census to 1.761M in 2024) |
| Median Household Income | $81,417 (2024 ACS 1-year, MSA level) | $82,053 |
| Cost of Living | 97 (US avg = 100; ~3% below national average) | 98 (US avg = 100; C2ER 2023 data) |
| Unemployment Rate | 4.4% (2024 annual avg, BLS/FRED, Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land MSA) | 3.6% (Nov 2024, BLS MSA data) |
| State Income Tax | None (Texas Constitution prohibits individual income tax) | None (Florida levies no state personal income tax) |
| Property Tax Rate | 2.09% of assessed value (Harris County avg; among highest in U.S.) | ~0.98% of assessed value |
| Major Employers |
|
|
| Avg Commute | 31 min (one-way average, ACS 2024; ~14% above U.S. avg) | 27.4 min (one-way average, ACS 2024) |
| Sunny Days / Year | 204 days per year (est.) | ~234 days per year |
| Avg Summer High | 94°F (July average high) | 91°F (July–August average high) |
| Walkability | 47 (car-dependent; Walk Score city proper est.) | ~28 (car-dependent; Jacksonville city proper est.) |
👥 Population
Houston
7.8M (2024, U.S. Census ACS 1-year est., Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands MSA) · +9.5% (2020–2024, 7.12M → 7.80M; 2nd-fastest growing large U.S. metro)Jacksonville
1.76M (2024, ACS 1-year est., U.S. Census Bureau) · +9.6% (2019–2024 est., based on 1.605M in 2020 census to 1.761M in 2024)💰 Median Household Income
Houston
$81,417 (2024 ACS 1-year, MSA level)Jacksonville
$82,053🛒 Cost of Living
Houston
97 (US avg = 100; ~3% below national average)Jacksonville
98 (US avg = 100; C2ER 2023 data)📊 Unemployment Rate
Houston
4.4% (2024 annual avg, BLS/FRED, Houston–The Woodlands–Sugar Land MSA)Jacksonville
3.6% (Nov 2024, BLS MSA data)🏛️ State Income Tax
Houston
None (Texas Constitution prohibits individual income tax)Jacksonville
None (Florida levies no state personal income tax)🏠 Property Tax Rate
Houston
2.09% of assessed value (Harris County avg; among highest in U.S.)Jacksonville
~0.98% of assessed value🏢 Major Employers
Houston
- Energy sector (ExxonMobil, Chevron, Shell, ConocoPhillips — 24 Fortune 500 HQs)
- Texas Medical Center (world's largest medical complex; 60+ institutions)
- NASA / Johnson Space Center (aerospace & government)
- Port of Houston (logistics, trade & manufacturing)
Jacksonville
- Naval Air Station Jacksonville / U.S. Navy (military/defense)
- Mayo Clinic Florida (healthcare)
- Bank of America / Fidelity Investments (finance & insurance)
- Amazon / Fanatics / Southeastern Grocers (logistics & retail)
🚗 Avg Commute
Houston
31 min (one-way average, ACS 2024; ~14% above U.S. avg)Jacksonville
27.4 min (one-way average, ACS 2024)☀️ Sunny Days / Year
Houston
204 days per year (est.)Jacksonville
~234 days per year🌡️ Avg Summer High
Houston
94°F (July average high)Jacksonville
91°F (July–August average high)🚶 Walkability
Houston
47 (car-dependent; Walk Score city proper est.)Jacksonville
~28 (car-dependent; Jacksonville city proper est.)Data researched via AI at time of comparison generation. Figures are estimates — verify with official sources before making financial decisions.
AI Analysis: Houston vs Jacksonville
Generated April 2026 · SunBeltPulse Research
Key Takeaways
- Houston's median price of $350,500 is roughly $39,400 below Jacksonville's $389,900, but Houston's 2.09% property tax rate nearly doubles Jacksonville's ~0.98%, erasing much of that purchase-price advantage in annual carrying costs.
- Jacksonville's inventory is tighter — 2.3 months of supply versus Houston's 2.8 months — and its +2.1% month-over-month price bounce in March 2026 suggests the market may have already found its floor after a 2024–2025 correction.
- Houston homes sell faster on average (50 days on market) than Jacksonville homes (58 days), despite Houston having more than four times as many active listings, reflecting the scale and liquidity of the nation's fourth-largest metro.
- Both markets declined from their 2024 peaks — Houston by roughly $24,500 from its August 2024 high, Jacksonville by roughly $32,000 from its May 2024 high — but both remain well below the conventional 4-to-6-month balanced-market supply threshold.
- Florida's property insurance crisis creates a meaningful and difficult-to-forecast cost variable for Jacksonville buyers, while Houston's structural flood risk and high property taxes represent the analogous financial overhang buyers must underwrite before committing to either market.
**Price Trends & Trajectory**
Houston and Jacksonville have both experienced meaningful price correction over the past two years, but from different baselines and at different speeds. Houston peaked at roughly $375,000 in mid-2024, fell to $349,900 by January 2026, and has since stabilized at $350,500 — a year-over-year decline of 4.0%. Jacksonville peaked near $422,000 in May 2024, corrected to a trough of $375,000 in January 2026, and has rebounded more sharply to $389,900, reflecting a YoY decline of just 2.3% alongside a notable +2.1% month-over-month bounce. The $39,400 price gap between the two markets is meaningful: Houston buyers get more home per dollar, especially when combined with a cost-of-living index of 97 versus Jacksonville's 98. However, Jacksonville's stronger recent MoM momentum suggests its floor may have already been tested, while Houston's flat MoM reading of +0.1% signals continued price stagnation rather than recovery.
**Inventory Conditions & Buyer/Seller Dynamics**
Both markets followed nearly identical inventory arcs — tightening in spring 2024, loosening through late 2024 into a December peak (Houston: 4.7 months; Jacksonville: 4.2 months), then pulling back sharply to open 2026. Houston currently sits at 2.8 months of supply with 31,970 active listings, while Jacksonville is tighter at 2.3 months with only 7,527 active listings. The raw listing count difference is dramatic and reflects the scale disparity — Houston is a 7.8M-person metro versus Jacksonville's 1.76M — but on a supply-ratio basis Jacksonville is the more competitive market right now. Conventional wisdom treats 4–6 months as balanced; both markets remain below that threshold, meaning sellers retain a structural advantage even after the 2024–2025 softening cycle. Cash buyers are active in both — 24% in Houston, 26% in Jacksonville — adding competitive pressure for financed buyers at the entry and mid-price tiers.
**Market Velocity & Days on Market**
Despite Jacksonville's tighter inventory, homes there are sitting slightly longer: 58 days on market versus Houston's 50. This apparent paradox may reflect Jacksonville's higher median price point ($389,900) creating more buyer hesitation at current mortgage rates, or lingering uncertainty from Florida's property insurance crisis. Houston's 50-day DOM, while not a hot market by 2021–2022 standards, suggests reasonable liquidity given the city's enormous listing pool. Investors and buyers who need certainty of close may find Houston's higher transaction volume produces more comparable sales data and more predictable negotiating dynamics. Jacksonville's lower DOM relative to its already-tight supply figure should narrow further if the March MoM rebound (+2.1%) continues into peak spring season.
**Economic Fundamentals & Carrying Costs**
Both metros share key structural advantages: no state income tax, similar median household incomes (~$81,400 in Houston vs. ~$82,100 in Jacksonville), and cost-of-living indices within one point of each other. The sharpest divergence is in property tax rates: Houston/Harris County averages 2.09% of assessed value — among the highest in the nation — compared to Jacksonville's approximately 0.98%. On a $350,500 Houston home, that implies roughly $7,330 in annual property taxes; on a $389,900 Jacksonville home at 0.98%, approximately $3,821. That differential materially offsets Jacksonville's higher sticker price over a holding period. Countering that advantage, Florida's statewide insurance crisis makes homeowners insurance a significant and volatile line item in Jacksonville, while Houston buyers face their own structural risk in flood insurance, particularly in Harris County neighborhoods prone to inundation. Houston's economy is broader and more deeply anchored — 24 Fortune 500 HQs, the world's largest medical complex, NASA, and a major port — giving it greater cyclical resilience than Jacksonville's more military- and finance-concentrated base. Jacksonville's 3.6% unemployment rate does edge out Houston's 4.4%, pointing to a tighter labor market in the smaller metro.