Houston vs Atlanta in one view
If you’re weighing Houston vs Atlanta, this comparison is for you. I help a lot of people relocating to Atlanta from Houston and from other cities in Texas, so I went through the differences that matter most: size, weather, things to do, cost of living, jobs, taxes, crime, traffic, diversity and schools.
One caveat before we start. I’ve spent a decent amount of time in Houston, but I’m not a local. If I got something wrong about Houston, feel free to gently point it out in the comments on the video. Also, every figure below is from when I filmed this in 2021. Treat it as a 2021 snapshot and check current numbers before you make a decision. If you’re thinking about the move itself, start with my guide to relocating to Atlanta.
Size and population
Houston is a much larger city than Atlanta, both in geography and in population. When I filmed this in 2021, the city of Houston had about 2.3 million residents compared to Atlanta’s 500,000. Houston covers about 600 square miles. Atlanta covers about 132.
Both sprawl, but the Houston sprawl completely dwarfs the Atlanta sprawl. The density is also distributed differently. Atlanta has a slightly more dense core around downtown and other walkable neighborhoods. In Houston, downtown seems a bit more isolated, and the city itself extends much further out.
Atlanta’s population is tricky to pin down. If you Google the population of metro Atlanta, you’re looking at more than 30 counties, which is not a good way to understand how populous the city is. If you only look at the city limits, you leave out surrounding cities like Decatur and East Point that most locals lump in as “Atlanta.” The way Atlantans usually talk is inside the perimeter, or ITP. That means inside I-285, the highway loop around the city, and it includes the city of Atlanta plus other cities. I don’t have official statistics for ITP, but based on some rough math it’s around 750,000 people. Atlanta is not as small as the internet makes it out to be, but Houston dwarfs it.
Weather
The climates are somewhat comparable. Both are hot and humid. Peak temperatures and humidity are worse in Houston, and its four seasons are less defined: a longer hot season and a milder winter.
Atlanta is not as distinct as the Northeast, but the seasons are clearly defined:
- Winter: short, rainy and cold, from early December to late February.
- Spring: warm and breezy with plenty of rain, from late March to early May.
- Summer: really hot and humid, from late May to early September.
- Fall: absolutely gorgeous and cool, from late September to early November.
Houston is similar, but it gets hotter sooner, stays hotter later, and doesn’t drop below freezing on as many winter days as Atlanta. If you want a warmer, milder climate, Houston is probably the pick. If you want more distinction between the seasons, go with Atlanta. Both have brutal hot and humid summers, so keep that in mind.
Geography and nature
Houston is pretty flat: lots of marshes, bayous, grasslands and low prairies, with plenty of lakes and rivers. Galveston Bay is close by, so water is much closer than it is from Atlanta. Atlanta is completely landlocked. There is a beach at Tybee Island, but it’s about a four and a half hour drive, so you don’t have access to huge bodies of water the way you do in Houston.
Atlanta has greenery. We’re known as a city in a forest, with tons of old trees even inside the city, plus plenty of lakes and rivers.
Things to do
Both are major cities, so you’ll find restaurants, bars, clubs, sports, music venues and museums in either one. Houston is known for tons of great museum options, the Houston Space Center and big rodeos. Because of its sheer size, Houston has more options by volume.
Where Atlanta shines is nature close to the city. The Chattahoochee is nearby, you don’t have to travel far for a great hike or walking trail, and North Georgia offers a lot of diversity: vineyards that you can enjoy at certain times of the year, and the Blue Ridge Mountains to the north. Houston has nature activities too, but Atlanta gets the edge.
Museums, sports and the typical tourist activities are about even. Nature goes to Atlanta. Restaurants go to Houston. I’ve talked before about being a little disappointed in the Atlanta restaurant scene, and Houston is simply much more diverse. Many different cultures live in the Houston area, and that shows up in the food.
Cost of living
According to BestPlaces.net, when I filmed this in 2021, Atlanta was 11.4 percent more expensive to live in than Houston. Gas, groceries and utilities are very comparable. The big difference is housing.
- Median home price: about $260,000 in Atlanta versus about $185,000 in Houston.
- Property tax: buying is more expensive in Atlanta, but you get a bit of a break on taxes. In Fulton County, for instance, the average property tax is about 1 percent of the home’s value. In Harris County, where Houston is, it averages closer to 2 percent.
- Rent: very similar. Both averaged just over $1,500 a month.
- Rental availability: Atlanta’s vacancy rate was hovering around 3.8 percent, while Houston’s was about 5.1 percent. Prices are comparable, but there are more options in Houston. Rentals in Atlanta were slim pickings.
If you’re sorting out what to buy and where, my page on buying and selling a home in Atlanta walks through how we work.
Jobs and the economy
When I filmed this in 2021, Atlanta had recently ranked 49th on WalletHub’s list of the best job markets in America. Houston came in at 97th. Atlanta’s unemployment was about 5.3 percent, while Houston’s was hovering around 8 percent. Atlanta’s projected future job growth was about 46.8, against about 30.9 for Houston. I didn’t give a unit for those growth figures, and you’ll get different numbers depending on the source. Overall, Atlanta’s job market looked a bit stronger.
Atlanta has big sectors in medical, tech, finance, TV and film, shipping, education and more. Houston’s economy has a slightly narrower focus: energy, biomedical and health care.
That matters a lot if you’re a real estate investor choosing between these two markets. You want a reliable flow of people using your rentals or buying your flips, and a diverse economy helps. If one sector crashes, you’re not left with high vacancy rates.
Income tax and sales tax
Texas has no state income tax. Most Georgians pay about 5.75 percent in additional state income tax. On sales tax, Houston’s is a bit high at 8.25 percent, but so is Atlanta’s, at about 8 percent.
Crime
Crime statistics can be very misleading when you research them online, and there are factors beyond the pure statistics that affect your safety. When I advise clients who are buying or renting in a certain area, I tell them to spend time driving through it. Look at the foot traffic. Look at how the homes are maintained. Go at different times of the day and on different days of the week, and talk to neighbors whenever possible.
That said, based on the statistics, there’s no doubt that Atlanta has higher rates of both property and violent crime. Crime statistics were also on the rise in most major cities across the country when I filmed this, and a lot of people link that to COVID and the major events of the last couple of years. I don’t think online research gives you a totally accurate view of safety in either city, but statistically speaking, Atlanta loses this category.
Traffic and public transportation
Traffic is a big pain point. The statistics I looked at show a shorter average commute time in Atlanta, but that has a lot to do with the sheer size of Houston. You probably have to go further there, so commutes run a bit longer. After researching several angles, though, I think it’s safe to say traffic is worse in Atlanta.
Houston has a higher overall volume of traffic, but a much more robust highway infrastructure. Pull up Houston on a map and it looks somewhat like a bullseye, with multiple interstate loops around the city. Pull up Atlanta and there is only one loop, the Perimeter, I-285. There are simply more ways to bypass traffic in Houston. It’s much easier to get stuck in major congestion in Atlanta because there are fewer ways around it.
Both cities are car dependent. In Atlanta you will definitely need to own a car. We have a decent public transportation system in MARTA, with plenty of bus lines, but we lack heavy rail. We have four lines, running north, south, east and west, so it’s limited. Living near a station can cut down your car commute, but cutting the car out completely will probably be extremely difficult.
In Houston, I had a harder time getting a sense of the quality of public transit and how locals feel about it. It seems to have a robust system of buses, plus some heavy and light rail, but not enough to cut out a car. Public transit just doesn’t seem to be in people’s blood there. If you’re coming from the Northeast or the Pacific Northwest, with great public transit and heavy rail, neither city is going to fit the bill.
Diversity
This is one of the first questions I get asked when people are relocating to Atlanta. Houston is much more diverse. In fact, it’s pretty much the most diverse city in America. When I filmed this in 2021, I put Houston’s demographics at about 23.3 percent white, 22.4 percent Black and 44 percent Hispanic. Atlanta is about 51 percent Black, 40 percent white, 4.5 percent Asian and 4.3 percent Hispanic.
Atlanta is diverse in the sense of having a white minority, but we can’t claim Houston’s variety. If this matters to you, don’t get nervous. Atlanta is overall pretty diverse and pretty accepting of different cultures, especially within 45 minutes to an hour of Atlanta proper. I don’t think you’re going to run into issues of bigotry.
Education
According to BestPlaces.net in 2021, Atlanta spends $16,062 per student on average, and Houston spends $10,310. The student-teacher ratio is slightly better in Atlanta at 13.7 students per teacher, against 18.7 in Houston. In Atlanta, 89.9 percent of students graduate high school, compared to 77.9 percent in Houston. And 48.7 percent of students in Atlanta finish college, versus 31.7 percent in Houston.
Atlanta’s higher education is robust. We’re known for attracting top diverse talent, especially in tech, with Georgia Tech, Georgia State University and the many historically Black colleges and universities in the city.
The downside is our public schools. Other than the city of Decatur, the schools inside the perimeter are generally not very good. If you’re looking for some of the best public school districts, you’ll have to travel north, outside the city. My guide to Atlanta suburbs explained is a good place to start sorting out where.
So which city should you pick?
These are two great American cities, and the choice comes down to what matters most to you. Both have the amenities you’d expect from a major city. Houston is a little warmer, and Atlanta is a little greener. Houston is a little cheaper, and Atlanta has more opportunity. Houston is closer to the beach, and Atlanta is closer to lakes, rivers and mountains. Both have absolutely terrible traffic. And as for the barbecue, no comment.
If Atlanta is looking like the better fit and you want the honest downsides before you commit, read my breakdown of the downsides of moving to Atlanta. And if you’re ready to talk through a move, book a consultation with me and my team.