Baltimore-Columbia-Towson vs Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land: Housing Market Comparison (2026)

Side-by-side Alpha Scores, affordability, momentum, supply, jobs, and rental yield · as of May 2026

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson vs Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land side by side

Metric Baltimore-Columbia-Towson Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land
Alpha Score3435
Price Momentum5050
Inventory Health30
Affordability2535
Economic Strength5640
Rental Yield4364
Median Sale Price
Price-to-Income3.83.4
Payment-to-Income23.6%21.0%
Months of Supply
Gross Rental Yield5.0%6.0%
Overvaluation Index100

Highlighted = the stronger read for that metric (supply, valuation, and payment burden are better when lower). Income/rent inputs lag annually.

How Baltimore-Columbia-Towson and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land compare, dimension by dimension

  • Affordability: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land leads — Baltimore-Columbia-Towson 25/100 vs Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 35/100.
  • Price Momentum: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land score the same (50/100).
  • Inventory Health: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson leads — Baltimore-Columbia-Towson 3/100 vs Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 0/100.
  • Economic Strength: Baltimore-Columbia-Towson leads — Baltimore-Columbia-Towson 56/100 vs Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 40/100.
  • Rental Yield: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land leads — Baltimore-Columbia-Towson 43/100 vs Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 64/100.

Frequently asked questions

Which has a higher Alpha Score, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson or Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land?

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land scores higher — 35 vs 34 out of 100. The Alpha Score is a 0-100 composite of price momentum, inventory health, affordability, economic strength, and rental yield.

Is Baltimore-Columbia-Towson or Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land more affordable?

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land is more affordable on our affordability dimension. Price-to-income is 3.8 in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson and 3.4 in Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land.

Which housing market has stronger momentum, Baltimore-Columbia-Towson or Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land?

Both markets show similar price momentum (about 50/100).

Want to swap in other cities, change the metrics, or chart the trend over time? Customize this comparison → in the interactive Compare tool. Or read the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson market brief and the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land brief.