Boston-Cambridge-Newton 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

Boston-Cambridge-Newton vs Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land side by side

Metric Boston-Cambridge-Newton Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land
Alpha Score2635
Price Momentum5050
Inventory Health20
Affordability935
Economic Strength3640
Rental Yield4264
Median Sale Price
Price-to-Income5.43.4
Payment-to-Income33.3%21.0%
Months of Supply
Gross Rental Yield3.8%6.0%
Overvaluation Index400

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

How Boston-Cambridge-Newton and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land compare, dimension by dimension

  • Affordability: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land leads — Boston-Cambridge-Newton 9/100 vs Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 35/100.
  • Price Momentum: Boston-Cambridge-Newton and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land score the same (50/100).
  • Inventory Health: Boston-Cambridge-Newton leads — Boston-Cambridge-Newton 2/100 vs Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 0/100.
  • Economic Strength: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land leads — Boston-Cambridge-Newton 36/100 vs Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 40/100.
  • Rental Yield: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land leads — Boston-Cambridge-Newton 42/100 vs Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 64/100.

Frequently asked questions

Which has a higher Alpha Score, Boston-Cambridge-Newton or Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land?

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land scores higher — 35 vs 26 out of 100. The Alpha Score is a 0-100 composite of price momentum, inventory health, affordability, economic strength, and rental yield.

Is Boston-Cambridge-Newton or Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land more affordable?

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land is more affordable on our affordability dimension. Price-to-income is 5.4 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton and 3.4 in Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land.

Which housing market has stronger momentum, Boston-Cambridge-Newton 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton market brief and the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land brief.