Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land vs San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad: Housing Market Comparison (2026)

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

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land vs San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad side by side

Metric Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
Alpha Score3530
Price Momentum5050
Inventory Health04
Affordability351
Economic Strength4060
Rental Yield6444
Median Sale Price
Price-to-Income3.47.7
Payment-to-Income21.0%47.5%
Months of Supply
Gross Rental Yield6.0%3.3%
Overvaluation Index040

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

How Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land and San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad compare, dimension by dimension

  • Affordability: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land leads — Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 35/100 vs San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 1/100.
  • Price Momentum: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land and San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad score the same (50/100).
  • Inventory Health: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad leads — Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 0/100 vs San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 4/100.
  • Economic Strength: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad leads — Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 40/100 vs San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 60/100.
  • Rental Yield: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land leads — Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 64/100 vs San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad 44/100.

Frequently asked questions

Which has a higher Alpha Score, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land or San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land scores higher — 35 vs 30 out of 100. The Alpha Score is a 0-100 composite of price momentum, inventory health, affordability, economic strength, and rental yield.

Is Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land or San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad more affordable?

Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land is more affordable on our affordability dimension. Price-to-income is 3.4 in Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land and 7.7 in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad.

Which housing market has stronger momentum, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land or San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?

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 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land market brief and the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad brief.