Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley: 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 Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley side by side

Metric Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley
Alpha Score3526
Price Momentum5050
Inventory Health03
Affordability351
Economic Strength4061
Rental Yield6419
Median Sale Price
Price-to-Income3.48.3
Payment-to-Income21.0%51.1%
Months of Supply
Gross Rental Yield6.0%2.6%
Overvaluation Index

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 Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley compare, dimension by dimension

  • Affordability: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land leads — Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 35/100 vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley 1/100.
  • Price Momentum: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land and San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley score the same (50/100).
  • Inventory Health: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley leads — Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 0/100 vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley 3/100.
  • Economic Strength: San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley leads — Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 40/100 vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley 61/100.
  • Rental Yield: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land leads — Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land 64/100 vs San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley 19/100.

Frequently asked questions

Which has a higher Alpha Score, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land or San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley?

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 Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land or San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley 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 8.3 in San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley.

Which housing market has stronger momentum, Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land or San Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley?

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 Francisco-Oakland-Berkeley brief.