Low Cost of Living
Even though Houston is a big city with a thriving economy, the cost-of-living is low and housing options are relatively inexpensive, especially compared to other big cities and other parts of the country.
Houston Neighborhoods
West University-Southside Place: the neighborhood west of Rice University. This area is filled with a lot of nice, old, and expensive houses; a great area for garage apartments. There are also a few small apartment complexes; or if you care to share a place with a few other people, some of the houses are up for rent.
Montrose: definitely one of the more interesting parts of town. It is bound by Main Street on the east, the Southwest Freeway on the south, Greenbriar on the west and Allen Parkway on the north. This area is filled with old houses and small apartment complexes; many are great deals.
Bellaire: the neighborhood consists of the area west of West University (for about four to five miles). Much of this area has been transformed to huge brick houses which you can dream of living in. However, a lot of the older, smaller houses are still around and are available for rent.
Binz: the area between Hermann Park and downtown, bounded on the east by Almeda, and on the west by South Main. Relatively low rents for houses and some small apartment buildings are available.
Galleria: the area near the Galleria mall (West Loop and Westheimer). This contains many nice, but expensive apartments.
Reliant: the areas to the east and west of Reliant Park have plenty of apartments and condominiums (the area to the east is known to students as “Condoland”). This is where many students live. The quality and price of the apartments is variable. There are nice apartments all around and a few that may be a little more questionable. Common sense will tell you where the good and bad places are.
Heights: an old neighborhood, inside the 610 loop, northwest of down town, north of Memorial Drive. This consists of mainly small wooden houses available for rent.
Braeswood: the area extending about a mile on either side of Braeswood inside the loop. Consists of houses and apartments. The apartments are affordable priced, and have easy access to the Medical Center by bike.
Outside the Loop (610): this area outside the loop has large apartment complexes that are significantly cheaper than those by the medical center. Many apartments are cheaper and you can find deals with “all bills paid” if you shop around.
House Hunting
Looking for a house, apartment, condo or even dormitory? You’ll be able to find a large range of options for what you’re looking for.
As a general rule, the closer you live to the Medical Center, the more expensive it is, but you’ll have to factor in the additional cost of transportation and parking here if you live further out. The Houston Neighborhood section of the Greater Houston Hotels and Visitors Bureau website provides descriptions of neighborhoods around the city and allows you to search for rental and sales listings by neighborhood.
Keep in mind that the neighborhoods/areas close to the medical center are:
- Rice-Medical Center
- Binz
- Montrose
- West University-Southside Plaza
- Greenway Plaza
- River Oaks
- Reliant