Houston has been telling itself a story for decades.
The story goes like this: Houston is where affordability lives. It is where you can own a home, build equity, and keep enough left over to actually live. It is what makes Houston different from Austin, different from Dallas, different from the coastal cities that priced everyone out.
Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research just released its 2026 State of Housing in Harris County and Houston report. The story Houston has been telling itself is getting harder to sustain.
Homeowners insurance premiums are increasing faster than home values, jumping 17% in Harris County — to an average of $2,303 — and 13% in the city of Houston — to an average of $2,166 — in just one year, according to the Kinder report…