Cost of Living
per year
per month
How The Woodlands's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in The Woodlands?
Your $100,000 in The Woodlands has the same purchasing power as $98,590 in the average US city. You'd need $1,410 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of The Woodlands's cost index of 101, sorted by closest match.
Wondering whether you should move to The Woodlands? It depends on what you're optimizing for, but the city has real arguments in its favor: texas doesn't tax your paycheck and a high-income city, even by us standards, plus 3 more things worth knowing. The data behind each is below.
Living in The Woodlands means no state income tax on your salary — Texas is one of nine states that simply doesn't have one. On a $100k income that's typically thousands of dollars a year that stay in your account instead of going to a state revenue department.
Median household income in The Woodlands is $142,384 — well above the US median of roughly $75k. It's a city where high-paying industries (tech, finance, professional services) cluster, and the income distribution tilts noticeably upward relative to most of the country.
The Woodlands reports roughly 1,219 crime incidents per 100,000 residents, well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. As always, citywide numbers paper over real differences between neighborhoods — but the broader trend here is on the calmer end of the US distribution.
The Woodlands's Bike Score is 61/100 — the kind of number you only get when a city has built real bike infrastructure (protected lanes, connected routes, drivers who expect cyclists). For commuting or just for getting around, the bike is a serious option here, not a hobby.
66% of adults 25 and over in The Woodlands hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaningfully above the US average of around 36%. That correlates with the things you'd expect: stronger schools, more white-collar employers, more bookstores than the population alone would predict.
Reasons are pulled from The Woodlands's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Almost never. The Woodlands's winter average of about 46°F is too warm for snow most years. A measurable snowfall is the kind of event that closes schools and gets photographed for the local paper.
Barely. Winter in The Woodlands averages around 46°F — short, mild, mostly an excuse to break out a light jacket. Some plants don't even drop their leaves.
Genuinely hot. Summer in The Woodlands averages about 94°F, and peak afternoons run well over a hundred. Outdoor plans move to mornings and evenings; AC is the most-used appliance in the house.
The Woodlands falls in roughly USDA Zone 10. The zone classification is based on average annual minimum temperatures, so it's the right lookup for whether perennials and trees will overwinter here. Note that this is approximate from our winter-temperature data — check the USDA map for the exact zone before betting an expensive plant on it.
The Woodlands sits at about 190 feet (58 m) above sea level — low-lying, but with enough cushion that day-to-day life isn't affected by ocean levels.
Hurricane season covers June through November, with peak activity in late summer and early fall. For The Woodlands, the practical advice is: have a few days of water and supplies on hand from August onward, know your evacuation route, and don't wait for the news to tell you a storm is "probably nothing" — track the cone yourself.
By the numbers, yes. The Woodlands reports roughly 1,219 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — well under the US average of about 3,500 per 100k. The big caveat applies as always: every city has neighborhoods that look nothing like the citywide average. But the citywide average here is genuinely good.
Roughly average. The Woodlands's cost-of-living index is 101, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Not really — The Woodlands is built around the car. Its Walk Score of 17 out of 100 means almost every errand is a drive. Living without a car is technically possible but real work; most residents wouldn't try it.
Roughly $71,001 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in The Woodlands runs about $1,723/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.