If you’re choosing between Calgary vs Houston, you’re not just comparing two big cities—you’re comparing two completely different “life systems.” Calgary is a high-growth Prairie city with mountain access, colder winters, and Canada’s public healthcare model. Houston is a massive, humid, Gulf-region powerhouse with huge industry breadth (especially energy and healthcare), hotter weather, and a more car-dependent daily rhythm.
This comparison sticks to verifiable, published data where possible and avoids “guessy” numbers. When something isn’t directly comparable (different methods, different currencies), I say that clearly.
Quick comparison table (numbers you can actually anchor on)
| Category | Calgary (Canada) | Houston (USA) |
|---|---|---|
| Sales tax on most purchases | 5% (GST only in Alberta) | Up to 8.25% (Texas cap; Houston commonly at the max) |
| Rent snapshot | Median rent: CAD 1,725 (purpose-built rental apartments; Oct 2025) | Median gross rent: USD 1,313 (ACS 2019–2023; all rentals) |
| Vacancy / availability | Vacancy: 4.9% (Oct 2025) | Not directly comparable in the same dataset |
| Home price snapshot | Benchmark: CAD 559,000 (Nov 2025) | Median home value: USD 253,400 (ACS 2019–2023) |
| Unemployment snapshot | 7.3% (Calgary CMA; Nov 2025, 3-month avg) | 4.8% (Houston metro; Oct 2025) |
| Typical climate | Drier + snowy winters | Hot + humid, heavy rainfall |
| Annual precipitation / snowfall | ~418 mm precipitation, ~93.6 cm snowfall (historical baseline in City climate docs) | ~51.84 in rainfall (~1,317 mm), snowfall is rare |
| City population (for scale) | ~1.42M (Apr 1, 2023 estimate) | ~2.39M (July 1, 2024 estimate) |
Important note about money: Calgary numbers are mostly CAD, Houston numbers are mostly USD. That matters more than people think.
1) Housing reality: renting and buying feels very different
Renting: Calgary vs Houston
For Calgary vs Houston, renting is one of the fastest ways to feel the difference.
- Calgary: The median rent in Oct 2025 for purpose-built rental apartments (all unit types combined) is CAD 1,725, with a 4.9% vacancy rate. That suggests the market is no longer “near-zero vacancy panic,” but it’s still not “cheap.”
- Houston: The median gross rent (a broad measure that includes many rental types) is USD 1,313 (ACS 2019–2023). Houston can look cheaper on rent in raw numbers, but your total monthly reality often adds:
- higher summer electricity bills (A/C),
- more driving costs (fuel, insurance, maintenance),
- and sometimes flood-risk considerations depending on neighborhood.
Truthful takeaway: If your priority is finding something livable without bidding wars, Calgary’s improving vacancy helps. If your priority is lowest headline rent, many Houston areas will appear cheaper—but your “all-in” monthly cost can narrow the gap.
Buying: “benchmark price” vs “median home value”
These aren’t identical metrics, so don’t treat them as perfectly apples-to-apples—but they still tell a story.
- Calgary: Benchmark price (all residential) was about CAD 559,000 in Nov 2025.
- Houston: Median value of owner-occupied housing units is USD 253,400 (ACS 2019–2023).
Truthful takeaway: On the surface, Houston looks dramatically cheaper to buy into. In practice, compare your financing + insurance + taxes + maintenance + commute requirements—Houston often “spreads out” life.
2) Taxes: Calgary feels lighter at checkout, Houston can feel lighter on income tax (but…)
Sales tax (what you notice immediately)
- Calgary/Alberta: 5% GST is usually the big one. No provincial sales tax in Alberta means many everyday purchases feel noticeably cheaper at checkout compared to other provinces and many U.S. cities.
- Houston/Texas: Texas caps combined sales tax at 8.25%, and Houston is widely listed at that maximum rate.
Real-life effect: In Calgary vs Houston, Calgary generally wins on “checkout shock.” Houston can surprise you if you’re used to Canadian sales tax simplicity—especially on big-ticket items.
The tradeoff: local cost structure
Even when income tax is favorable in parts of the U.S., people often underestimate property tax + insurance + healthcare complexity. I’m not giving a single “Houston property tax number” here because it varies heavily by district and exemptions, and oversimplifying it would be misleading.
3) Jobs and economic stability: different engines
Unemployment snapshot
- Calgary CMA: 7.3% (Nov 2025, 3-month moving average).
- Houston metro: 4.8% (Oct 2025).
On paper, Houston looks stronger in that moment. But context matters:
- Calgary’s economy has a strong energy influence, but also growing tech, finance, logistics, and professional services—plus a big construction/housing story driven by population growth.
- Houston is one of North America’s heavyweight “job machine” metros: energy (including renewables and services), healthcare/medical, aerospace, logistics/port-linked activity, manufacturing, and corporate services.
Truthful takeaway: If your goal is maximum job diversity inside a gigantic labor market, Houston is hard to beat. If your goal is a Canadian system with strong wages in certain sectors and a very “newcomer-heavy” growth dynamic, Calgary can still be compelling—just understand the current labor pressure.
4) Weather: Calgary is dry-cold and snowy; Houston is wet-hot and stormy
This is where Calgary vs Houston becomes almost a personality test.
Calgary climate baseline
City climate documentation shows a historical baseline around:
- ~418 mm annual precipitation
- ~93.6 cm annual snowfall
Calgary’s winter reality is real (snow, cold snaps), but the dryness also means cold often feels different than humid cold. Chinook patterns can bring sudden warm breaks.
Houston climate normals
For Houston (IAH normals, 1991–2020):
- Annual rainfall: 51.84 inches (~1,317 mm)
- Mean temperature: 70.5°F (~21.4°C)
Houston is warm for long stretches and humid enough that heat can feel heavier than the temperature number suggests.
Truthful takeaway: If you hate winter driving and snow maintenance, Houston wins. If you hate humidity, hurricanes/storm anxiety, and months of A/C dependence, Calgary wins.
5) Transportation and daily friction: “how your day moves”
- Calgary: A lot of people can design life around a mix of driving + transit (especially near LRT lines). Winter affects road conditions, but the city’s structure is still relatively navigable.
- Houston: Expect car-first living for most people. Commute time is a major factor; Houston’s typical commute time is listed at 27.3 minutes (ACS measure). Traffic and distance are a real lifestyle cost.
Truthful takeaway: In Calgary vs Houston, Calgary is usually easier to live “smaller and tighter.” Houston rewards people who plan neighborhoods carefully around work, schools, and flood risk.
6) Lifestyle: what you do on a random Tuesday
Calgary vibe
- Outdoor culture + weekend mountains
- Big city conveniences without feeling “mega”
- Fast population growth = more pressure on housing, services, and infrastructure
Houston vibe
- Massive food scene and cultural variety
- Big events, big sprawl, big choices
- Heat changes your daily schedule (people plan around mornings/evenings)
Truthful takeaway: Calgary is “escape-to-nature” easy. Houston is “infinite city options” easy.
Who should choose Calgary vs Houston?
Choose Calgary if you want:
- Lower sales tax at checkout and simpler pricing culture
- A colder, drier climate (and you can handle winter)
- Access to mountains and outdoor weekends without flights
- A Canadian urban experience with strong growth momentum
Choose Houston if you want:
- A gigantic labor market with broad industry options
- Warm weather most of the year (and you can handle humidity)
- Bigger-city scale: food, culture, events, diversity
- A lifestyle where driving is normal and distance is part of the plan
FAQ
Is there an “official happiness index” for cities like Calgary vs Houston?
Not in a single clean, universally accepted way. You’ll find country-level happiness rankings and many private “quality of life” lists, but truly official city-by-city “happiness scores” that are comparable across Canada and the U.S. are rare. The more reliable approach is comparing components (income, housing costs, unemployment, safety metrics, health outcomes)—which is what this series is doing.
Which is cheaper overall?
It depends on what you spend on most:
- If you spend a lot on taxable goods and want predictable pricing, Calgary can feel better.
- If your priority is cheaper housing (headline prices), Houston can look better—then you must factor in car costs, insurance, utilities, and healthcare realities.
Which city is “safer”?
Safety comparisons are hard because Canada and the U.S. track and define crime differently. A better method is to compare each city using its own official metrics and avoid pretending it’s one unified scoreboard.
Conclusion: Calgary vs Houston in one sentence
Calgary vs Houston is a trade between a colder, lower-sales-tax, mountain-access Canadian growth city and a hot, humid, massive U.S. economic powerhouse where driving and scale shape everything.
