Houston, TX, Investor Yield Index
At standard terms, a median Houston rental does not cash-flow today. It scores 39/100, grade C, and ranks #6 of 18 tracked metros.
The Greater Houston median runs $308,933 against rent near $1,648/mo. At a 6.69% loan that works out to a 0.66 DSCR and -7.00% cash-on-cash, short of the 1.2 lender minimum.
Price and rent are the mid-tier median from Zillow Research. The 6.69% 30-year rate is Freddie Mac PMMS as of 2026-08-06. Neither is a lender quote, so run your real numbers below.
Index 39/100 · rank #6
Cap rate
Gross yield
Median price
DSCR
Cash-on-cash
Monthly rent
GRM
The same metro at the starter price band
The figures above use the mid-tier median, the middle third of Greater Houston by value. Most cash-flow buyers shop the bottom third instead, where the same rent is carried by a much smaller mortgage. Both bands come from Zillow Research.
| Price band | Price | Cap rate | DSCR | Cash-on-cash | Monthly cash flow |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mid-tier median | $308,933 | 3.84% | 0.66 | -7.00% | -$505 |
| Entry tier, bottom third | $209,573 | 5.66% | 0.98 | -0.50% | -$24 |
Moving from the median to the starter band changes the DSCR by 0.31. One caveat worth stating plainly. The rent figure used here is the metro-wide index, not an entry-band rent, so the entry-tier row pairs metro rent with a bottom-third price. Real starter-band rents run lower, which makes that row an upper bound rather than a forecast.
Property tax and vacancy in the Houston metro
Price and rent come from two Zillow series. Neither one carries the tax bill, and neither counts the months a unit sits empty. Those are the lines that decide whether the rent actually covers a loan payment, and they're set by the county, not the metro.
Harris County effective rate
Median tax $4,489 over median value $276,600
Tax on the median price
a year at $308,933, or $3,401 at the entry band
Share of the expense allowance
of the 40% allowance, $7,910 a year
Rental vacancy
worth $2,017 of rent a year
Every county in the metro
Same metro, same rent index, a materially different bill. The rate runs from 0.987% in San Jacinto County to 1.860% in Fort Bend County. On a $308,933 house that gap is about $2,697 a year. Choosing a county here is choosing a tax rate.
| County | Population | Median tax | Median value | Effective rate | Rental vacancy | Renter share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris CountyPrincipal | 4,838,303 | $4,489 | $276,600 | 1.623% | 10.20% | 45.3% |
| Fort Bend County | 893,767 | $6,965 | $374,500 | 1.860% | 7.12% | 23.0% |
| Montgomery County | 684,432 | $5,268 | $346,200 | 1.522% | 8.26% | 28.2% |
| Brazoria County | 391,255 | $5,001 | $301,600 | 1.658% | 13.35% | 25.9% |
| Galveston County | 358,990 | $4,442 | $314,600 | 1.412% | 10.20% | 32.4% |
| Liberty County | 103,380 | $2,133 | $181,700 | 1.174% | 9.35% | 17.7% |
| Waller County | 61,552 | $4,046 | $318,700 | 1.270% | 9.53% | 28.0% |
| Chambers County | 51,498 | $3,474 | $329,500 | 1.054% | 10.20% | 18.4% |
| Austin County | 31,170 | $3,433 | $296,900 | 1.156% | 9.50% | 23.5% |
| San Jacinto County | 28,441 | $2,066 | $209,300 | 0.987% | 11.44% | 15.4% |
County figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 5-Year Estimates, table-based Summary File, 2024 5-year estimates, 2020 to 2024 pooled, tables B25103, B25077, B25004, B25003, B01003. The effective rate divides one county median by another over the same set of owner-occupied homes, so it approximates the county rate. It isn't a millage, and your own assessment can land either side of it. A five-year estimate also lags the Zillow price it's applied to, and county coverage is what you get in exchange.
Run the numbers on a Houston deal
Pre-filled with Houston medians. Adjust price, rent, and rate to your actual deal.
Assumptions: 25% down + 3% closing costs, 40% opex/vacancy load 30-year amortization. Lenders typically require DSCR ≥ 1.2. Estimates, not a quote.
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Common questions about Houston
Is Houston, TX a good market for rental investors in 2026?
On the Investor Yield Index it scores 39/100 (grade C), ranking #6 of 18 tracked metros. The median price is $308,933 with rent around $1,648/mo, producing an estimated 3.84% cap rate and 0.66 DSCR at a 6.69% financing rate. At today's rates none of the 18 tracked metros clear the 1.2 DSCR line on default terms, so the score is best read as where Houston stands relative to other markets.
What is the cap rate in Houston?
The model estimates a 3.84% cap rate at the median price-to-rent ratio, assuming a 40% operating-expense load. Your actual cap rate depends on the specific property and expenses.
Will a rental in Houston qualify for a DSCR loan?
It’s tight. The estimated DSCR of 0.66 is below the typical 1.2 minimum at 6.69%; a larger down payment or rate buydown may be needed to qualify.
Markets ranked near Houston
The closest metros above and below Houston on the index, plus the top markets for comparison.
Memphis, TN
Cleveland, OH
Tampa, FL
Birmingham, AL
Indianapolis, IN
Orlando, FL
San Antonio, TX
Atlanta, GA
Chicago, IL
How these numbers are built
- Assumptions
- 25% down, 3% closing costs, a 40% operating-expense load, 30-year amortization, and a 6.69% loan rate.
- DSCR
- Net operating income divided by annual debt service. Lenders typically want at least 1.2.
- Index weights
- Cap rate 30%, gross yield 20%, DSCR 30%, cash-on-cash 20%, each normalized to 0-100 first.
- Sources
- Mid-tier median price and rent from Zillow Research, covering 18 metros. Mortgage rate from Freddie Mac PMMS, 2026-08-06.
These are model estimates for relative comparison between markets. They are not lender quotes, appraisals, or investment advice.