Graphic Designers salary in Houston, TX

Median pay for graphic designers in Houston, TX: $52,770/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $35,790 – $81,110 · about 2,490 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($50,005) by +$2,765 (+6%).

What it's really worth in Houston

With Houston's cost of living at 100 (US=100), that $52,770 has the buying power of about $52,911 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $78,061 · median home $308,306 · median rent $1,639/mo.

Full Houston cost of living & taxes →

How Houston ranks for this job

On raw pay, Houston, TX is 71st of the 186 metros we hold graphic designers wages for. Once Houston's cost of living is applied, it ranks 103rd.

The headline number flatters Houston. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, graphic designers here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.

What that salary buys in Houston

A median home in Houston, TX costs $308,306 — about 5.8× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $1,639/mo works out at 37% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.

Where graphic designers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Houston.

Metro	Median pay	vs Houston	Rent vs Houston
San Jose, CA	$96,260	+82%	2.2×
San Francisco, CA	$92,380	+75%	2×
Washington, DC	$80,100	+52%	1.5×
New York, NY	$75,900	+44%	2.1×

Same job elsewhere in TX

Metro	Median pay	vs Houston	Rent vs Houston
Austin, TX	$60,660	+15%	1×
Dallas, TX	$57,690	+9%	1×
San Antonio, TX	$53,100	+1%	0.9×
Tyler, TX	$47,520	−10%	0.8×

Staying in TX keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

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