Real Estate Sales Agents salary in Houston, TX
Median pay for real estate sales agents in Houston, TX: $50,670/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $33,290 – $130,450 · about 7,680 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($50,020) by +$650 (+1%).
What it's really worth in Houston
With Houston's cost of living at 100 (US=100), that $50,670 has the buying power of about $50,805 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $78,061 · median home $308,306 · median rent $1,639/mo.
How Houston ranks for this job
On raw pay, Houston, TX is 81st of the 167 metros we hold real estate sales agents wages for. Once Houston's cost of living is applied, it ranks 95th.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Houston sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Houston
A median home in Houston, TX costs $308,306 — about 6.1× 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 39% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.
Where real estate sales agents 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $103,960 | +105% | 2.1× |
| Buffalo, NY | $83,670 | +65% | 0.9× |
| Rochester, NY | $83,200 | +64% | 1× |
| Seattle, WA | $80,950 | +60% | 1.4× |
Same job elsewhere in TX
| Metro | Median pay | vs Houston | Rent vs Houston |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Antonio, TX | $49,670 | −2% | 0.9× |
| Waco, TX | $49,090 | −3% | 0.9× |
| Tyler, TX | $48,480 | −4% | 0.8× |
| Austin, TX | $47,830 | −6% | 1× |
Staying in TX keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Houston
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 167 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.