Anaheim vs Houston
for digital nomads
Under balanced weights the two cities tie at 64. Neither leads on any factor by 10 points or more. Change the weights in the ranker to see which one wins for you.
Disneyland's hometown: theme parks, stadiums and Orange County sprawl
Full Anaheim profile →Plan a trip to Anaheim →Where they differ
- Climate. Anaheim leads on climate, 67 to 58, against Houston. Comfortable months: 8 vs 7.
- Cost of living. Houston leads on cost of living, 21 to 15, against Anaheim. Monthly cost, one person: $3,407 vs $2,959.
Where they are close. Within five points on getting there & around, internet, air quality, safety, healthcare, visa ease, quality of life.
Pick Anaheim if you want
- no clear edge over Houston in the data
Pick Houston if you want
- to spend about $448 less a month
Factor scores (0–100, balanced weights)
| Metric | Anaheim | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | 15 | 21 ✓ |
| Safety | 51 | 51 |
| Healthcare | 85 | 85 |
| Internet | 77 | 80 ✓ |
| Visa ease | 61 | 61 |
| Getting there & around | 37 ✓ | 34 |
| Climate | 67 ✓ | 58 |
| Air quality | 88 ✓ | 86 |
| Quality of life | 96 | 96 |
Cost
| Metric | Anaheim | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost, one person | $3,407 | $2,959 ✓ |
| Central one-bedroom rent | no data | no data |
Safety and health (country-level)
| Metric | Anaheim | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Homicides per 100k | 5.76 | 5.76 |
| Political stability (0–100) | 60.3 | 60.3 |
| UHC service coverage (0–100) | 88 | 88 |
| Life expectancy | 78.5 yrs | 78.5 yrs |
Internet (M-Lab measured medians)
| Metric | Anaheim | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Download | 68.2 Mbps | 74.5 Mbps ✓ |
| Upload | 11.1 Mbps | 15.6 Mbps ✓ |
Visa
| Metric | Anaheim | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Nomad visa | none listed | none listed |
| Minimum income for the visa | no data | no data |
| Entry, US passport | home country | home country |
| Entry, EU passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
| Entry, UK passport | eTA required (online, before travel) | eTA required (online, before travel) |
Getting there and around
| Metric | Anaheim | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Non-stop airport destinations | 188 | 202 ✓ |
| Walkability (1–5, editorial) | 2 ✓ | 1 |
| Transit (1–5, editorial) | 2 | 2 |
Climate and air
| Metric | Anaheim | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Comfortable months per year | 8 ✓ | 7 |
| Annual mean PM2.5 | 10.5 µg/m³ ✓ | 11.1 µg/m³ |
✓ marks the better value in each row; ties and missing data are left unmarked.
Frequently asked
- Which is cheaper, Anaheim or Houston?
- Houston is cheaper: about $2,959 per month versus $3,407 for one person.
- Is Anaheim or Houston safer?
- Anaheim and Houston score the same on safety (51), based on national homicide rates and World Bank political-stability scores.
- Where is the internet faster, Anaheim or Houston?
- Houston: a measured median of 74.5 Mbps versus 68.2 Mbps (M-Lab, 2024).
More comparisons
Sources: Cost of Living Global 2026 (city rows); 2026 Cost of Living Index (country level); Digital Nomad Visas 2026; Worldwide Governance Indicators — Political Stability and Absence of Violence (score 0–100); Victims of intentional homicide per 100,000 population (national data, latest year); UHC service coverage index; Life expectancy at birth (years), both sexes; M-Lab NDT statistics (city aggregates, 2024); Airport destinations (Wikipedia airline and destination tables); NASA POWER climatology (2001–2020 monthly means); WHO Ambient Air Quality Database, June 2026 update (V8); Human Development Index (HDR 2025, HDI 2023); EF English Proficiency Index 2024 (band); Walkability and transit ratings (editorial); Passport Index dataset (visa requirements, 199 passports × 199 destinations); Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024 (all items); OpenStreetMap restaurants (Overpass API); Starlink availability map. Dataset 2026.11.2. See each city page for per-metric footnotes and the methodology.