This is a very good point that often gets overlooked. Empty lots in desirable inner loop Houston neighborhoods cost $1M. That's not really any different from Austin.

Every large city has a desirable neighborhood with million dollar lots. But if you look at # of houses within 15 minutes of downtown that cost less than 200k. Houston is one of few that's still affordable.

This is a fun off the cuff guess but if you look at a Zillow it's not true. Houses the same distance from the center of town are significantly more expensive in Austin. Everyone I know who moved from Houston to Austin moved twice as far from downtown and paid twice as much to do it.

Interesting! I stand corrected

If you pick Zillow and look at houses under 200k you see a huge difference comparing Houston and Austin.