Galveston, TX — Momentum Score, Home Values & Best-For

All states·Texas·Galveston

Galveston County · Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land · population 53,538

Bargain hunters
Galveston, TX
Image: Wikipedia · Galveston, Texas
OverviewCost of livingMoving guide
View watchlist →
41
Cooling
Momentum score · 0–100

Where Galveston stands

15% off 5-year peak. home values down 7.4% in the last year.

Median home $322,132
1-year -7.4%
5-yr CAGR +2.4%
vs 5-yr peak -15.0%
Population -0.1%/yr

Home value trajectory · last 10 years

Zillow ZHVI · monthly
peak 2022-08$322k$176k$249k$322k$394k201620182020202220242026

Lifestyle scores

🚶
Walkability
40/100
Car-dependent
Estimated from population density. Higher = denser, more amenities within walking distance.
🚉
Public transit
22/100
Transit limited
Curated list of major US transit systems + population-based estimate. Higher = real subway/rail/bus options.
💻
Remote work fit
87/100
Excellent for remote work
Composite of city size, housing cost, state tax structure, and region's remote-work track record.

Scores are heuristic estimates from population density, state, and known transit/walkable cities. Not based on a paid Walk Score / Transit Score API — see methodology for the formula.

Rent trajectory · last 5 years

Zillow ZORI · monthly
$1,304/mo$981$1,190$1,399202220242026

Home value vs rent · indexed to 100

Both rebased at first month of ZORI data (~2015)
Home valueRent112125100120202220242026

Rent vs buy

Price-to-rent ratio: 20.6
Lean rent

At a 20.6 price-to-rent ratio, the math is starting to lean toward renting in Galveston. Owner-occupier ROI requires longer holds and the assumption that prices keep appreciating roughly at the rate of rent.

How the momentum score breaks down

methodology →
Home YoY
15 · w22%
Home 5-yr CAGR
49 · w22%
Distance from peak
30 · w18%
Population growth
44 · w16%
Rent YoY
63 · w12%
Home 10-yr CAGR
64 · w10%
Long thesis

Galveston is 15% below its 5-year peak but compounded at +5.3% per year over a decade. Long-run trend is intact; you're buying through-the-cycle pricing in a market that has historically rewarded patience.

Short thesis

Galveston is down 7.4% over the last 12 months and the trend isn't flattening. Falling knife rule applies: you don't catch one with your hands, you wait for it to hit the floor and stop moving.

About Galveston

Galveston is a city in Galveston County, Texas, with an estimated population of 53,538. It anchors the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area. The median home value in Galveston is $322,132 as of 2026-04, down 7.4% over the last 12 months. Over the last five years, home values have averaged +2.4% annual growth, and the market currently sits about 15% below its 5-year peak. Rents in Galveston average $1,304 per month, roughly flat year-over-year (+2.8%). The composite momentum score is 41 of 100 (Cooling). Buyers may find more room to negotiate; sellers should price realistically.

▲ Bull case

●Reset opportunity: 15% off recent peak but +5.3% annualized over 10 years — long-run trend is up even if the last year wasn’t.
○The data is the data: Galveston has at least 5 years of Zillow tracking, full Census identification, and is included in the 2-criteria momentum score on this page.

▼ Bear case

●Prices actively falling: down 7.4% in the last 12 months — buyer sentiment has flipped. Sellers competing on price.
●15% off recent peak — buyers are getting through-the-cycle pricing, not the peak.

About Galveston (Wikipedia)

Galveston is a resort city and port on the Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Texas. It encompasses 211.31 square miles (547.3 km2) on Galveston Island and Pelican Island. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 53,695, making it the second-largest municipality in Galveston County, where it also serves as the county seat. Located at the southern end of the Greater Houston metropolitan area, Galveston sits on the northwestern coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

Source: Wikipedia · this summary is contributed and licensed under CC-BY-SA.

City facts

Nickname"The Oleander City"Cite web
Motto"It's Island Time"

Extracted from the Wikipedia infobox. Values may be slightly out of date relative to the latest sources.

Playbook

Buyer

You have leverage. Negotiate price, ask for closing-cost credits, and don't waive inspection. Walk-away power is real in a Cooling market — use it.

Seller

Price aggressively (at or below recent sold comps) or be prepared to wait. Concessions — rate buydowns, closing costs, repair credits — are how deals close right now.

Investor

Cap rates are more attractive than they were 12 months ago but the appreciation tailwind is gone. Confirm tenant demand, vacancy rates, and exit liquidity before committing capital.

Local safety & alerts

No active National Weather Service alerts for Galveston County right now.

NWS active alerts (TX)Texas Emergency ManagementHow to prepare (NWS)

Public-safety links are official .gov sources, not curated by us. Galveston County routes NWS alerts; check the state EM portal for non-weather emergencies.

Neighborhoods of Galveston

25 tracked · ranked by median home value
1Sunset Cove$1,368,181-5.9%
2Pirates Cove$1,173,659-1.9%
3Indian Beach$652,948-8.2%
4Evia$635,001-2.7%
5Pirates Beach$572,257-9.8%
6Bermuda Beach$553,202-10.2%
7Sea Isle$505,645-9.7%
8Terramar Beach$474,719-8.8%
9Pointe West$460,298-12.9%
10Havre Lafitte$449,842-4.2%
11Silk Stocking$407,440-6.1%
12Bay Harbor$374,639-10.9%
13East End$363,386-4.8%
14Central Business District$329,726-4.7%
15Denver Court-Fort Crockett$323,216-3.7%
16Lost Bayou$319,939-5.7%
17San Jacinto$306,023-5.4%
18Gulf Village$282,224-3.7%
19Kemper Park$279,540-9.1%
20Campeche Cove$257,233-10.7%
21Lasker Park$246,458-7.2%
22Lindale Park$225,752-5.6%
23Old Central$219,378-9.5%
24Carver Park$212,777-7.1%

See the full neighborhood ranking →

Cities like Galveston

Jacinto City, TX41 · CoolingGalena Park, TX38 · CoolingHaltom City, TX51 · StableDenison, TX51 · Stable

Run the numbers for Galveston

ToolCan I afford Galveston?Income → city shortlistToolROI on a Galveston rentalCap rate, cash-on-cash, DSCRToolCompare Galveston to anywhereSide-by-side up to 3 citiesToolGalveston cost-of-livingEquivalent income elsewhere

Sources: Zillow ZHVI (home values), Zillow ZORI (rents), US Census ACS + place population. Updated when source agencies publish revisions.

Climate & natural-disaster risk

Winter (Jan)
60° / 39°
avg high / low
Summer (Jul)
95° / 73°
avg high / low
Sunny days/yr
232
~64% of year
Annual precip
29″ rain
1″ snow
Disaster risk (1=very low, 5=very high)
Hurricane
High
Tornado
Very high
Wildfire
Moderate
Earthquake
Low
Flood
Very high

State-level averages from NOAA Climate Normals (1991-2020) and FEMA National Risk Index. City-level conditions can vary significantly within a state.

Local sports teams

Major professional teams the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land area cheers for. Detailed stats, schedules, and player pages on intherafters.com.

Current weather

Loading current conditions…

7-day forecast on weather.gov →

Find rentals & listings

Open current Galveston listings on the major real-estate sites.

Links open the live search on the destination site — results are always current.

Local news & community

Updated 2026-05-21 from Google News + Reddit RSS. Headlines link to original sources.

Local economy & environment

Humidity
64%
Moderate climate
Median household income
$73,000
Texas state median
Top industries (state-level)
Energy/Oil & GasTech (Austin)Healthcare

Humidity is annual average relative humidity (NOAA). Income is Census ACS 5-year estimate. Industries are largest employment sectors statewide (BLS); the local mix in a given city may vary.

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