Texas Suburbs Shine in 2025–2026 Best Places to Live Rankings

While The Woodlands and Spring were the only two Texas cities to make the top 10, several others appeared in the top 20. Victoria, the small city southwest of Houston, ranked as the No. 12 place to retire. Pearland and Conroe, both suburbs of Houston, ranked No. 17 and No. 20 respectively. 

 

For retirees and future retirees, quality of life and value emerged as the two most important factors, accounting for just over half of each city's composite score.

 

This methodology helped propel The Woodlands and Spring toward the top of the list and ahead of communities such as Sammamish, Washington, and Mountain View, California which ranked first and second respectively for quality of life but are not particularly affordable. The median home value in Mountain View, for example, is about $1.9 million, compared with about $475,000 in The Woodlands. 

 

In addition to ranking retirement destinations, U.S. News & World Report also ranks the nation’s best places to live. The methodology for that list emphasizes factors such as average commute times, for example, rather than retiree taxes. Two other Houston suburbs claimed spots in the top 10 on that list this year: Pearland ranked No. 3, with League City coming in at No. 6.