If you’re looking to buy a new home in Fort Bend County – chances are you can afford more house than the average American. Smart Asset once again did a study to determine counties with the most favorable cost of  living. Fort Bend County ranked 5th in the nation and 1st in Greater Houston, based on cost of living and median household income.

The rankings were based on data from the US Census Bureau 2017 5-Year American Community Survey, MIT Living Wage Study, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2017 Consumer Expenditure Survey.

According to the report, Fort Bend residents with no children have a median income of $93,645 — the highest in the state — with a cost of living averaging about $44,725 per year. For comparison, the U.S. median income is $54,727, and the average cost of living is $33,092.

SmartAsset first calculated two sets of the cost of living for a household with one adult and no dependents: “One reflected the baseline cost of living in each area, and the other was based on expenditures typical to someone making the county’s median income,” per the report. Then, the New York-based firm combined them using a weighted average. SmartAsset calculated purchasing power by "determining the weighted cost of living as a percentage of median income," per the report. Data came from the U.S. Census Bureau, the MIT Living Wage Study and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

As explained by the Fort Bend Economic Council, residents in Fort Bend County enjoy the benefit of a community diverse in its cultures, cities, and lifestyles. From metropolitan living in the lofts and retail mixed use communities of Sugar Land to the amenity rich master planned communities in Missouri City to the quiet charm of Fulshear, to the history rich communities of Richmond and Rosenberg, Fort Bend County is a mix of communities, cosmopolitan to rural, offering residents options and opportunity.

Excellent education systems, low crime rate, and some of the highest incomes in the state, Fort Bend communities, in their diversity of style and offerings, derive the benefits of an ever-growing business economy. Those who call Fort Bend home may catch a baseball game at Constellation Field, go bird watching at Seabourne Creek Nature Park, attend a concert in the Stafford Center, or watch a polo match on the fields in Simonton. There is something for everyone in Fort Bend.

View new homes in Lakes of Bella Terra West, located in the thriving Fort Bend County.