On Saturday, April 5, the Houston Cougars and the Duke Blue Devils will fight for the chance to play in the NCAA Men's Basketball Championship against either the Auburn Tigers or the Florida Gators.
This year, the semifinal games will be at the Alamodome in San Antonio. According to Ticketmaster, the most expensive ticket to the semifinals is in club-level seating for a resale price of $10,543. How much rent could this buy in each team’s home city?
Meet the Teams
The Houston Cougars and the Duke Blue Devils face off after the Auburn Tigers and the Florida Gators.
Houston, TX
Houston, Texas, is one of the most populous cities in the U.S., and it has a fast-paced culture to match. Between walkable streets in Downtown Houston, the University of Houston in South Central Houston, and the Clear Lake area at the mouth of Galveston Bay, Houston has a neighborhood for everyone.
Cost of living in Houston
The cost of living in Houston is 5.7% lower than the national average, and living in Houston requires a pre-tax income of $51,000 annually. The average rent in Houston is $1,198/month, which is about 23% lower than the national average rent of $1,560/month.
The most expensive ticket to the semifinals is equivalent to about 9 months of rent in Houston. According to the San Antonio Current, the Alamodome’s basketball court for the semifinals is 9,800 square feet. This is 13.57 times bigger than Houston’s average apartment size of 722 square feet.
Durham, NC
Durham, North Carolina, is the home of the Blue Devils. Duke University’s Gothic architecture contrasts the city’s technology and medicine industries driven by the university’s research programs, and the American Tobacco District has modernized a piece of Durham’s industrial history.
Cost of living in Durham
The cost of living in Durham is 0.7% lower than the national average, and living in Durham requires a pre-tax income of about $56,000 annually. The average rent in Durham is $1,380/month, which is about 12% lower than the national average of $1,560/month.
The most expensive ticket to the semifinal games is equivalent to about 8 months of rent in Durham. The Alamodome’s court is 13.23 times bigger than the average apartment size of 741 square feet.
Winner: Houston, TX
Houston, Texas wins the second round of the rental market semifinals and will advance to the championship. With a lower average rent price, the most expensive ticket to the semifinals can buy a 9-month lease in Houston, as opposed to an 8-month lease in Durham. The average apartment size is only slightly smaller in Houston than in Durham, so renters in Houston can enjoy apartment sizes comparable to those in Durham at a lower price.
In addition to a lower cost of living, Houston is an urban center with something for everyone. The University of Houston campus is an added benefit, but it doesn’t drive the city’s economy and culture. This makes Houston a much more dynamic place to live, and it’s easy to see why it’s one of the most popular cities in the U.S.
Find Your Champion
If you’re looking to follow the winners, find your perfect place with Apartments.com. Our customizable filters can help you narrow your search to rentals that fit your needs. If you don’t want to pay club-level seating prices, adjust the search within a price range that works for you.
Apartment rent data provided by CoStar Group’s March 2025 reports.
