a taste of houston at iah

Favorite Houston restaurants and national retailers land at new IAH international terminal

Jetero Market will serve as a newsstand and convenience store.

Courtesy of Houston Airports

Plans for the new Mickey Leland International Terminal at George Bush Intercontinental Airport are starting to come together. Houston Airports, the City of Houston department responsible for overseeing the airport's operations, announced two new 10-year vendor contract that will bring a number of local restaurants and retailers to the property.

As approved by Houston City Council, the new agreements with travel retailer Paradies Lagardère and food travel specialist SSP America will cover 26 concession locations and are projected to bring almost 400 new jobs to the new terminal, which is scheduled to open in late 2024. It's one component of a larger project that will add a new International Central Processor facility for faster check-ins and security screening and a west concourse with space for up to six wide-body aircraft.

Tasked with requirements that included "Encourage innovative, unique and exciting concepts" and "Increase opportunities for local operators," SSP America has partnered with a select group of local restaurants who will establish their first-ever presence at IAH. They include: Galleria-area institution The Annie Café & Bar; The Kitchen, a family-friendly restaurant in The Woodlands that's affiliated with fine dining staple Tris; and local favorite Common Bond Bakery and Café. National brands such as Chili’s and MOD Pizza will also have outposts in the facility.

"We are honored to represent Houston and be considered for this project," Ben Berg, founder of Berg Hospitality, tells CultureMap. "We think The Annie Café & Bar, as one of Houston's most iconic restaurant concepts, is the perfect addition at IAH, whether for guests visiting for the first time, those just passing through, or native travelers who already know and love our restaurant and understand the impact that founding chef Robert Del Grande has had on the Houston food industry."

Turning to the retail side, Paradies will add stores such as Houston Supply Co., Uno de 50, spa service Be Relax, and LEGO, which potentially offers both an entertaining way to spend a long layover and the ability to supply last minute gifts for children of all ages. Jetero Market will nod to the group of local businessmen who purchased the property that became IAH and sell items created by Texas artisans.

Both vendors plan to use technology to ease ordering. Expect self-ordering kiosks, 24/7 options for delayed passengers, and even delivery to gates.

“As one of the biggest and most modern airport facilities in the country, the new international terminal at IAH deserves the best dining and shopping experiences,” Houston aviation director Mario Diaz said. “As we expand our reach across the world, offering unique local, regional and national concepts ensures all customers will experience Houston’s diverse and vibrant flavors without ever having to leave the airport.”

The Annie is coming to Terminal D.

Courtesy of Houston Airports

The Annie is coming to Terminal D.

in this economy?

This is the salary you need to live comfortably in Houston in 2026

money, salary, income to live comfortably, SmartAsset

Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

Single Houstonians need to make a little more than $82,000 to live comfortably in the city, the report found.

A 2026 report analyzing how much it costs to live "in sustainable comfort" in the biggest U.S. cities has found Houston residents have the 11th lowest salary requirement to live a comfortable life in 2026.

SmartAsset's annual report found single adult residents in Houston need to make $89,981 a year to qualify as "financially stable." Compared to last year, single Houstonians needed to make $83 more to live comfortably in the city.

Families with two working parents and two children need to make a household income of $204,672 to have a financially stable life in Houston, the report found. That's almost $2,000 less than what families needed to make last year.

To determine the rankings, SmartAsset's analysts examined 100 of the largest U.S. cities and used the latest cost of living data – such as the costs for housing, food, transportation, and income taxes where applicable – from the MIT Living Wage Calculator for childless individuals and for two working adults with two children.

For the purpose of the study, the 50/30/20 budgeting strategy was used to determine "comfortable lifestyle" costs for both individuals and families: 50 percent of income to cover needs and living expenses, 30 percent for "wants," and 20 percent for savings or paying down debt.

Here's breakdown of a Houston resident's comfortable lifestyle based on SmartAsset's findings:

$44,991 dedicated to needs and living expenses
$26,994 dedicated to wants
$17,996 dedicated to savings or debt repayment

This is SmartAsset's interpretation of a comfortable lifestyle for families of four:

$102,336 dedicated to needs and living expenses
$61,402 dedicated to wants
$40,934 dedicated to savings or debt repayment

SmartAsset said single individuals and families should compare the fluctuating local cost of living and their long-term goals to fully "understand the context" of their respective household incomes. But it's worth pointing out that a financially stable life in Houston isn't quite attainable for many residents: The city had a median household income of $64,361 in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

Comfortable salaries in other Texas cities
Elsewhere in Texas, the report found that families in the Dallas-Fort Worth suburbs Frisco and McKinney "are closest to a comfortable salary."

"In Frisco, [Texas], the median household earns $145,444 – substantially higher than the national median of $83,730," the report's author wrote. "This figure also accounts for 63.1 percent of the $230,464 income a family of four in Frisco needs to live comfortably. In McKinney, TX, the $124,177 median household income accounts for 53.9 percent of the $230,464 needed."

Both cities also tied with Plano for the 29th highest salary needed nationally to live comfortably in 2026. Single adults living in these cities need to make $109,242 a year to live a financially stable life this year.

On the opposite end, San Antonio has the lowest salaries needed to live comfortably in the U.S. Single adults only need to make $83,242 a year, and $192,608 for families of four.

cost of living reports salaries smartasset money