True cost — by city
Lower-cost major metro. Grouped with Dallas/Austin in Texas TI band; deepest subcontractor bench and fastest permit turnaround among major metros supports lower dead-rent exposure. Texas liquor timeline fastest in US: TABC 30-35 days for complete application (plus 60-day notice sign if posted late).
Mid-tier retail TI $92-$150/sq ft for Houston/Dallas/Austin (Terrapin July 2026), at the low end for a major metro. Austin runs at top of Texas range; Houston/Dallas at lower end.
Overall cost level: typical for a US restaurant opening. The city moves the rent and the build-out; the state moves the permits, the certificates and the liquor clock — and Houston sits in Texas.
Start with the state layer: Texas permits · Texas liquor · Texas hub.
Don't read the table — run your verdict. Pick Texas, add your format and rent — the regulated lines fill themselves.
Included in the $49 Opening Pack: the filled templates, trackers, calendars and worksheets for this door — built from the same dated datasets as the free checker above.
Sources: Terrapin Construction Group — TI Cost Per Square Foot 2026; LiquorLicenseCost — Liquor License Timeline by State, 2026-07. Dataset checked October 23, 2026. Where a fee or rule is set by a county or city, this page says so instead of guessing a number.