Missouri City and Stafford sit side by side in Fort Bend County, about 15 to 20 miles southwest of downtown Houston. Stafford is a small city along US-59/I-69 with a large base of offices, warehouses and retail. Missouri City stretches south and southeast, from established neighborhoods near Beltway 8 to the master-planned community of Sienna along the Brazos River. Their location between Sugar Land, southwest Houston and the Texas Medical Center makes them a practical choice for many commutes.
Missouri City and Stafford at a glance
Stafford is known for its business parks and the Stafford Centre, a performing-arts theater and convention center. Missouri City's older neighborhoods cluster near Texas Parkway, Cartwright Road and SH 6, while Sienna, to the south, is a master-planned community with parks, trails and lakes along the Brazos. Buffalo Run Park, a Missouri City park, has a lake, trails and sports fields.
On our site, the area covers ZIP codes 77459, 77489 and 77477. The Census figures below use the City of Missouri City, from the American Community Survey 2024 5-year estimates (2020–2024).
Getting around
Walk Score rates Missouri City 25 out of 100 for walking ("Car-Dependent"), with a Bike Score of 34, at the time of writing. Plan on driving for most errands.
US-59/I-69 runs through Stafford toward Uptown and downtown. The Fort Bend Toll Road runs north from Missouri City to Beltway 8, and Beltway 8 and SH 6 cross the area. For commuters, METRO's Missouri City Park & Ride offers weekday express service to the Texas Medical Center, and Fort Bend Transit runs commuter buses from nearby Sugar Land lots. The Census puts mean travel time to work at 30.4 minutes for the City of Missouri City.
What's nearby
Arts and events. The Stafford Centre hosts concerts, theater and community events.
Parks. Buffalo Run Park and the trails and lakes in Sienna are the main green spaces, and Brazos River Park in Sugar Land is a short drive west.
Shopping. The retail along US-59 in Stafford and Sugar Land, including First Colony Mall and Sugar Land Town Square, is a short drive away.
Food. Aga's Restaurant & Catering, a Pakistani and Indian restaurant on Wilcrest Drive at Stafford's northern edge, was No. 1 on the Houston Chronicle's 2025 Top 100. The Greatest BBQ on Texas Parkway in Missouri City, family-run for more than 30 years, was featured by the Chronicle in 2025, and the Chronicle's Sugar Land-area guide includes Hong Kong Food Court on SH 6 in Missouri City.
The apartment landscape
- Garden-style communities are the main type, many along US-59 in Stafford and along SH 6, Texas Parkway and Cartwright in Missouri City. Ages and renovation levels vary widely.
- Newer communities near Sienna and along the Fort Bend Toll Road, with resort-style pools and garages.
- Build-to-rent and single-family homes for rent, common in Missouri City's subdivisions and newer master-planned areas.
The Census reports a median gross rent of $1,931 a month for the City of Missouri City (ACS 2024 5-year), and about 18% of its occupied homes were renter-occupied, the lowest share among the areas we cover. Gross rent is the Census measure of contract rent plus estimated utilities, and it covers every rented home in the ZIP, from older duplexes to new towers, so treat it as a baseline rather than a quote for any one building. Stafford's apartments can price differently, so call us for current numbers.
Tips for renting in Missouri City and Stafford
- Match the toll road to your commute. If you work in the Medical Center, a building near the Missouri City Park & Ride, with its direct express buses, can save time; for Uptown or Greenway Plaza, look closer to US-59.
- Compare houses with apartments. With so much single-family housing, a rental home may be an option. Ask us to compare it with apartments at a similar monthly cost.
- Ask about utilities and MUD fees. Some properties bill water and sewer back. Ask for typical monthly totals.
- Read the flood disclosure. Oyster Creek and the Brazos River run through or along parts of the area. Texas Property Code §92.0135 requires landlords to tell you in writing whether a unit is in a 100-year floodplain and whether it has flooded in the past five years.
- See the actual unit in older communities, and ask what has been renovated.
- Read concessions as effective rent, and ask which lease terms qualify.
Start your search in Missouri City and Stafford
Our neighborhood guide to Missouri City and Stafford maps every 4-star-and-above building we work with in the area. When you are ready, tell us your budget, move date and must-haves on Find Your Apartment, or call us at (713) 357-6339. We do in one conversation what takes most renters weeks on their own — and the properties pay us, so it costs you nothing.
Sources
- www.staffordcentre.com/
- www.missouricitytx.gov/498/Buffalo-Run-Park
- www.walkscore.com/TX/Missouri_City
- www.ridemetro.org/riding-metro/transit-services/park-and-ride-bus
- www.fortbendcountytx.gov/government/departments/public-transportation/
- www.houstonchronicle.com/project/top-100-restaurants-houston/
- www.houstonchronicle.com/food-restaurants/bbq/article/greatest-bbq-hou
- www.houstonchronicle.com/project/best-sugar-land-houston-restaurants/
- censusreporter.org/data/table/?table=B25064&geo_ids=16000US4848804
- statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/PR/htm/PR.92.htm