Interesting that the author chose to compare Toronto house  prices with a $200K average house price in Houston.   I visit Houston regularly for business. The reason homes are inexpensive in Houston is because many people find the property taxes to be excessive (there are no state income taxes).  The tax on a $250K home exceeds US$4,500.00 (about the same as the taxes on a Cdn$1.5M home in Toronto).  Further, as the City has sprawled uncontrollably commute times are now the 4th worst in the US.   Public transit is not an effective option because residents are thinly populated.   

Houston is a terrible point of comparison.  No City is trying to emulate Houston’s planning practices.