In the summer, the heat is much more unbearable in Texas than let's say Arizona due to the high humidity rates. Every year, 97 days in Houston with Apparent temperature above 95°F due to humidity (vs. only 16 days per year where Actual temperature is above 95°F)[2]
Texas is a lot more than just Houston. Further, you want around 30-45% and AC only removes excess humity not 100% humidity. Also, it's summer and the second number that really matters so by comparison:
July:
San Antonio 44 (ok)
Houston 55 (+10)
Fort Worth 42 (ok)
vs.
Orlando 64 (+19)
New Orleans 66 (+21)
PS: Your AC lower air temp below your target room temp, and extracts water because that air is limited to 100% humidity. The air is then heated by your house which is how relative humidity drops. Aka they don't extract anything at 20% humidity and they extract everything over some % that varies based on outside temp.
El Paso is definitely dry -- no doubt about that. When my nieces visited from El Paso, they complained about how hot it was here in Florida. They didn't believe that it was technically 10°F cooler here until we pulled up the weather page.
But yes, I generally think that people forget that most of the Texas population lives within the effects of the Gulf of Mexico. It's fun watching the transition from green to brown when flying.
North Texas (Dallas, Ft. Worth, etc.) get pretty cold during the winter. I've spent a fair amount of time in North and Central Texas and while high AC bills during the summer (i.e., mid-April to early October) are common, the single highest electric bill I've ever had was one January in North Texas when I was living in an apartment with an electric heater.
