I’d say yes JHU engineering is particularly worth 8k more than UT… If you like jhu. (you already established you don’t like Rice so it’s off the table no matter how 'good on paper’s it may be).
It wouldn’t be as huge and anonymous, and your general comfort in learning would be better.
If you like UT best though, it’s great for engineering. Yes downsides are its size, which can feel a bit alienating and yes it’s hard to get any research position as a freshman or sophomore (are you in an honors program - it helps). It’s like huge state universities. More diverse but less funded (esp. for undergraduate experience,) than a top private research university. So, really, between jhu and UT there’s no wrong choice. Both have pluses and minuses and at this point you should trust yourself.
Note however that if you didn’t like the humidity in Houston I’m not sure it’s going to be fun in Austin, it’s only marginally better there (and it can get quite humid in Baltimore although, granted, it’s more bearable than Texas.) so, I’d remove humid heat from the criteria. 
Perhaps what is comes down to is, can you bear being surrounded by rich kids if it means attending the #1 program in the country for the field you’re interested in ?