City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Ames | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,011/mo | $1,235/mo | 18.1% lower in A |
| Median home value | $247,500 | $235,000 | 5.3% higher in A |
| Median household income | $57,428 | $60,440 | 5.0% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 94.5 | 99.8 | 5.3% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 85.6 | 98.7 | 13.2% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 94.1 | 96.1 | 2.1% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 94.8 | 94.2 | 0.6% higher in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Ames, you'd need $117,954 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Ames, IA is about 15.2% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 29% lower in Ames than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Ames, you'd need about $94,363 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.