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 | Boston | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,981/mo | $1,235/mo | 60.4% higher in A |
| Median home value | $684,900 | $235,000 | 191.4% higher in A |
| Median household income | $89,212 | $60,440 | 47.6% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.8 | 97.7 | 7.2% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 133.1 | 106.5 | 25.0% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 88.4 | 97.3 | 9.1% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 134.4 | 90.9 | 47.9% 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 Boston, you'd need $62,344 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 37.7% cheaper overall than Boston, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 38% lower in Houston than in Boston. If you earn $80,000 in Boston, you'd need about $49,875 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.