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 | Chicago | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,314/mo | $1,235/mo | 6.4% higher in A |
| Median home value | $304,500 | $235,000 | 29.6% higher in A |
| Median household income | $71,673 | $60,440 | 18.6% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.2 | 97.7 | 0.5% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 92.4 | 106.5 | 13.3% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 98.6 | 97.3 | 1.4% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 97.4 | 90.9 | 7.2% 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 Chicago, you'd need $93,988 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 6% cheaper overall than Chicago, IL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 6% lower in Houston than in Chicago. If you earn $80,000 in Chicago, you'd need about $75,191 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.