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 | East Lansing | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,080/mo | $1,235/mo | 12.6% lower in A |
| Median home value | $240,800 | $235,000 | 2.5% higher in A |
| Median household income | $44,094 | $60,440 | 27.0% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 94.5 | 99.8 | 5.3% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 94.4 | 98.7 | 4.3% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 98.8 | 96.1 | 2.8% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 99.4 | 94.2 | 5.6% 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 East Lansing, you'd need $108,670 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
East Lansing, MI is about 8% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 18% lower in East Lansing than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in East Lansing, you'd need about $86,936 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.