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 | Hilo | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,228/mo | $1,235/mo | 0.6% lower in A |
| Median home value | $417,600 | $235,000 | 77.7% higher in A |
| Median household income | $75,589 | $60,440 | 25.1% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.1 | 99.8 | 4.3% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 125.1 | 98.7 | 26.8% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 104.6 | 96.1 | 8.9% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 104.1 | 94.2 | 10.5% 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 Hilo, you'd need $102,633 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Hilo, HI is about 2.6% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 5% lower in Hilo than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Hilo, you'd need about $82,106 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.