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 | Hoover | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,352/mo | $1,235/mo | 9.5% higher in A |
| Median home value | $366,200 | $235,000 | 55.8% higher in A |
| Median household income | $101,765 | $60,440 | 68.4% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 101.8 | 97.7 | 4.2% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 99.6 | 106.5 | 6.5% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 87.7 | 97.3 | 9.8% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 104.2 | 90.9 | 14.6% 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 Hoover, you'd need $96,786 in Houston to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 3.2% cheaper overall than Hoover, AL, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 9% lower in Houston than in Hoover. If you earn $80,000 in Hoover, you'd need about $77,429 in Houston to keep the same standard of living.