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 | Houston | Kansas City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,131/mo | 9.2% higher in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $208,900 | 12.5% higher in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $65,256 | 7.4% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 101.6 | 3.8% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 87.9 | 21.1% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 90.9 | 7.1% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 90.9 | ≈ equal |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Houston, you'd need $93,964 in Kansas City to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Kansas City, MO is about 6% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 8% lower in Kansas City than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $75,171 in Kansas City to keep the same standard of living.