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 | La Crosse | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $941/mo | 31.2% higher in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $183,300 | 28.2% higher in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $51,836 | 16.6% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 94.6 | 5.5% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 98.7 | 90.2 | 9.4% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 96.1 | 98.7 | 2.6% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 94.2 | 99.3 | 5.2% lower 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 Houston, you'd need $86,026 in La Crosse to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
La Crosse, WI is about 14% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 31% lower in La Crosse than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $68,821 in La Crosse to keep the same standard of living.