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 | Lancaster | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,576/mo | 21.6% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $368,800 | 36.3% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $71,367 | 15.3% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 105.5 | 7.4% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 127.3 | 16.4% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 107.4 | 9.5% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 107.8 | 15.7% 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 $118,949 in Lancaster to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 15.9% cheaper overall than Lancaster, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 22% lower in Houston than in Lancaster. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $95,159 in Lancaster to keep the same standard of living.