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 | Lawrence | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,502/mo | 17.8% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $370,600 | 36.6% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $53,977 | 12.0% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 96.8 | 0.9% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 93.9 | 13.4% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 88.1 | 10.4% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 93.3 | 2.6% 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 $106,016 in Lawrence to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 5.7% cheaper overall than Lawrence, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 18% lower in Houston than in Lawrence. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $84,812 in Lawrence to keep the same standard of living.