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 | Los Angeles | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,791/mo | 31.0% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $822,600 | 71.4% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $76,244 | 20.7% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 104.0 | 6.0% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 82.4 | 29.3% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 100.5 | 3.2% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 104.0 | 12.6% 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 $145,021 in Los Angeles to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 31% cheaper overall than Los Angeles, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 31% lower in Houston than in Los Angeles. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $116,016 in Los Angeles to keep the same standard of living.