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 | Malden | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,962/mo | 37.1% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $570,600 | 58.8% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $90,295 | 33.1% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 100.0 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 98.7 | 133.9 | 26.3% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 96.1 | 101.3 | 5.1% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 94.2 | 103.9 | 9.4% 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 $125,785 in Malden to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 20.5% cheaper overall than Malden, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 32% lower in Houston than in Malden. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $100,628 in Malden to keep the same standard of living.