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 | New Brunswick | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,754/mo | 29.6% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $289,800 | 18.9% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $57,138 | 5.8% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 100.1 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 98.7 | 108.4 | 9.0% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 96.1 | 97.3 | 1.3% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 94.2 | 100.0 | 5.8% 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 $116,137 in New Brunswick to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 13.9% cheaper overall than New Brunswick, NJ, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 25% lower in Houston than in New Brunswick. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $92,909 in New Brunswick to keep the same standard of living.