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 York | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,714/mo | 27.9% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $732,100 | 67.9% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $76,607 | 21.1% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 103.2 | 5.3% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 147.4 | 27.8% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 100.7 | 3.4% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 99.9 | 9.0% 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 $138,778 in New York to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 27.9% cheaper overall than New York, NY, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 28% lower in Houston than in New York. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $111,023 in New York to keep the same standard of living.