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 | Ontario | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,826/mo | 32.4% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $513,000 | 54.2% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $78,070 | 22.6% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 91.7 | 6.6% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 89.6 | 18.8% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 99.5 | 2.2% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 108.7 | 16.4% 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 $119,984 in Ontario to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 16.7% cheaper overall than Ontario, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 32% lower in Houston than in Ontario. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $95,987 in Ontario to keep the same standard of living.