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 | Palmdale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,625/mo | 24.0% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $397,500 | 40.9% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $78,414 | 22.9% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 106.0 | 7.8% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 128.1 | 16.9% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 108.4 | 10.3% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 109.1 | 16.7% 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 $121,111 in Palmdale to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 17.4% cheaper overall than Palmdale, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 24% lower in Houston than in Palmdale. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $96,889 in Palmdale to keep the same standard of living.