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 | Philadelphia | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,250/mo | 1.2% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $215,500 | 9.0% higher in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $57,537 | 5.0% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 98.9 | 1.2% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 91.5 | 16.4% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 88.3 | 10.2% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 98.8 | 8.0% 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 $101,211 in Philadelphia to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 1.2% cheaper overall than Philadelphia, PA, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $80,969 in Philadelphia to keep the same standard of living.