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 | Portland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,377/mo | 10.3% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $411,600 | 42.9% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $71,498 | 15.5% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 98.3 | 1.5% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 98.7 | 124.0 | 20.4% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 96.1 | 101.0 | 4.9% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 94.2 | 103.6 | 9.1% 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 $105,724 in Portland to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 5.4% cheaper overall than Portland, ME, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 4% lower in Houston than in Portland. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $84,579 in Portland to keep the same standard of living.