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 | Portsmouth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,225/mo | 0.8% higher in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $213,300 | 10.2% higher in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $57,154 | 5.7% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 97.3 | 2.5% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 98.7 | 91.2 | 8.2% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 96.1 | 99.2 | 3.1% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 94.2 | 97.5 | 3.3% 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 $98,421 in Portsmouth to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Portsmouth, VA is about 1.6% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 3% lower in Portsmouth than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $78,736 in Portsmouth to keep the same standard of living.