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 | Raleigh | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,371/mo | 9.9% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $347,000 | 32.3% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $78,631 | 23.1% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 102.1 | 4.3% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 99.9 | 6.6% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 88.1 | 10.4% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 104.8 | 13.2% 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 $104,181 in Raleigh to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 4% cheaper overall than Raleigh, NC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 10% lower in Houston than in Raleigh. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $83,345 in Raleigh to keep the same standard of living.