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 | Rochester | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,218/mo | 1.4% higher in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $268,800 | 12.6% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $83,973 | 28.0% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 102.9 | 5.0% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 89.4 | 19.2% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 93.0 | 4.5% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 93.8 | 3.1% 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 $98,084 in Rochester to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Rochester, MN is about 1.9% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $78,467 in Rochester to keep the same standard of living.