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 | Saginaw | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $868/mo | 42.3% higher in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $51,700 | 354.5% higher in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $35,521 | 70.2% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 94.5 | 5.6% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 98.7 | 94.6 | 4.3% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 96.1 | 98.8 | 2.7% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 94.2 | 99.4 | 5.3% 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 $84,004 in Saginaw to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Saginaw, MI is about 16% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 36% lower in Saginaw than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $67,203 in Saginaw to keep the same standard of living.