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 | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $2,316/mo | 46.7% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $1,348,700 | 82.6% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $136,689 | 55.8% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 58.2 | 67.9% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 62.4 | 70.7% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 59.8 | 62.6% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 38.9 | 133.6% higher 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 $187,526 in San Francisco to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 46.7% cheaper overall than San Francisco, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 47% lower in Houston than in San Francisco. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $150,021 in San Francisco to keep the same standard of living.