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 | Santa Fe | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,314/mo | 6.0% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $370,600 | 36.6% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $67,663 | 10.7% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 103.0 | 5.1% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 123.4 | 13.7% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 102.4 | 5.0% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 101.0 | 10.0% 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 $107,358 in Santa Fe to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 6.9% cheaper overall than Santa Fe, NM, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 6% lower in Houston than in Santa Fe. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $85,886 in Santa Fe to keep the same standard of living.