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 Maria | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,768/mo | 30.1% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $438,100 | 46.4% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $81,237 | 25.6% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 107.3 | 8.9% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 130.3 | 18.2% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 111.2 | 12.5% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 112.8 | 19.4% 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 $127,444 in Santa Maria to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 21.5% cheaper overall than Santa Maria, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 30% lower in Houston than in Santa Maria. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $101,955 in Santa Maria to keep the same standard of living.