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 | St. Cloud | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $944/mo | 30.8% higher in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $189,600 | 23.9% higher in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $58,910 | 2.6% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 95.7 | 4.3% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 98.7 | 89.6 | 10.1% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 96.1 | 93.6 | 2.7% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 94.2 | 94.3 | ≈ equal |
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 $83,270 in St. Cloud to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
St. Cloud, MN is about 16.7% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 34% lower in St. Cloud than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $66,616 in St. Cloud to keep the same standard of living.