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 | Tucson | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $991/mo | 24.6% higher in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $218,200 | 7.7% higher in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $52,049 | 16.1% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 100.0 | 2.3% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 118.5 | 10.1% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 96.1 | 1.2% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 92.6 | 1.8% 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 $93,062 in Tucson to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Tucson, AZ is about 6.9% cheaper overall than Houston, TX, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 20% lower in Tucson than in Houston. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $74,450 in Tucson to keep the same standard of living.