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 | Wake Forest | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,354/mo | 8.8% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $397,300 | 40.9% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $115,159 | 47.5% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 97.2 | 2.6% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 98.7 | 90.7 | 8.8% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 96.1 | 98.9 | 2.8% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 94.2 | 97.2 | 3.1% 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 $100,664 in Wake Forest to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 0.7% cheaper overall than Wake Forest, NC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 2% lower in Houston than in Wake Forest. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $80,531 in Wake Forest to keep the same standard of living.