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 | Waltham | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $2,141/mo | 42.3% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $679,000 | 65.4% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $113,443 | 46.7% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 99.8 | 100.0 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 98.7 | 133.9 | 26.3% lower in A |
| Transportation index | 96.1 | 101.3 | 5.1% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 94.2 | 103.9 | 9.4% 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 $127,586 in Waltham to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 21.6% cheaper overall than Waltham, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 34% lower in Houston than in Waltham. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $102,068 in Waltham to keep the same standard of living.