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 | Washington | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,235/mo | $1,817/mo | 32.0% lower in A |
| Median home value | $235,000 | $705,000 | 66.7% lower in A |
| Median household income | $60,440 | $101,722 | 40.6% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 97.7 | 101.9 | 4.1% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 106.5 | 87.6 | 21.6% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 97.3 | 90.0 | 8.1% higher in A |
| Healthcare index | 90.9 | 92.8 | 2.0% 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 $117,432 in Washington to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Houston, TX is about 14.8% cheaper overall than Washington, DC, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 32% lower in Houston than in Washington. If you earn $80,000 in Houston, you'd need about $93,945 in Washington to keep the same standard of living.