Houston Cost of Living Calculator
Houston's cost of living index is 94 against a U.S. average of 100: housing 80, utilities 92, transportation 96 (C2ER, BLS and BEA regional price parities, 2024-25 estimates). Pick your city below to see the gap for your salary. If you plan to buy, budget for property tax of about 2.1% combined for a City of Houston address in Houston ISD (all taxing units, before exemptions; Harris County Tax Office, hctax.net).
Compare the cost of living between your current city and Houston across seven major spending categories. Enter your household income and see exactly how far your money goes in the Houston metro, with breakdowns for housing, groceries, transportation, healthcare, utilities, and entertainment.
Cost of Living Comparison
Compare how far your dollar goes between cities. Index of 100 = national average.
Budget for your first months
Furnished apartments start at around $3,000/mo with all bills included. A flexible option while you learn the market.
Sponsored: RelocateMeTX is affiliated with Houston Corporate Housing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Houston an affordable place to live?
On the index this calculator uses (C2ER, BLS and BEA regional price parities, 2024-2025, U.S. average = 100), Houston scores 94 on the composite, 6% below the U.S. average. Housing is 80 (20% below the U.S. average), utilities 92 (8% below the U.S. average), transportation 96 (4% below the U.S. average) and healthcare 97 (3% below the U.S. average). Affordable is relative. Whether that reads as cheap depends on where you are coming from, which is why the tool shows the gap against your current city in dollars rather than in index points.
How much are groceries in Houston compared to other cities?
What is the biggest cost of living difference when moving to Houston?
Housing is almost always the largest difference. Depending on where you are moving from, you could save 20-50% on mortgage payments or rent compared to cities like San Francisco, New York, or Los Angeles.
Does Texas have state income tax?
No. Texas is one of nine states with no personal income tax. This can represent a significant savings, effectively boosting your take-home pay by 3-10% compared to states with income taxes. However, property taxes in Texas are higher than the national average.
How much should I budget for utilities in Houston?
We do not publish a dollar utility bill for Houston. The calculator applies the utilities index instead: 92, 8% below the U.S. average (C2ER, BLS and BEA regional price parities, 2024-2025, U.S. average = 100), so scaling your current bill by that ratio gives a first estimate that is at least tied to a stated basis. Summer is the swing factor. Air-conditioning load pushes the peak months in every Texas metro well above the annual average, so budget for the summer, not the mean.
How does this calculator work?
Select your current city and see a side-by-side comparison with Houston using C2ER and BLS data. The calculator adjusts your income across seven categories so you can see real dollar differences in spending power.
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