Cost of Living Comparison Between Houston, TX and Dallas, TX 

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Dallas, TX is 9.8% higher than in Houston, TX (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Dallas, TX is 9.3% higher than in Houston, TX
Rent Prices in Dallas, TX are 8.5% higher than in Houston, TX
Restaurant Prices in Dallas, TX are 3.2% higher than in Houston, TX
Groceries Prices in Dallas, TX are 8.8% higher than in Houston, TX
Local Purchasing Power in Dallas, TX is 5.3% lower than in Houston, TX
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Houston, TX Edit Dallas, TX Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 20.00 $ 20.00 $      0.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 80.00 $ 80.00 $      0.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 10.00 $ 12.00 $      +20.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.00 $ 7.00 $      +16.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 7.00 $ 7.00 $      0.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.37 $ 5.40 $      +0.6 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.65 $ 2.73 $      +2.8 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.09 $ 2.27 $      +8.6 %
Markets
Houston, TX Edit Dallas, TX Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3.38 $ 3.54 $      +4.7 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 2.77 $ 3.30 $      +19.2 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.59 $ 2.10 $      +32.1 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.11 $ 3.76 $      -8.5 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.90 $ 5.97 $      +1.2 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.50 $ 6.19 $      +12.5 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 7.84 $ 7.85 $      +0.1 %
Apples (1 lb) 1.91 $ 2.20 $      +15.3 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.62 $ 0.70 $      +12.2 %
Oranges (1 lb) 1.78 $ 2.01 $      +12.9 %
Tomato (1 lb) 1.20 $ 1.79 $      +49.5 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.29 $ 1.08 $      -16.4 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.06 $ 1.47 $      +37.8 %
Lettuce (1 head) 1.80 $ 1.90 $      +5.4 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.19 $ 2.38 $      +8.6 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 12.71 $ 15.00 $      +18.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.00 $ 2.15 $      +7.8 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.78 $ 4.87 $      +28.8 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 10.00 $ 10.00 $      0.0 %
Transportation
Houston, TX Edit Dallas, TX Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 1.25 $ 3.00 $      +140.0 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 75.00 $ 91.00 $      +21.3 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.88 $ 3.00 $      -22.6 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 3.00 $ 2.80 $      -6.7 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 $ 24.00 $      -20.0 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 2.90 $ 2.98 $      +2.5 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 32,500.00 $ 36,278.39 $      +11.6 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 25,462.48 $ 27,642.68 $      +8.6 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Houston, TX Edit Dallas, TX Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 200.52 $ 227.04 $      +13.2 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 61.67 $ 76.44 $      +24.0 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 64.96 $ 72.88 $      +12.2 %
Sports And Leisure
Houston, TX Edit Dallas, TX Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 38.29 $ 41.69 $      +8.9 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 10.83 $ 18.25 $      +68.5 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 15.00 $ 13.62 $      -9.2 %
Childcare
Houston, TX Edit Dallas, TX Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,258.33 $ 1,179.44 $      -6.3 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 18,933.33 $ 26,633.33 $      +40.7 %
Clothing And Shoes
Houston, TX Edit Dallas, TX Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 47.17 $ 58.53 $      +24.1 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 44.22 $ 50.00 $      +13.1 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 100.29 $ 110.05 $      +9.7 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 120.35 $ 134.00 $      +11.3 %
Rent Per Month
Houston, TX Edit Dallas, TX Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,657.56 $ 1,616.26 $      -2.5 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,249.30 $ 1,475.91 $      +18.1 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 3,160.87 $ 3,504.00 $      +10.9 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,399.80 $ 2,586.95 $      +7.8 %
Buy Apartment Price
Houston, TX Edit Dallas, TX Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 256.68 $ 322.12 $      +25.5 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 180.01 $ 209.73 $      +16.5 %
Salaries And Financing
Houston, TX Edit Dallas, TX Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,692.14 $ 4,859.48 $      +3.6 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.48 6.36      -1.9 %
Last update: 18 May 202515 May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:201164