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

Indices DifferenceInfo
Consumer Prices in Houston, TX are 11.4% higher than in Austin, TX (without rent)
Consumer Prices Including Rent in Houston, TX are 3.5% lower than in Austin, TX
Rent Prices in Houston, TX are 22.8% lower than in Austin, TX
Restaurant Prices in Houston, TX are 7.7% lower than in Austin, TX
Groceries Prices in Houston, TX are 7.5% higher than in Austin, TX
Local Purchasing Power in Houston, TX is 9.2% higher than in Austin, TX
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 20.00 $ 20.00 $      0.0 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 100.00 $ 80.00 $      -20.0 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 10.00 $ 10.00 $      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.50 $ 6.00 $      -7.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.00 $ 8.00 $      0.0 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.43 $ 5.57 $      +2.5 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.74 $ 2.69 $      -2.0 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.07 $ 2.13 $      +2.9 %
Markets
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.04 $ 3.98 $      -1.4 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 2.94 $ 3.17 $      +7.8 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.44 $ 2.21 $      +53.9 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.01 $ 4.71 $      +17.3 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 6.16 $ 6.84 $      +11.1 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.29 $ 5.71 $      +7.9 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 6.67 $ 7.96 $      +19.3 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.52 $ 2.30 $      -9.0 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.66 $ 0.64 $      -3.8 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.02 $ 1.90 $      -5.8 %
Tomato (1 lb) 1.48 $ 1.57 $      +5.8 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.29 $ 1.42 $      +9.6 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.27 $ 1.18 $      -6.7 %
Lettuce (1 head) 1.84 $ 2.01 $      +9.1 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 1.99 $ 2.32 $      +16.9 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $ 15.00 $      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.39 $ 2.15 $      -9.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.39 $ 3.63 $      +7.3 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 8.00 $ 8.38 $      +4.7 %
Transportation
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 1.50 $ 2.38 $      +58.3 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 43.48 $ 106.50 $      +144.9 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.50 $ 5.00 $      +42.9 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.88 $ 5.00 $      +73.9 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 35.00 $ 50.00 $      +42.9 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.24 $ 3.25 $      +0.3 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 33,000.00 $ 28,000.00 $      -15.2 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 26,541.42 $ 25,782.58 $      -2.9 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 219.21 $ 237.45 $      +8.3 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 55.00 $ 82.06 $      +49.2 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 72.54 $ 84.70 $      +16.8 %
Sports And Leisure
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 50.93 $ 71.28 $      +40.0 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 16.74 $ 32.67 $      +95.1 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 13.50 $ 15.00 $      +11.1 %
Childcare
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,286.58 $ 1,627.16 $      +26.5 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 18,000.00 $ 31,781.25 $      +76.6 %
Clothing And Shoes
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 66.68 $ 61.27 $      -8.1 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 54.82 $ 60.50 $      +10.4 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 99.10 $ 108.59 $      +9.6 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 136.32 $ 153.09 $      +12.3 %
Rent Per Month
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,491.21 $ 1,755.33 $      -29.5 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,645.55 $ 1,418.88 $      -13.8 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 4,828.62 $ 3,550.57 $      -26.5 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,927.58 $ 2,453.13 $      -16.2 %
Buy Apartment Price
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 955.88 $ 509.67 $      -46.7 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 372.56 $ 291.95 $      -21.6 %
Salaries And Financing
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,114.59 $ 5,392.55 $      +5.4 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.70 6.94      +3.6 %
Last update: October 2023September 2023
Contributors in the past 12 months:260257