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

Indices DifferenceInfo
Cost of Living in Houston, TX is 1.0% lower than in Austin, TX (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in Houston, TX is 6.6% lower than in Austin, TX
Rent Prices in Houston, TX are 15.8% lower than in Austin, TX
Restaurant Prices in Houston, TX are 2.6% higher than in Austin, TX
Groceries Prices in Houston, TX are 3.4% lower than in Austin, TX
Local Purchasing Power in Houston, TX is 3.6% lower than in Austin, TX
Currency: Sticky Currency      Switch to metric measurement units
Restaurants
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 18.75 $ 20.00 $      +6.7 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 75.00 $ 80.00 $      +6.7 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 10.00 $ 10.00 $      0.0 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 6.00 $ 6.00 $      0.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 8.00 $ 7.00 $      -12.5 %
Cappuccino (regular) 5.56 $ 5.39 $      -3.0 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.78 $ 2.66 $      -4.3 %
Water (12 oz small bottle) 2.24 $ 2.07 $      -7.8 %
Markets
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 4.40 $ 3.40 $      -22.8 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 3.21 $ 2.80 $      -12.8 %
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.54 $ 1.63 $      +6.0 %
Eggs (regular) (12) 4.40 $ 3.89 $      -11.6 %
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.72 $ 5.80 $      +1.5 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 4.82 $ 5.44 $      +12.8 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 6.60 $ 7.84 $      +18.9 %
Apples (1 lb) 2.37 $ 1.84 $      -22.4 %
Banana (1 lb) 0.70 $ 0.63 $      -9.9 %
Oranges (1 lb) 2.06 $ 1.78 $      -13.7 %
Tomato (1 lb) 1.82 $ 1.20 $      -34.4 %
Potato (1 lb) 1.24 $ 1.29 $      +4.1 %
Onion (1 lb) 1.32 $ 1.06 $      -19.4 %
Lettuce (1 head) 2.02 $ 1.80 $      -10.8 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.23 $ 2.19 $      -2.1 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $ 12.71 $      -15.2 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 2.32 $ 2.00 $      -14.0 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.43 $ 3.78 $      +10.0 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 9.00 $ 10.00 $      +11.1 %
Transportation
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 1.50 $ 1.25 $      -16.7 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 43.48 $ 75.00 $      +72.5 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 4.38 $ 3.88 $      -11.4 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 2.58 $ 3.00 $      +16.5 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 35.00 $ 30.00 $      -14.3 %
Gasoline (1 gallon) 2.98 $ 2.93 $      -1.9 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 27,450.00 $ 32,500.00 $      +18.4 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 26,622.95 $ 25,429.44 $      -4.5 %
Utilities (Monthly)
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 183.62 $ 203.65 $      +10.9 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 61.47 $ 60.95 $      -0.8 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 66.04 $ 64.95 $      -1.6 %
Sports And Leisure
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 56.28 $ 38.50 $      -31.6 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 11.67 $ 10.83 $      -7.1 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 15.00 $ 15.00 $      0.0 %
Childcare
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,351.92 $ 1,258.33 $      -6.9 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 22,093.75 $ 18,933.33 $      -14.3 %
Clothing And Shoes
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 55.88 $ 48.27 $      -13.6 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 45.47 $ 43.50 $      -4.3 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 85.29 $ 101.32 $      +18.8 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 111.68 $ 129.75 $      +16.2 %
Rent Per Month
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 2,186.26 $ 1,667.94 $      -23.7 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,413.90 $ 1,252.41 $      -11.4 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 3,866.00 $ 3,195.45 $      -17.3 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,662.12 $ 2,414.35 $      -9.3 %
Buy Apartment Price
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 378.56 $ 256.68 $      -32.2 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 275.54 $ 180.01 $      -34.7 %
Salaries And Financing
Austin, TX Edit Houston, TX Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 5,044.87 $ 4,538.12 $      -10.0 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.49 6.49      -0.1 %
Last update: April 2025April 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:180197