Summary about cost of living in Houston, TX, United States:
Restaurants | |
Range |
---|---|---|
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant | 15.40 $ | |
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course | 72.50 $ | |
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) | 9.00 $ | |
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) | 5.31 $ | |
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 6.00 $ | |
Cappuccino (regular) | 4.51 $ | |
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) | 2.22 $ | |
Water (12 oz small bottle) | 1.72 $ | |
Markets | |
|
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) | 3.37 $ | |
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) | 2.72 $ | |
Rice (white), (1 lb) | 1.56 $ | |
Eggs (regular) (12) | 2.95 $ | |
Local Cheese (1 lb) | 5.17 $ | |
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) | 3.59 $ | |
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) | 6.16 $ | |
Apples (1 lb) | 2.03 $ | |
Banana (1 lb) | 0.56 $ | |
Oranges (1 lb) | 1.59 $ | |
Tomato (1 lb) | 1.47 $ | |
Potato (1 lb) | 0.96 $ | |
Onion (1 lb) | 0.99 $ | |
Lettuce (1 head) | 1.56 $ | |
Water (1.5 liter bottle) | 1.91 $ | |
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) | 12.00 $ | |
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) | 3.05 $ | |
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) | 3.22 $ | |
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) | 8.00 $ | |
Transportation | |
|
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) | 1.25 $ | |
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) | 40.00 $ | |
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) | 2.95 $ | |
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) | 4.50 $ | |
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) | 30.00 $ | |
Gasoline (1 gallon) | 4.28 $ | |
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | 27,000.00 $ | |
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) | 23,564.54 $ | |
Utilities (Monthly) | |
|
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment | 157.71 $ | |
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local (No Discounts or Plans) | 0.25 $ | |
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | 71.00 $ | |
Sports And Leisure | |
|
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | 42.62 $ | |
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) | 19.89 $ | |
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat | 12.00 $ | |
Childcare | |
|
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child | 1,125.94 $ | |
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child | 22,812.50 $ | |
Clothing And Shoes | |
|
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) | 47.86 $ | |
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) | 38.24 $ | |
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) | 74.48 $ | |
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes | 95.47 $ | |
Rent Per Month | |
|
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre | 1,587.50 $ | |
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre | 1,156.96 $ | |
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre | 2,956.25 $ | |
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre | 1,931.58 $ | |
Buy Apartment Price | |
|
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre | 306.10 $ | |
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre | 157.67 $ | |
Salaries And Financing | |
|
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) | 5,556.38 $ | |
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate | 4.69 |
Would you like to live and work in Houston?
Cost of Living in College Station, Texas | 94.28 miles |
Cost of Living in Austin, Texas | 161.51 miles |
Cost of Living in Waco, Texas | 184.46 miles |
Cost of Living in San Antonio, Texas | 193.85 miles |
Cost of Living in Longview, Texas | 213.57 miles |
Cost of Living in Corpus Christi, Texas | 216.46 miles |
Cost of Living in Dallas, Texas | 245.09 miles |
Cost of Living in Shreveport, Louisiana | 245.18 miles |
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The city is too big and scattered. Summer is hot and humid.
Yes without a car, you won’t enjoy living this city.
However, compared to other major US cities, Houston has more diversity and lower living cost.
You need to drive but if you do so, living here is comfortable, especially if you live in nice areas in Houston,
like river oaks, memorial, montrose etc.
I didn't leave a third world country to go to a third world city like Houston.
If you are going to come to Texas for whatever reason, stay away from Houston! Austin is okay, but Houston is a nightmare!
I wonder why people think Texas is a safe state, when Houston is pretty dangerous. The Houston murder rate may be lower than Chicago, but it is higher than New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, and Boston, not to mention a myriad of cities in the rest of the developed world. Also, robbery and car theft are rampant; the rate of these crimes are not even low in affluent parts of the city. And the road rage shootings are ridiculous. Does anyone remember when a toddler was in hospital because a motorist shot at a car with fireworks in it, and the little boy was inside the said car? Unfortunately, events like this aren't rare in Houston, and are all but treated as a fact of life.
Liberal and progressive place, are you kidding me? Aside from the lack of protections for the LGBTQ community (which every major city has already without a problem), it's still seemingly acceptable to wave the Confederate flag here in 2021. I think I saw the battle flag a few times this past year (on the road and in the store) when getting groceries. Conservative evangelical beliefs rule the way of life here. You still cannot buy liquor on Sunday. There are no radio stations for classical music or eclectic music, but there are several Christian radio stations all over the dial, both in English and Spanish. KTRH (home of Rush Limbaugh, Michael Berry, and Sean Hannity) is a wildly popular radio station, while the local NPR station (KUHF) is low in the ratings. Joel Osteen is still revered by large swaths of the population. And it's not like the residents of Alief, Sharpstown, Acres Homes, Energy Corridor, and Greenspoint are "liberal", given that they are still conservative when it comes to LGBTQ rights and reproductive rights. In fact, there are lots of Donald Trump supporters in Alief and Sharpstown (yes, it's true, look at a voting precinct map). Oh, and there's no train of any kind to IAH or any of the populous, "fast-growing" suburbs.
Seriously, it's going to take more than Cajun pho to fix all of this.
Overall, I would say that Houston is definitely not worth it. Both New York and Boston are far better options in my experience.
The only thing I wish it can be better is the road conditions of some places. Other than that, it just great! People told me gasoline in Houston is cheap, and much cheaper than LA. For me, it doesn't matter much since my car doesn't need it.
Here in the US, I have lived in Houston, Edison (New Jersey), New York, Boston, Chicago, Burlington (Vermont), Greensboro (North Carolina), Lansing (Michigan), Pittsburgh, and Portland (Oregon). Even though Houston is my home city and I am supposed to love it, the fact is that it is the worst city in the US that I have lived in. In fact, I have been to places in third world countries that are better than Houston. People like to say that Houston is growing, but most of the people coming to Houston are people from third world countries (mostly Central America and Africa) that can't afford to live anywhere better than Houston. A lot of the immigrants I have known in Houston have told me that they don't want to stay there and want to move some place else like Austin, San Diego, or New York.
T R U T H H U R T S
Horrible crime aside, as previous comments have mentioned Houston has a horrible public transportation system and the city is heavily sprawled out, so you will need a car. Traffic in Houston is the worst I have seen and the drivers are the craziest I have seen. Lots of road rage incidents too and it seems that a lot of people in Houston drive while drunk or high, so be very careful on the road. Racism is definitely more common in Houston than the other cities I have lived in.
For the most part, Houston is a boring city compared to the others I lived in. The parks are fifthly, most parts of the city are ugly, and its unbearably hot most of the year.
0/10 (I definitely do NOT recommend Houston)
I have lived in different times of life in Santa Ana CA, Seattle, Chicago, Manila, central and eastern Philippines, Bogotá, Medellín Colombia and Baja California. I have visited many countries in both hemispheres over decades including extensive travel in Asia, Europe and former Soviet regions.
I have never been assaulted during the 35 years spent living in Houston. With that being said I know there are sketchy areas to avoid and plan accordingly. Maybe there is a bit of local wisdom that is in play. You will find trouble here if you are looking for it.
You will need a vehicle to get around if you’re visiting. Ride sharing services have helped ease the bad public transit but I wouldn’t consider it a long term solution. You will need a car to get around here. People are coming here in droves from NY, California, Chicago, New Orleans and from cities all over the globe. A few coworkers have come from LA, SFO and NYC and are happy to be buying their first homes. I work everyday with people like this. Some of them are thankful to be here, but I would say that most want to change it into their personal version of utopia. I have been around the world enough to know that I respect a place for what it is and if I don’t like it there are countless other options where I can live. Your life is what you make it to be.
Houston is a working city. It’s not a tourist destination. This is big oil’s backyard, literally. That probably explains why everyone drives here and why there is weak public transit programs. While there’s a lot more here to do now than there was 30 years ago, it’s not on par with other large metropolitan cities with outdoor entertainment options. It is indeed unbearably hot here about half of the year! So you’d better go for that run early in the morning or get yourself a gym membership.
Rent has historically been cheaper here, however within the last 10 years it has shot up at least 50% in some inner city areas like Montrose and Houston Heights.
Racism is everywhere and in every society I have visited and lived in. I have visited a first world Asian country that is openly racist. Regarding racism, It is also present here and it comes from all races. I think you’re more likely to encounter racism in the far suburbs of Houston, and ethnically homogenous community clusters. Houston is a huge melting pot and if someone is racist then my opinion is that they brought those beliefs with them from wherever they originated, which, honestly, could have been Houston 60 years ago. Times are different now.
Texas is a conservative state and Houston is a blue city. You may have seen Al Green, Sheila Jackson Lee and Lizzie Fletcher in the news. They are prominent democrats who represent Houston in the House.
- Craig, proud Houstonian. God bless you all and happy travels!
Apparently Houston is America's largest hub for human trafficking and drug trafficking. STAY AWAY FROM HOUSTON!!!
One thing these cities all have in common is that they are all much better than Houston. They have better public transportation, better museums and historic sites, better traffic, have nicer people, less crime, better roads, and are more photogenic.
Houston is really just a massive urban sprawl. It has a few pretty looking areas, but they are nowhere near as pretty as the other places I have been. The city is overall unorganized, unphotogenic, has more crime than any other city I have been to, and has the rudest people I have ever encountered in this country.
Yes, Houston's population is growing, but most of the new people coming to Houston are immigrants (many illegal) from third world countries that would see Houston as at least slightly better than from where they came from.
H O U S T O N = H O R R I B L E
Looking through the comments, most seem to agree with me. I get the feeling that many of the positive comments were either written by people that have never left the city or city government employees that were forced write them.
Houston has been my only bad experience so far. The heat was unbearable, the crime was the worst, the traffic was the worst, and it was the least beautiful and least aesthetically appealing city of them all. Although I never experienced that much racism (I am White), I frequently overheard other White people in Houston saying very racist things in their conversations.
As some others have mentioned, Houston is not really that cheap. Although prices in Houston are slightly lower than most other American cities, wages are also lower and many people have trouble making ends meet because of it. I remember seeing a lot of poverty in Houston and it is probably why the city has so many homeless people walking around and gangs causing trouble.
The 3 years I lived in Houston were unpleasant and I do not want to relive that experience again. Stay away from Houston.
Bigotry is also problem. A couple years ago two transgender people were beaten to death by an angry mob close to old my neighborhood. The city is also pretty ugly and no real attractions.
So glad I left Houston last year.
It's worth noting that Houston is not really as cheap as people say it is.
H O U S T O N = L O V E
Also, I will never see this site again. Toodles.
But don't take my word for it: since 2000 Houston has added more people than any other US city. The market test is in: people want to move to Houston and stay in houston more often than any other place
Many of the negative comments here seem to be so cliched and vague that I suspect they're nothing but politically driven agitprop by people who know nothing of the city.
Also, how come nobody here is speaking about the pervasive obesity problem? I swear most of the locals here are morbidly obese from all the Whataburger, Jack in the Box, and Taco Cabana they've been eating. Problem is almost as bad as San Antonio, another cesspool that Texans love to call a tourist destination to paradise.
Houston has a bad crime problem too with a lot of crime committed by thugs and gangs. A lot of illegal immigrants live in Houston and many are in gangs that target random people. Even though I live in a mostly good area with private security they still sometimes get in and rob houses and steal cars. Make sure you have very good locks and security systems in Houston and stay indoors at night. Even day time is risky in some areas.
Worse of all, these people have guns, so they have no problem killing anyone they don’t like. Motorists even open fire on the road also.
America, especially Houston, hates outsiders. And they love to bomb other countries and launch strikes against them. But that’s expected for a country that once prided itself in slavery and killing native people. Never let a dirty fat white American here deny the pervasive antagonism against people of colour.
Luckily, I got a job offer out of state and will be leaving this horrible disgrace of a city in a couple weeks.
Houston might be cheaper than New York, but it is not as cheap as many people say. There is a lot of racism here too. I am Native American, but a lot of Hispanics and Arabs here assume I am one of them and then for some reason get angry because I can't speak Spanish or Arabic.
Bottom line: Houston is a toxic environment to live in and it is best you avoid it.
I do think that there are some racial sentiments that run deep in the families of the south. My family is from Louisiana and I hear my father going on racial tirades. I also don't think that the majority of these 'racial' people would ever say anything derogatory to someone of a different ethnic background. I'm from a 'racial' family and I've dated black and hispanic women, and have had friends and roommates of different ethnicities. In other words, whites aren't attacking blacks in angst out here. If someone black, white or hispanic is causing issues, then yes, you might see someone try to put that person in his place. If you're that kind of person, please don't move to Houston. We don't need you here. But if you respect humanity, you're going to get respect. That goes for anywhere you live.
There is tremendous job opportunity out here, with an economy as diverse as the city's people. So if an industry is in the tanks, there are plenty of others to weather the storm. I've lived in San Diego, Beaumont/Port Arthur (Texas), Austin and I currently stay in Zurich, Switzerland half the time. I spend a lot of time in cities all over the world and I can tell you that Houston has the best food out of every city I've ever been in. There are so many restaurants here, and they are ran by people that are directly from the country of the food's origin in most cases. The restaurants will not survive if they aren't excellent at what they do, because there are simply too many to choose from, which also keeps prices low.
Flooding is a bit of an issue here, so if you're buying a home, check the geographical maps for elevation. We are 18' above see level, and our house was $138k when we bought it. It's now about $190k, but that's still a great price. If you have kids, and you live in the suburbs of Houston, you may not find a more economical and friendly place to live in the US. Your children will have plenty of good friends and you'll make them too. Houston isn't San Diego. It's not pretty like that. But we don't have a state tax, huge costs of living and up tight people. Houston is fairly mellow because the cost of living is low, so people don't really have to get too stressed. The highways can get pretty congested, but try living in Austin if you want to experience terrible traffic.
Churches here really are powerful in politics, as many people adhere to the teachings of greedy pastors like Joel Osteen and Ed Young. Also shock jock personalities like Michael Berry and Walton & Johnson are admired among the populace, perhaps because many residents share the same racist, neo-Confederate views as they do. Yes, racism can be found everywhere, but most people here seem to be fine with it. People here like Melissa and Michael McClure only prove my point, and they sure as hell aren't the only ones. And did I mention that the powers of Texas continue to keep non-whites from voting? That voter ID law is ONLY the tip of the iceberg.
Sure, there are ethnic enclaves, but many whites are not very tolerant or welcoming towards minorities. I mean, look at places filled with "good people" like Spring, Conroe, League City, Friendswood, Tomball, Deer Park, and Magnolia. Speak out against racial injustice (especially police brutality) in these places and be prepared for a beating. Too many pro-Confederate weirdos and pot-bellied rednecks in these places. It's already embarrassing for the USA, let alone a MAJOR metropolitan area in the USA. You'd think this crap would happen mainly in rural Mississippi or even rural Pennsylvania.
Right-wing social views aside, the people here are very oblivious to global warming. Subdivisions being built in flood-prone areas due to the no zoning laws. As if the rail/bus situation isn't bad enough, many residents drive in giant SUVs and big trucks, and boy, do they drive like maniacs; that situation is worse when angry white males can shoot at your car if you happen to piss them off. Anything generally promoting environmental friendliness is laughed at by the locals, and they admire Big Oil like West Virginians admire coal.
The worst part is definitely the drivers on the highway. 59, 45, I-10, 290, and 99 are probably the worst highways to drive on in the city. Driving is bad wherever you go but it seems to be particularly bad here.
It's a safe place. Other than a few rough spots (Telephone Road, parts of East Downtown near Navigation, certain areas of Baytown, and Sharpstown), there's not much that goes on. Obviously there's crime. Crime exists everywhere. However, compared to equivalent major cities Houston is extremely safe. Even the bad parts: Telephone Road, Third Ward, and Sharpstown (where I used to live) aren't really that bad unless you're acting like a fucking idiot. Just behave yourself and you'll be alright.
The public school system is about as bad as the rest of the country. Nothing new there.
There are a wealth of professional sports teams.
Obviously, there are a few bad apples in the bunch. Such is the nature of human beings. No place will be perfect. No place will have people who aren't abhorrent and have terrible ideals. These people exist everywhere. However, the vast majority of people in Houston are fine, normal people. 80% of people you meet here will be fine, normal people who will never bother you. 10% of people you meet here will be wonderful, friendly kind people. 10% will be terrible. It happens everywhere. Just need to move on and deal with the things you can control.
Frequent floods, stifling humidity and heat, dearth of natural beauty, traffic becoming less predictable, high crime, angry racist Bible-thumping locals, ignorance of anything outside a 2-hour radius of Houston. Frankly, I am just sick of it.