Cost of Living in Houston

Summary of cost of living in Houston, TX, United States:

Restaurants
Edit Range
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant 15.75 $ 10.00-25.00
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course 77.50 $ 50.00-150.00
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal) 9.99 $ 9.00-11.00
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught) 5.00 $ 3.00-11.00
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 7.00 $ 5.00-11.00
Cappuccino (regular) 5.24 $ 3.00-8.00
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle) 2.44 $ 2.00-4.00
Water (12 oz small bottle) 1.97 $ 1.75-3.00
Markets
Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon) 3.64 $ 2.60-7.00
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb) 2.83 $ 1.56-4.00
Rice (white), (1 lb) 1.39 $ 0.73-3.45
Eggs (regular) (12) 3.85 $ 2.00-6.00
Local Cheese (1 lb) 5.73 $ 3.69-12.00
Chicken Fillets (1 lb) 5.06 $ 2.00-10.00
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat) 7.15 $ 4.37-12.00
Apples (1 lb) 2.10 $ 0.98-3.18
Banana (1 lb) 0.58 $ 0.50-1.30
Oranges (1 lb) 1.55 $ 0.79-3.99
Tomato (1 lb) 1.28 $ 0.69-3.00
Potato (1 lb) 1.23 $ 0.40-2.00
Onion (1 lb) 1.03 $ 0.60-1.80
Lettuce (1 head) 1.78 $ 1.00-3.00
Water (1.5 liter bottle) 2.32 $ 1.00-3.00
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range) 15.00 $ 8.00-25.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle) 1.88 $ 1.73-2.23
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle) 3.20 $ 1.50-6.00
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro) 8.75 $ 7.80-11.25
Transportation
Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport) 1.25 $ 1.25-3.00
Monthly Pass (Regular Price) 60.00 $ 40.00-75.00
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff) 3.50 $ 2.50-6.00
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff) 3.00 $ 2.00-3.00
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff) 30.00 $ 18.00-40.00
Gasoline (1 gallon) 3.05 $ 2.54-4.00
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) 29,250.00 $ 25,000.00-36,278.39
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car) 25,287.66 $ 22,000.00-29,000.00
Utilities (Monthly)
Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment 199.76 $ 144.50-400.00
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data 60.33 $ 30.00-130.00
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) 69.82 $ 50.00-130.00
Sports And Leisure
Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult 40.73 $ 24.00-60.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend) 17.60 $ 0.00-30.00
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat 15.00 $ 12.00-22.00
Childcare
Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child 1,293.30 $ 850.00-1,650.00
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child 23,000.00 $ 23,000.00-23,000.00
Clothing And Shoes
Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar) 49.70 $ 35.00-80.00
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...) 47.30 $ 29.00-80.00
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range) 103.27 $ 60.00-170.00
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes 139.00 $ 85.00-200.00
Rent Per Month
Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre 1,571.92 $ 1,200.00-2,000.00
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre 1,150.00 $ 900.00-1,500.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre 3,258.04 $ 2,500.00-4,500.00
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre 2,085.83 $ 1,700.00-3,000.00
Buy Apartment Price
Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre 379.00 $ 210.05-799.99
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre 344.38 $ 170.00-799.99
Salaries And Financing
Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax) 4,937.99 $
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate 6.62 6.00-8.00

Prices in Houston, Texas

This city had 1144 entries in the past 12 months by 210 different contributors.
Last update: March 2024
Sources and References
Distribution of Expenses Using Our Statistical Model:
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13 Comments so far
Anonymous on Oct 27, 2023:
whoever talkin about toronto compared to houston stfu bro you live in canada
Houston Bill on Sep 28, 2023:
Since 1940 Houston has grown from 700,000 to 7,500,000 people. Mostly via in migration. It added 1.1 million in the last decade. If Houston was truly the "terrible" place that most of the reviewers say then this could not have happened. Indeed most of the other cities they cite as superior have been losing residents to Houston for75 years straight. Demonstrated migration behavior trumps snobby, sour grapes every time.
smarterthanyou on Aug 01, 2023:
@K O houston has lower COL and higher wages than toronto. It also has Rice Univ, which is better than all universities in toronto

there is also more hatred towards Chinese people in toronto due to Chinese investment in real estate, which has driven up toronto real estate prices.

Also, other canadians that moved to texas have stated than texans are nicer than people in toronto lol
Gladys Sanders on Jul 22, 2023:
email to let me known if you even received or made the time to read this. Love
Anonymous on Jul 18, 2023:
To the commenter below. Houston doesn't have an unhealthy worship of right-wing politics; it's a blue city - don't apply Texas statements to one city. You're also making other sweeping generalizations with no data to back your bias.

I agree that you make a couple points, but going over the top with unfounded claims is just hard to read.
K O on Aug 28, 2022:
Houston will never compare to Toronto, known to be the most diverse city and the third-largest tech hub in the world.

Toronto: low crime rate, a reasonable amount of public transport, events like the Toronto International Film Festival, a strong appreciation for immigrants and global perspectives, polite and friendly, a city that is improving every day despite ongoing challenges, great 21st century economy

Houston: high crime rate, non-existent public transport, an unhealthy worship of guns and right-wing politics, a dislike towards outsiders (even from other states like California and New York!!!), low rates of education, rude and conceited for no reason, stagnant economy in favour of oil

Houston, diverse and worldly? Ha! It’s a glorified San Antonio.
Danie on Jun 03, 2022:
I've lived in the Houston area my whole life and I get why people don't like it. However no one is talking about the fact that Galveston is about a thousand times worse than Houston could ever be. I know that it's spread out I know it takes forever to travel from one point to another and there's basically no public transport to help you. Imagine that except on an island with more crime. I will never deny that Houston is a hell of a city to try to survive in but if it ever gets as bad as Galveston I'll leave the country.
HY on May 29, 2022:
I have lived in Houston for 4 years. Previously, I have lived in some cities in east and west coast.
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.
Tina on Feb 26, 2022:
I am from a third world country and Houston honestly reminded me of home, and that is NOT a good thing. There is so much poverty, rundown buildings, homeless people, gang violence, and jobs that don't even pay living wages. The public transportation is somehow even worse than in my home country, the roads are bumpy and full of potholes, and the city is poorly organized and everything highly spread out. Last year I left Houston for Boston, and I do not regret that decision one bit. Really, Houston is a perfect example of what a first world city shouldn't be.

I didn't leave a third world country to go to a third world city like Houston.
Cory on Sep 05, 2021:
I came from California (Bay Area) to Texas back in 2017, first to Austin and now in Houston since last year. Austin wasn't as nice as the Bay Area but still okay. Houston has been a horrible experience so far. The cost of living is lower but so is the standard of living here. Jobs here pay only about half of what they do back in California, the traffic in Houston is a nightmare. I spend about an hour driving wo and from work and there isn't much public transportation. It is unbearably hot most of the year, there is more poverty and homelessness here than even in San Francisco, and the crime here is absolutely horrible.

If you are going to come to Texas for whatever reason, stay away from Houston! Austin is okay, but Houston is a nightmare!
Citizen on Mar 17, 2021:
The idea that Houston's economy is among the strongest is overrated. GDP per capita is either stagnant or declining. It's only recently that a few tech companies have expanded operations in Houston, so Houston is behind in that regard. The local economy is still at the mercy of Big Oil, even if there has been some diversification in the last 30 years. And the relatively lower cost of living doesn't necessarily mean better living standards, as Houston's income inequality is on par with New York and the San Francisco Bay Area, two areas that are notoriously expensive. Loads of people still struggle to make ends meet.

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.
Fred on Mar 10, 2021:
I have been living in Houston since 2014 and I can tell you from experience that while the overall cost of living is lower in Houston compared to many other US cities, the average wages are also lower, so it really doesn't matter. While the Houston economy is considered "strong" thanks to the energy industry, the quality of life here is pretty low. There is a lot of poverty, lots of homeless people, lots of violent crime (more than any other major city I have lived in), bad public transportation, poorly maintained roads, garbage on the streets and sidewalks, and many parts of the city have a horrible smell.

Overall, I would say that Houston is definitely not worth it. Both New York and Boston are far better options in my experience.
Anonymous on Jul 01, 2020:
I am a new comer to Houston from Chino Hills, CA. I must say Houston is a very nice place to live, people are friendly, weather is not as dry as Southern California. There are many interesting and unique restaurants in Houston that I didn't find in CA. The only thing that I wish it can be better is the road condition. Other than that, Houston is just great! People I met from California who have just moved to Houston for the past few years have told me they like the city and glad that they moved here, including receptionist I met at Tesla service center, banker I met at Chase.

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.