Cost of living comparison
Houston is 13.1% cheaper than California.
If you lived in Houston instead of California, you would:
pay 15.3% less for restaurants
|
California
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$19.89
|
$17.25
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.74
|
$9.12
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.75
|
$2.49
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.23
|
$1.87
|
|
pay 21.6% less for groceries
|
California
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.10
|
$3.05
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.78
|
$6.28
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.57
|
$3.64
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.34
|
$3.72
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.53
|
$4.95
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.29
|
$2.05
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.95
|
$0.58
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.95
|
$1.56
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.23
|
$1.24
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.49
|
$1.24
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.45
|
$1.04
|
|
pay 4.9% less for transportation
|
California
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.84
|
$3.11
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$67.11
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$29,950.13
|
$33,139.19
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$20.46
|
$19.16
|
|
pay 21.7% less for housing
|
California
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$69.38
|
$69.26
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,333.22
|
$1,624.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,022.14
|
$1,230.82
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$178.08
|
$147.82
|
|
pay 19.2% less for childcare
|
California
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,629.83
|
$1,244.14
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$29,739.09
|
$25,333.33
|
|
pay 17.6% less for entertainment and sports
|
California
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.06
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.27
|
$5.13
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$10.99
|
$8.75
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$68.71
|
$39.66
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.08
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 8.8% more for clothing
|
California
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.63
|
$49.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.12
|
$43.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$84.49
|
$101.64
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.90
|
$134.56
|
|
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