Cost of living comparison
Houston is 10.1% cheaper than Charlotte.
- Restaurants
-
pay 4.6% less in Houston
- Groceries
-
pay 26.5% less in Houston
- Transportation
-
pay 12.1% less in Houston
- Housing
-
pay 15.0% less in Houston
- Childcare
-
pay 1.8% more in Houston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 4.0% less in Houston
- Clothing
-
pay 10.2% less in Houston
Expenses including groceries, housing, transportation, clothing, restaurants, and entertainment and sports are lower in Houston.
If you lived in Houston instead of Charlotte, you would:
pay 4.6% less for restaurants
|
Charlotte
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$18.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.00
|
$9.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.51
|
$2.53
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.98
|
$2.00
|
|
pay 26.5% less for groceries
|
Charlotte
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.82
|
$2.97
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.85
|
$6.39
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.98
|
$3.43
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.89
|
$3.53
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$6.67
|
$5.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$3.30
|
$1.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.82
|
$0.58
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.74
|
$1.72
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.11
|
$1.28
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.94
|
$1.30
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.46
|
$1.07
|
|
pay 12.1% less for transportation
|
Charlotte
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.25
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$99.00
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$34,689.37
|
$36,278.39
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$22.88
|
$18.79
|
|
pay 15.0% less for housing
|
Charlotte
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$76.11
|
$66.71
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,996.88
|
$1,582.84
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,690.12
|
$1,189.12
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$144.77
|
$148.41
|
|
pay 1.8% more for childcare
|
Charlotte
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,270.00
|
$1,457.58
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$25,900.00
|
$23,000.00
|
|
pay 4.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Charlotte
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.81
|
$5.27
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.50
|
$9.97
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$52.38
|
$39.65
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$16.00
|
$15.00
|
|
pay 10.2% less for clothing
|
Charlotte
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$57.91
|
$47.14
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$47.71
|
$43.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$112.67
|
$103.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$137.67
|
$132.12
|
|
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