Cost of living comparison
Charlotte is 14.0% more expensive than Houston.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.1% more in Charlotte
- Groceries
-
pay 38.5% more in Charlotte
- Transportation
-
pay 15.5% more in Charlotte
- Housing
-
pay 20.0% more in Charlotte
- Childcare
-
pay 0.2% less in Charlotte
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 7.1% more in Charlotte
- Clothing
-
pay 11.8% more in Charlotte
The cost of groceries, housing, transportation, clothing, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Charlotte are more expensive than in Houston.
If you lived in Charlotte instead of Houston, you would:
pay 5.1% more for restaurants
|
Houston
|
Charlotte
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.53
|
$2.51
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.00
|
$1.98
|
|
pay 38.5% more for groceries
|
Houston
|
Charlotte
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.97
|
$3.82
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.39
|
$7.85
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.43
|
$3.98
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.53
|
$3.89
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.15
|
$6.67
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.99
|
$3.30
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.58
|
$0.82
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.72
|
$2.74
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.28
|
$2.11
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.30
|
$1.94
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.07
|
$1.46
|
|
pay 15.5% more for transportation
|
Houston
|
Charlotte
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.88
|
$3.25
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$75.00
|
$99.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$36,278.39
|
$34,689.37
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.79
|
$22.88
|
|
pay 20.0% more for housing
|
Houston
|
Charlotte
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$66.71
|
$76.11
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,582.84
|
$1,996.88
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,189.12
|
$1,690.12
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$148.41
|
$144.77
|
|
pay 0.2% less for childcare
|
Houston
|
Charlotte
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,457.58
|
$1,270.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$23,000.00
|
$25,900.00
|
|
pay 7.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
Houston
|
Charlotte
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.00
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.27
|
$4.81
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.97
|
$8.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$39.65
|
$52.38
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$16.00
|
|
pay 11.8% more for clothing
|
Houston
|
Charlotte
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$47.14
|
$57.91
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.00
|
$47.71
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$103.28
|
$112.67
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$132.12
|
$137.67
|
|
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Charlotte or Houston. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.