Cost of living comparison
Houston is 16.9% more expensive than Iowa.
- Restaurants
-
pay 11.2% more in Houston
- Groceries
-
pay 4.4% less in Houston
- Transportation
-
pay 29.6% more in Houston
- Housing
-
pay 21.7% more in Houston
- Childcare
-
pay 30.2% more in Houston
- Clothing
-
pay 13.0% more in Houston
The cost of childcare, transportation, housing, clothing, and restaurants in Houston are more expensive than in Iowa. Expenses including groceries and entertainment and sports are lower in Houston.
If you lived in Houston instead of Iowa, you would:
pay 11.2% more for restaurants
|
Iowa
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$15.50
|
$18.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$9.86
|
$9.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.25
|
$2.53
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.61
|
$2.00
|
|
pay 4.4% less for groceries
|
Iowa
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$2.75
|
$2.97
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$5.26
|
$6.39
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.55
|
$3.43
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$2.97
|
$3.53
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$4.90
|
$5.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.27
|
$1.99
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.66
|
$0.58
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.31
|
$1.72
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.19
|
$1.28
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.17
|
$1.30
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.32
|
$1.07
|
|
pay 29.6% more for transportation
|
Iowa
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.26
|
$2.88
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.60
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$28,209.92
|
$36,278.39
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$15.53
|
$18.79
|
|
pay 21.7% more for housing
|
Iowa
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.83
|
$66.71
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,149.79
|
$1,582.84
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$848.38
|
$1,189.12
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.52
|
$148.41
|
|
pay 30.2% more for childcare
|
Iowa
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,043.98
|
$1,457.58
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$19,039.50
|
$23,000.00
|
|
pay (unknown) more for entertainment and sports
|
Iowa
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$4.95
|
$5.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$5.27
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$8.68
|
$9.97
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$61.12
|
$39.65
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.83
|
$15.00
|
pay 13.0% more for clothing
|
Iowa
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$50.44
|
$47.14
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$39.50
|
$43.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$83.35
|
$103.28
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$105.02
|
$132.12
|
|
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Houston or Iowa. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.