🇺🇸 TX, United States · #199 of 538 cities · 2026

Cost of Living in Houston

8.6% below the United States average

Ranked #199 of 538 cities · More expensive than 63% of cities worldwide

Compared to United States average

Rent Prices

Rent Prices in Houston

Apartment City Centre Outside Centre You Save
1-Bedroom USD 1,708/mo USD 1,353/mo 21%
3-Bedroom USD 3,164/mo USD 2,409/mo 21%
Numbeo · 2026-03-12

Multi-Source Comparison

★★ Medium Confidence

Houston has a composite cost index of 49.4 from 3 independent data sources.

49.4
Composite
3
Sources
3.4
Spread

Source Values (NYC = 100)

Numbeo
46.0
Expatistan
49.4
LivingCost
No data
SIM
51.6
Eurostat Validation (EU27 = 100) Gov. Data
Eurostat
100.4

Based on 108 country PLI x 0.93 city factor

View all 127 cities | Data last updated: 2026-03-18

Cost Indices

Cost of Living
-8.6% Affordable
Rent
-3.1% Average
Groceries
-12.0% Affordable
Restaurants
-6.7% Average
Purchasing Power
+29.3% Very strong

Living in Houston: What to Expect

Houston is affordable by global standards (ranked #199 of 538 cities). It is 8.6% cheaper than the United States average, based on 74 cities.

Groceries are affordable, while dining out is average. Groceries offers the best value, while Rent is the priciest.

Local purchasing power is strong — residents can afford more goods and services than in most cities.

Similar Cities

How Does Houston Compare?

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