Living in a big U.S. city can be exciting, but it doesn’t have to be expensive. While places like New York City are notorious for being costly, Houston sits at the other end of the spectrum—it’s one of the most affordable big cities in the nation. In fact, the average cost of living (COL) in Houston is about 2.5% lower than the average COL across the entire U.S.1
To show you just how affordable living in Houston is, here’s a side-by-side comparison of rent and general costs of living in Houston versus NYC.
Houston Rents vs. New York City Rents
On average, Houston rents are at least 50 percent cheaper than NYC rents.2 Here’s a look at the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment in each city, broken down by neighborhood.
Houston |
Average Rent3 | NYC | Average Rent4 |
Downtown | $2,135 | Brooklyn |
$3,195 |
River Oaks |
$1,875 | Financial District | $3,330 |
Midtown | $1,796 | Tribeca |
$4,130 |
Medical Center |
$1,562 | Soho | $3370 |
Montrose | $1,795 | Greenwich Village |
$3,375 |
Greater Heights | $1,509 | Battery Park |
$3,625 |
Houston vs. NYC: Cost of Living
Rent isn’t the only thing that’s cheaper in Houston! Day-to-day living costs are also far cheaper in Houston than in NYC, as show in the table below.5
Type of Living Expense |
Houston Cost | NYC Cost |
Utilities | $134 |
$144 |
Internet | $60 |
$63 |
Groceries |
$30 | $53 |
Public Transportation |
$1.25 | $2.75 |
Casual Clothing (one outfit) |
$78 |
$92 |
Restaurants (mid-range for a 3-course meal) |
$65 |
$80 |
Childcare (monthly, for 1 child) |
$863 |
$2,392 |
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1: According to these findings
2: According to this data
3: According to this source
4: According to this data