Cost of Living in Houston

In Houston, your dollar has a much higher buying power than virtually any other major metropolitan area in the country.

The Q2/09 ACCRA Cost of Living Index shows that Houston's overall after-taxes living costs are 11% below the nationwide average, largely due to housing costs that are 26% below the average.
In the context of the 27 participating metropolitan areas with more than 2 million residents, Houston's cost-of-living advantage is even more pronounced. Houston's housing costs are 42% below the average for the large metro areas, and its overall costs are 20% below the average for this group.

COST OF LIVING COMPARISONS Third Quarter 2009 Average for 315 Urban Areas = 100
Metropolitan Statistical Area	Composite	Groceries	Housing	Utilities	Transportation	Health Care	Misc Goods & Svcs
New York-Newark-Edison NY-NJ-PA	153.4	120.5	232.2	144.3	109.4	114.9	118.6
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana CA	143.7	105.4	236.1	94.2	115.7	108.9	105.4
Washington-Arlington-Alexandria DC-VA-MD-WV	133.7	113.7	199.1	111.2	109.7	103.5	102.1
Boston-Cambridge-Quincy MA-NH	130.6	118.6	146.7	147.8	100.9	125.7	126.4
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-Miami Beach FL	109.5	107.4	125.1	92.3	109.7	107.3	101.8
Chicago-Naperville-Joliet IL-IN-WI	107.3	105.4	112.7	118.3	115.4	108.0	97.2
Denver-Aurora CO	104.3	99.4	106.6	105.0	96.5	105.4	106.4
Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Marietta GA	94.0	96.9	87.1	85.0	97.4	105.3	99.0
Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington TX	93.0	97.2	77.0	110.2	97.2	99.8	98.0
Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown TX	*89.3*	*86.2*	*74.0*	*104.6*	*94.4*	*95.3*	*97.0*
Source: Council for Community and Economic Research, ACCRA Cost of Living Index, Third Quarter 2009 (published November 2009) Note: Data are unweighted averages for all reporting places in each metropolitan area.

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