*Riverside, California is among the 20 most populous MSAs, but did not submit COLI data.
Source: Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER), Cost of Living Index, 2020 Annual Average (Data based on a survey of 269 urban areas, published February 2021)

Houston has the second lowest living costs among the 20 most populous metro areas, according to the C2ER Cost of Living Index for ’20. Houston’s living costs are 4.8 percent below the nationwide average and 26.4 percent below the average of the nation’s 20 most populous metropolitan areas.

Only the St. Louis metro area is considered more affordable than Houston among the 20 most populous metro areas, although the Houston metro’s population of 7.1 million is more than double the population of St. Louis with 2.8 million.