Cost of living comparison
compared to
Houston vs. Austin Cost of Living Summary
Houston is 0.4% more expensive than Austin.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.3% more in Houston
- Groceries
-
pay 9.9% less in Houston
- Transportation
-
pay 23.4% more in Houston
- Housing
-
pay 4.9% less in Houston
- Childcare
-
pay 5.9% more in Houston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 12.0% less in Houston
- Clothing
-
pay 0.2% less in Houston
The cost of transportation, childcare, and restaurants in Houston are more expensive than in Austin. Expenses including entertainment and sports, groceries, housing, and clothing are lower in Houston.
Houston vs. Austin Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Houston instead of Austin, you would:
pay 0.3% more for restaurants
|
Austin
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.00
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.67
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.09
|
$2.23
|
|
Austin vs. Houston - Cost of restaurants
pay 9.9% less for groceries
|
Austin
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.40
|
$3.23
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.17
|
$6.32
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.93
|
$3.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.85
|
$4.35
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.15
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$1.88
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.70
|
$0.67
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.96
|
$1.67
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$1.75
|
$1.12
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.18
|
$1.20
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.24
|
$1.05
|
|
Austin vs. Houston - Cost of groceries
pay 23.4% more for transportation
|
Austin
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.79
|
$2.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$41.38
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$27,900.00
|
$36,278.39
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$17.67
|
$14.39
|
|
Austin vs. Houston - Cost of transportation
pay 4.9% less for housing
|
Austin
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$68.20
|
$70.76
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,134.75
|
$1,660.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,434.41
|
$1,287.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$133.86
|
$145.65
|
|
Austin vs. Houston - Cost of housing
pay 5.9% more for childcare
|
Austin
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,343.18
|
$1,258.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$22,093.75
|
$26,120.00
|
|
Austin vs. Houston - Cost of childcare
pay 12.0% less for entertainment and sports
|
Austin
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.00
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.56
|
$5.41
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$9.00
|
$9.95
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$66.33
|
$37.29
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$15.00
|
|
Austin vs. Houston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 0.2% less for clothing
|
Austin
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$52.74
|
$45.57
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$43.79
|
$44.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$87.55
|
$98.95
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$117.47
|
$116.43
|
|
Austin vs. Houston - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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