Cost of living comparison
compared to
Houston vs. Kansas City Cost of Living Summary
Houston is 1.5% cheaper than Kansas City.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.4% less in Houston
- Groceries
-
pay 14.9% less in Houston
- Transportation
-
pay 3.0% more in Houston
- Housing
-
pay 17.0% more in Houston
- Childcare
-
pay 9.6% less in Houston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 6.9% more in Houston
- Clothing
-
pay 7.8% less in Houston
The cost of housing, entertainment and sports, and transportation in Houston are more expensive than in Kansas City. Expenses including groceries, childcare, clothing, and restaurants are lower in Houston.
Houston vs. Kansas City Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Houston instead of Kansas City, you would:
pay 5.4% less for restaurants
|
Kansas City
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$22.63
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$12.39
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.61
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.15
|
$2.23
|
|
Kansas City vs. Houston - Cost of restaurants
pay 14.9% less for groceries
|
Kansas City
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.61
|
$3.23
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$8.45
|
$6.32
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.76
|
$3.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.74
|
$4.35
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$3.67
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.77
|
$1.88
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.65
|
$0.67
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.97
|
$1.67
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$3.01
|
$1.12
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.48
|
$1.20
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.76
|
$1.05
|
|
Kansas City vs. Houston - Cost of groceries
pay 3.0% more for transportation
|
Kansas City
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.93
|
$2.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass | ?? |
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$37,222.74
|
$36,278.39
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$12.44
|
$14.39
|
|
Kansas City vs. Houston - Cost of transportation
pay 17.0% more for housing
|
Kansas City
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$57.86
|
$70.76
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,310.00
|
$1,660.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,049.00
|
$1,287.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$151.55
|
$145.65
|
|
Kansas City vs. Houston - Cost of housing
pay 9.6% less for childcare
|
Kansas City
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,392.82
|
$1,258.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$28,840.00
|
$26,120.00
|
|
Kansas City vs. Houston - Cost of childcare
pay 6.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Kansas City
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$7.00
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.47
|
$5.41
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.14
|
$9.95
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$36.00
|
$37.29
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$15.00
|
$15.00
|
|
Kansas City vs. Houston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 7.8% less for clothing
|
Kansas City
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$56.67
|
$45.57
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$41.00
|
$44.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$102.00
|
$98.95
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$138.33
|
$116.43
|
|
Kansas City 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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