Cost of living comparison
compared to
Houston vs. Kansas City Cost of Living Summary
Houston is 1.5% cheaper than Kansas City.
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: June 2026
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