Cost of living comparison
compared to
Houston vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
Houston is 2.6% more expensive than North Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 14.0% more in Houston
- Groceries
-
pay 20.0% less in Houston
- Transportation
-
pay 0.5% less in Houston
- Housing
-
pay 5.2% more in Houston
- Childcare
-
pay 2.9% more in Houston
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 10.0% more in Houston
- Clothing
-
pay 6.5% more in Houston
The cost of restaurants, entertainment and sports, clothing, housing, and childcare in Houston are more expensive than in North Carolina. Expenses including groceries and transportation are lower in Houston.
Houston vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Houston instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 14.0% more for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.06
|
$20.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
|
$10.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$2.76
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$2.23
|
|
North Carolina vs. Houston - Cost of restaurants
pay 20.0% less for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$3.23
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.80
|
$6.32
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.73
|
$3.44
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$4.35
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$5.20
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$1.88
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$0.67
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$1.67
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$1.12
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$1.20
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$1.05
|
|
North Carolina vs. Houston - Cost of groceries
pay 0.5% less for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$2.81
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.67
|
$75.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,588.64
|
$36,278.39
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.99
|
$14.39
|
|
North Carolina vs. Houston - Cost of transportation
pay 5.2% more for housing
|
North Carolina
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.77
|
$70.76
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,488.15
|
$1,660.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,261.77
|
$1,287.77
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.31
|
$145.65
|
|
North Carolina vs. Houston - Cost of housing
pay 2.9% more for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,261.89
|
$1,258.33
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,633.15
|
$26,120.00
|
|
North Carolina vs. Houston - Cost of childcare
pay 10.0% more for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.12
|
$6.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$5.41
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
$9.95
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.40
|
$37.29
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.98
|
$15.00
|
|
North Carolina vs. Houston - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.5% more for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
Houston
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$45.57
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
|
$44.00
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.37
|
$98.95
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.01
|
$116.43
|
|
North Carolina 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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