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CityLedger

Boston vs Houston

Metro-area medians — Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Metro Area vs Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Boston comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Houston is about 10% cheaper to live in, while Boston households earn about 45% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Boston.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Boston, MA
$57,564
take-home / yr · 23% to tax
$53,169
real value after local prices
Houston, TX
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$62,166
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Houston leaves you about $8,997/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Boston
Houston
Livability (CityLedger)
83/100
46/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
108.3
98.6
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$108,829
$82,549
Median household income
$117,825
$81,417
Median rent
$2,093/mo
$1,469/mo
Median home value
$681,100
$327,400
Unemployment
3.9%
5.6%
Bachelor's degree or higher
53%
37.3%
Average commute
31.9 min
31.1 min
Air quality (median AQI)
43
63
Avg temperature
50°F
71°F

Choose Boston for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
  • + Air quality (median AQI)
Full Boston profile →

Choose Houston for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
Full Houston profile →

Boston vs Houston — frequently asked

Is Boston cheaper than Houston?
Houston is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 10% below Boston's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Boston or Houston?
Boston has the higher median household income — $117,825 versus $81,417 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 45% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Boston or Houston?
A paycheck stretches further in Boston. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $108,829 there versus $82,549 in Houston.
Which has cheaper rent, Boston or Houston?
Houston has cheaper rent — a median of $1,469/mo versus $2,093/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).