USLivingCost Salaries · Rent · Cost of Living

Houston, TX vs. Phoenix, AZ

Median rent is $1,313 a month in Houston, TX and $1,458 in Phoenix, AZ. Household income is $62,894 against $77,041. Both cities are read from the same ACS 2019-2023 5-Year Estimates and the same BEA Regional Price Parities 2023, so the two columns below are directly comparable.

$
Same standard of living
A salary of $100,000 in Houston, TX buys what $105,292 buys in Phoenix, AZ
+$5,292 more to keep the same standard of living
Median gross rent Monthly
$1,313 $1,458 +11.0%
Median household income Annual
$62,894 $77,041 +22.5%
Median home value Owner-occupied
$253,400 $381,900 +50.7%
Rent as share of income Annual rent ÷ income
25.1% 22.7% -2.4 pp
Price level U.S. average = 100
100.2 105.5 +5.3%
Salary needed for median rent Keeps rent at 30% of gross
$52,500 $58,300 +11.0%
Rent median income carries at 30% Affordable rent
$1,572 $1,926 +22.5%
Population City proper
2,300,419 1,624,832 -29.4%
Equivalent salary For $100,000 in Houston
$100,000 $105,292 +5.3%

A green or red badge means the second city is higher or lower, not better or worse: a lower rent is good for a tenant, a lower household income is not. For the price level and
the share of income the raw values are shown, because a percentage difference between two
percentages is easy to misread.

What the gap means

Lower rent
$1,313
Houston, TX · 11.0% below Phoenix, AZ
Higher household income
$77,041
Phoenix, AZ · 22.5% above Houston, TX
Same standard of living
$105,292
$100,000 in Houston, TX needs $105,292 in Phoenix, AZ
Price level gap
5.3 points
100.2 in TX against 105.5 in AZ
Rent burden gap
2.3 points
Houston, TX versus Phoenix, AZ, share of income taken by rent
Highest buying power
99.8%
Houston, TX · share of the national average income that a dollar there buys

Occupation wages in both metros

May 2025 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS). Metropolitan areas may differ from city boundaries.

Occupation Houston, TX median Phoenix, AZ median vs.
General and Operations Managers $119,600 $98,610 -17.6%
Fast Food and Counter Workers $27,570 $34,540 +25.3%
Retail Salespersons $31,340 $35,960 +14.7%
Customer Service Representatives $40,380 $46,410 +14.9%
Registered Nurses $99,830 $100,830 +1.0%
Waiters and Waitresses $22,080 $47,530 +115.3%
Heavy and Tractor-Trailer Truck Drivers $56,840 $59,770 +5.2%
Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners $30,650 $36,280 +18.4%

Metropolitan areas and cover every industry together, so the two columns may describe wider areas than the city limits used for rent and income.

More comparisons with Houston, TX

More comparisons with Phoenix, AZ

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Definitions used on this page

Salary needed for the median rent
Twelve months of median gross rent divided by 0.30: the income that keeps the median rent at 30% of gross pay.
Price level
BEA regional price parity for the metro area where one is published, otherwise for the state. The national average is 100.
Same standard of living
A salary in Houston, TX converted into Phoenix, AZ at the ratio of the two price levels. It adjusts for prices only, not for taxes or for what either city offers.
Buying power
One hundred divided by the price level: what a dollar buys locally relative to the national average.

Sources

Margins of error are published for every Census figure. Read the methodology before reading a small gap between two cities as a real difference.

Full detail for each city: Houston, TX · Phoenix, AZ