Cost of Living: Chapel Hill, NC vs Houston, TX

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,254/mo in Chapel Hill, NC versus $4,516/mo in Houston, TX. In the model, rent is about 21.62% of gross in Chapel Hill, NC versus 19.13% in Houston, TX, so Houston, TX tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Chapel Hill, NC
$4,254/mo
Income level: below
Take-home in Houston, TX
$4,516/mo
Income level: near
Rent share (1BR) in Chapel Hill, NC
21.62%
COLI tier: mid-range
Rent share (1BR) in Houston, TX
19.13%
COLI tier: mid-range

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between Chapel Hill, NC and Houston, TX.

At a glance

  • Cheaper overall (lower cost-of-living index): Houston, TX
  • Lower rent (median 1BR/2BR): Houston, TX
  • Lower home prices: Houston, TX
  • Higher median household income: Chapel Hill, NC

Cost of Living Index

Chapel Hill, NC: 100 (U.S. = 100) · Houston, TX: 92.1 (U.S. = 100)

Houston, TX has a lower cost-of-living index than Chapel Hill, NC, so a given salary generally stretches further there.

Median Rent

Chapel Hill, NC: $1,409/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Houston, TX: $1,248/mo

Median rent in Chapel Hill, NC is $161/mo higher than in Houston, TX.

Median Home Price

Chapel Hill, NC: $576,500 · Houston, TX: $253,400

Median home price in Chapel Hill, NC is $323,100 higher than in Houston, TX.

Median Household Income

Chapel Hill, NC: $85,825 · Houston, TX: $62,894

Chapel Hill, NC has a higher median household income than Houston, TX by $22,931.

Chapel Hill, NC overview · Houston, TX overview · Popular comparisons