Cost of Living: El Paso, TX vs Houston, TX

Quick rent-and-take-home comparison

Using a baseline of $70,000/yr gross, take-home is about $4,516/mo in El Paso, TX versus $4,516/mo in Houston, TX. In the model, rent is about 15.17% of gross in El Paso, TX versus 19.13% in Houston, TX, so El Paso, TX tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in El Paso, TX
$4,516/mo
Income level: above
Take-home in Houston, TX
$4,516/mo
Income level: near
Rent share (1BR) in El Paso, TX
15.17%
COLI tier: lower-cost
Rent share (1BR) in Houston, TX
19.13%
COLI tier: mid-range

Compare cost of living, rent, housing prices, and salary affordability between El Paso, TX and Houston, TX.

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

El Paso, TX: 85.2 (U.S. = 100) · Houston, TX: 92.1 (U.S. = 100)

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

Median Rent

El Paso, TX: $989/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Houston, TX: $1,248/mo

Median rent in Houston, TX is $259/mo higher than in El Paso, TX.

Median Home Price

El Paso, TX: $171,700 · Houston, TX: $253,400

Median home price in Houston, TX is $81,700 higher than in El Paso, TX.

Median Household Income

El Paso, TX: $58,734 · Houston, TX: $62,894

Houston, TX has a higher median household income than El Paso, TX by $4,160.

El Paso, TX overview · Houston, TX overview · Popular comparisons