Cost of Living: Wilmington, 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 Wilmington, NC versus $4,516/mo in Houston, TX. In the model, rent is about 19.1% of gross in Wilmington, NC versus 19.13% in Houston, TX, so Wilmington, NC tends to feel more affordable for rent.

Take-home in Wilmington, NC
$4,254/mo
Income level: near
Take-home in Houston, TX
$4,516/mo
Income level: near
Rent share (1BR) in Wilmington, NC
19.1%
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 Wilmington, NC and Houston, TX.

At a glance

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

Cost of Living Index

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

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

Median Rent

Wilmington, NC: $1,246/mo (midpoint of 1BR/2BR) · Houston, TX: $1,248/mo

Median rent in Houston, TX is $2/mo higher than in Wilmington, NC.

Median Home Price

Wilmington, NC: $350,300 · Houston, TX: $253,400

Median home price in Wilmington, NC is $96,900 higher than in Houston, TX.

Median Household Income

Wilmington, NC: $63,900 · Houston, TX: $62,894

Wilmington, NC has a higher median household income than Houston, TX by $1,006.

Wilmington, NC overview · Houston, TX overview · Popular comparisons