Houston Texas Cost of Living

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On August 30, 1836, land speculators founded Houston, which was named after former General Sam Houston, who served as President of the Republic of Texas and led Texas to independence from Mexico at the Battle of San Jacinto.

Houston Texas, with a total area of 637.4 square miles, is the ninth-largest city in the United States (1,651 km2). With a population of 2,316,120 people, Houston Texas is the most populous city and the fourth most populous city in the US. Its population density is 3,636 people per square mile.

Katy Tollway Houston Texas

It has a median age is 32.6, whereas the national median age is 37.4. Houston has 2.7 people per home, compared to the national average of 2.6.

According to the Council for Community and Economic Research, Houston Texas has the second-lowest overall cost of living among the nation’s 20 most populous metro regions, with expenses 4.2 percent cheaper than the national average for all 277 urban areas (C2ER).

Houston Suburbs Neighborhood

Greater Houston Texas received a 6.9 out of 10 on the list of the Best Places to Live, which is heavily weighted by the categories of Quality of Life and Value. Houston’s low cost of living made its worth relatively high.

Houston Texas Cost of Living Index:

Note: The Cost of Living Index uses the US 100-point scale. If Houston’s value is < 100, it is cheaper than the US average, and if Houston’s value is > 100, it is more expensive than the US average.

The Overall Cost of Living in Houston Texas is 96.5, while Texas is 93.9 of the national average of 100. The sum of all cost of living categories is weighted subjectively as follows: housing (30%), food and grocery (15%), transportation (10%), utilities (6%), health care (7%), and other expenses or miscellaneous (clothes, services, and entertainment) (32%). State and municipal taxes are excluded from all categories.

Houston Texas has a Grocery Cost Index of 98.1, while Texas has a cost of 93.7 when compared to the national average of 100.

Houston Texas’ Health Cost Index is 92.4 of the national average of 100, while Texas is 95.4. The average cost of healthcare is derived by taking the regular daily rate for a hospital room, as well as the costs of a doctor’s office visit and a dental check-up. Many distinct things influence a city’s health like air quality, water quality, and exposure to pollutants that might, later on, develop respiratory diseases or cancer. The people you live with can also have an impact on your health because different areas have lower or greater rates of physical activity, increased alcohol consumption, smoking, obesity, and cancer rates.

Houston Texas Health

For every 100,000 persons in the city, there are 185 physicians compared to the United States average of 210 per 100,000 people. The Texas Medical Center, located in Houston Texas, claims to contain the world’s biggest concentration of research and healthcare facilities. On a local, national, and international scale, they provide patient and preventive care, research, education, and community well-being.

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The medical center’s institutions employ almost 73,600 people and include 13 hospitals and two specialty facilities, two medical schools, four nursing schools, and schools of dentistry, public health, pharmacy, and virtually all health-related occupations. It was here that one of the first—and still largest—air emergency services, Life Flight, was established, as well as an inter-institutional transplant program. Around 2007, the Texas Medical Center did more cardiac surgery than any other hospital in the country.

The MD Anderson Cancer Center has continuously been ranked as one of the top two cancer-care hospitals in the United States by the U.S. Since 1990, the Menninger Clinic, a psychiatric treatment center, has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report. Triumph Healthcare, with hospital locations across the country and headquarters in Houston, was the third-largest long-term acute care provider in the US in 2005.

Houston Texas Water Quality:

The Houston area’s yearly Best Places Water Quality Index or the Watershed quality is 37 (100 = best) compared to the US average of 55. 37/100

As per EPA, a healthy watershed equates to the quality of drinking water. The EPA uses a sophisticated approach to monitoring watershed quality that includes 15 indicators including pH, chemicals, metals, and bacteria.

Houston Texas Index of Superfunds:

The Houston area’s yearly Best Places Superfund Index is 94 (100=best) compared to the US average of 87. 94 out of 100

The EPA’s Superfund program is in charge of cleaning up some of our country’s most polluted terrain. Our score is based on the number of active Superfund sites (over 15,000 in the United States), with special emphasis on those on the National Priorities List that represent the highest health risk.

The average commute in Houston Texas is 27.0 minutes one way, which is greater than the national average of 26.4 minutes.

Houston Texas Air Quality:

The Houston area’s yearly BestPlaces Air Quality Index is 49 (100=best) compared to the US average of 58. 49 out of 100

This analysis, by EPA’s air hazardous air pollutant measures, called the National Air Toxics Assessment, predicts respiratory illness and cancer risk down to the zip code level, offering more detail and insight than the prior analysis, which was based purely on air monitoring station statistics.

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Houston Texas has a Housing Cost Index of 80.2, while Texas has a cost of 84.3 when compared to the national average of 100. The median cost of a home in a given location, both for purchase and for rent excluding real estate taxes and utilities.

Housing in Houston Texas

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In Houston, the median property price is $220,000. Home appreciation has been 84.7 percent over the last ten years. Houston’s home appreciation is up 12.5 percent. Renters account for 48.2 percent of the Houston population, while 5.1 percent of Houston’s houses and flats are available for rent. There were 968,704 dwelling units, 37.5 percent of which were owned, and each home had an average of 2.65 people.

The Median Home Cost in Houston Texas is $220,000, while Texas has a median home cost of $243,600, compared to the national average of $291,700. The median cost is the value in the middle of the latest home sales prices arranged from lowest to highest. The Median is a better indicator than the average because a few high or low values does not impact much on the median.

Median Monthly Rentals by the Number of Bedrooms:

Houston’s Studio apartment costs $894, 1 bedroom home or apartment is $960

2 Bedroom home or apartment is $1,144, 3 bedroom home or apartment is $1,518

Houston Texas has a Utility Cost Index of 96.5, while Texas has a cost of 99.2, compared to the national average of 100. The area’s average cost of heating or cooling a typical dwelling, including electricity, natural gas, and other fuels.

Houston is known around the world for its energy business, particularly oil and natural gas, as well as biomedical research and aeronautics. Renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, are also expanding economic bases in the city, with the City Government purchasing 90% of its yearly 1 TWh power from wind, with some from solar. Last year, petroleum products, chemicals, and oil and gas extraction equipment made up about two-thirds of the metropolitan area’s exports.

The Transportation Cost Index in Houston Texas is 119, Texas has a cost of 103.3, and the US average is 100. Transportation cost is the average of vehicle insurance and maintenance, gasoline and oil, and public transit fare of a certain area, but not including the registration, taxes, and licenses of the vehicle.

Commuting in Houston Texas

Since 2010, the average American commute has grown in length. In Houston, the average one-way commute takes 27.0 minutes which is more than the US average of 26.4 minutes.

Houston is a car-dependent metropolis, with an estimated 76.6 percent of commuters driving alone to work. Another 11.3 percent carpooled to work, while 3.9 percent used public transportation, 3.6% worked from home, 2.1 percent walked, and 0.5 percent bicycled. In 2012, the typical length of commute in the region was assessed to be 12.2 miles (19.6 km) by a commuting study.

The typical work commute in Houston (city) takes 26.3 minutes, according to the 2013 American Community Survey. According to a 1999 Murdoch University study, Houston had the longest commute and the lowest urban density of 13 significant American cities studied, while a 2017 Arcadis study ranked Houston 22nd out of 23 American cities in transportation sustainability. Harris County is one of the nation’s largest consumers of gasoline.

The Greater Houston metropolitan area has over 25,000 miles (40,000 km) of roadway, of which 10%, or approximately 2,500 miles (4,000 km), is a limited-access highway.

Public transportation such as buses, light rail, and high-occupancy vehicle lanes are offered by the Metropolitan Transit Authority of Harris County (METRO). METRO’s service area encompasses 1,303 square miles (3,370 km2) and a population of 3.6 million people. METRO’s local bus network provides services.

With almost 160 miles of dedicated bikeways, Houston has the most bike commuters in Texas.

The Miscellaneous Costs Index in Houston Texas is 100.4, while across Texas is 96.4, compared to the national average of 100. Miscellaneous Costs are other items and services such as clothing, entertainment, restaurants, repairs, and other services.

The Economy in Houston Texas

The unemployment rate in Houston is 8.0 percent compared to the US average of 6.0 percent. Future job growth is expected to be 30.9 percent over the next 10 years, which is lower than the US average of 33.5 percent.

Houston Tax Rates

The Sales Tax Rate in Houston is 8.2 percent compared to the US average of 7.3 percent. The income tax rate in Houston is 0.0 percent while the US average is 4.6 percent.

Houston Earnings and Salaries

The average annual salary in Houston is $27,938 compared to the US average annual salary of $28,555. A Houston resident’s median household income is $45,728 per year compared to the US $53,482.

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