Cost of Living in Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX
Is it worth moving here?
How far does a $70,000 salary go in Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land? Estimated income taxes on that gross salary total approximately $7,241 per year — Texas levies no state income tax, so that figure covers federal tax only. Subtract rent for a 2-bedroom apartment ($1,573/month based on HUD Fair Market Rents for the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro area) and the estimated annual take-home is $43,883, or roughly $3,657 per month for everything else: food, transportation, savings, and discretionary spending.
The Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro has a cost of living index of 106.3 according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (national average = 100). This puts Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land modestly above the national average on everyday expenses beyond rent.
At a $70,000 salary, the estimated 2-bedroom rent in Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land represents approximately 27% of gross income. That approaches the 30% threshold commonly used to define affordability. A smaller unit or a higher salary would improve the picture. Texas's zero income tax helps offset the rent burden compared to otherwise similar cities that also levy state income tax.
Annual Breakdown
Cost of Living Index
Living in Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX is roughly 6% more expensive than the national average.
Monthly Take-Home
... / mo
Affordability Score
K-12 Schools
See Details →Colleges & Universities
See Details →| Institution | Enrollment | In-State Tuition | Grad Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearlands Innovative School of Beauty | 84 | $0 | 100.0% |
| Houston International College Cardiotech Ultrasound School | 41 | $10,473 | 100.0% |
| Vogue International Academy | 9 | $0 | 100.0% |
| Rice University | 8,556 | $57,210 | 96.0% |
| Houston Training Schools-Gessner | 155 | $0 | 96.0% |
| School of Automotive Machinists & Technology | 102 | $0 | 93.0% |
| Houston Barber School | 225 | $0 | 91.0% |
| Elite Welding Academy | 29 | $0 | 86.0% |
| Northwest Educational Center | 233 | $0 | 84.0% |
| Ocean Corporation | 195 | $0 | 84.0% |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Clear Lake | 129 | $0 | 80.0% |
| Premier Barber School | 48 | $0 | 79.0% |
| Houston Training School-Main Campus | 220 | $0 | 77.0% |
| Champion Beauty College | 26 | $0 | 77.0% |
| Mystros Barber Academy | 14 | $0 | 75.0% |
| Paul Mitchell the School-Houston | 314 | $0 | 74.0% |
| College of Health Care Professions | 529 | $0 | 70.0% |
| University of St Thomas | 3,813 | $32,900 | 69.0% |
| Texas Health School | 186 | $0 | 69.0% |
| Tulsa Welding School-Houston | 1,799 | $0 | 67.0% |
| University of Houston | 46,676 | $8,685 | 65.0% |
| Fortis Institute | 332 | $0 | 62.0% |
| The College of Health Care Professions-Southwest Houston | 666 | $0 | 60.0% |
| Ogle School Hair Skin Nails-Stafford | 516 | $0 | 60.0% |
| College of Biblical Studies-Houston | 482 | $7,200 | 60.0% |
| Vet Tech Institute of Houston | 190 | $13,960 | 60.0% |
| Trend Barber College | 90 | $0 | 60.0% |
| Pima Medical Institute-Houston | 1,019 | $0 | 59.0% |
| Culinary Institute Inc | 334 | $12,600 | 58.0% |
| Remington College-Houston Southeast Campus | 65 | $13,484 | 58.0% |
| Universal Technical Institute of Texas Inc. | 1,823 | $0 | 57.0% |
| Commonwealth Institute of Funeral Service | 382 | $15,213 | 55.0% |
| Jay's Technical Institute | 26 | $0 | 55.0% |
| Center for Advanced Legal Studies | 243 | $0 | 53.0% |
| Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Houston | 281 | $16,520 | 52.0% |
| University of Houston-Clear Lake | 8,211 | $6,600 | 51.0% |
| Remington College-North Houston Campus | 163 | $20,001 | 51.0% |
| Houston Christian University | 4,189 | $35,500 | 50.0% |
| Interactive College of Technology | 62 | $10,920 | 48.0% |
| The College of Health Care Professions-Northwest | 3,794 | $0 | 46.0% |
| Trend Barber College | 11 | $0 | 46.0% |
| Fortis College | 357 | $0 | 45.0% |
| American InterContinental University-Houston | 163 | $14,182 | 45.0% |
| Florida Career College-Houston | 264 | $0 | 44.0% |
| Prairie View A & M University | 9,517 | $7,387 | 43.0% |
| Brazosport College | 4,100 | $2,613 | 39.0% |
| MediaTech Institute-Houston | 96 | $0 | 39.0% |
| San Jacinto Community College | 31,494 | $3,456 | 34.0% |
| University of Houston-Downtown | 14,105 | $6,080 | 34.0% |
| Alvin Community College | 5,830 | $2,448 | 34.0% |
| Texas Barber College | 588 | $0 | 34.0% |
| Interactive College of Technology | 48 | $10,920 | 34.0% |
| The Vocational Nursing Institute Inc | 20 | $0 | 34.0% |
| Galveston College | 2,119 | $2,220 | 32.0% |
| Natural Images Beauty College | 87 | $0 | 30.0% |
| Interactive College of Technology | 71 | $10,920 | 30.0% |
| College of the Mainland | 4,961 | $2,550 | 28.0% |
| North American University | 923 | $12,236 | 27.0% |
| Texas Southern University | 8,469 | $6,941 | 20.0% |
| Lone Star College System | 70,991 | $5,544 | 19.0% |
| Lee College | 8,143 | $3,132 | 19.0% |
| Houston Community College | 49,749 | $2,904 | 17.0% |
| The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston | 5,048 | $9,429 | — |
| The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston | 3,315 | $7,343 | — |
| Chamberlain University-Texas | 2,416 | $19,600 | — |
| Baylor College of Medicine | 1,699 | $0 | — |
| South Texas College of Law Houston | 1,036 | $0 | — |
| Grace School of Theology | 593 | $6,240 | — |
| Galen Health Institutes-Houston | 543 | $16,200 | — |
| Ogle School Hair Skin Nails-Willowbrook | 438 | $0 | — |
| The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center | 355 | $4,933 | — |
| Texas Chiropractic College Foundation Inc | 267 | $0 | — |
| American College of Acupuncture and Oriental Med | 73 | $0 | — |
| Denver College of Nursing-Houston | 70 | $22,613 | — |