Cost of living compare
Houston vs San Antonio cost of living
Houston vs San Antonio cost of living, compared metric by metric: BEA regional price parity, HUD rent, USDA food, energy, and state and local taxes. Each row keeps its own source grain and vintage — there is no single blended “cost of living score,” because these measures are published at different geographic grains.
7% moremodeled gross income for the same illustrative four-person spending scenario in Houston than in San Antonio
Illustrative scenario: $104,750/yr in Houston vs $97,761/yr in San Antonio; unverified local tax excluded where applicable
CEX 2024 · FMR FY2026 · USDA 2026 · RPP 2024 · TY2026 · NDCP 2022 (CPI-inflated to 2026-M08)
Scenarios with unverified local income tax exclude that unknown cost. These amounts are not tax-inclusive needs estimates.
Four-person spending scenarios in Houston and San Antonio
The illustrative four-person scenarios correspond to modeled gross incomes of $104,750 a year in Houston and $97,761 a year in San Antonio. See the assumptions and exclusions. The bars show the included components, not a minimum adequate income.
| Component | Houston | San Antonio | Houston − San Antonio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $1,840 | $1,640 | +$200 |
| Childcare | $1,747 | $1,650 | +$97 |
| Net taxes after credits | $985 | $871 | +$114 |
| Food | $1,016 | $976 | +$40 |
| Transportation | $1,638 | $1,526 | +$112 |
| Everything else | $1,503 | $1,484 | +$19 |
| Total per month | $8,729 | $8,147 | +$582 |
Household Budget Benchmark, family of four (2 adults, 2 children), 3-bedroom. Housing uses HUD Fair Market Rent (ZIP SAFMR where available); other rows are federal series adjusted by state-grain BEA price parities. CEX 2024 · FMR FY2026 · USDA 2026 · RPP 2024 · TY2026 · NDCP 2022 (CPI-inflated to 2026-M08).
Which city has higher prices, Houston or San Antonio?
BEA Regional Price Parities put overall prices at 98.6 in Houston and 94.7 in San Antonio, where the U.S. average is 100. RPP is a regional index shown at each city’s BEA grain, not a city-precise price tag.
| RPP component | Houston | San Antonio | Houston − San Antonio |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 98.6 | 94.7 | +3.9 |
| Goods | 100.6 | 93.8 | +6.8 |
| Rents | 104.5 | 94.6 | +9.9 |
| Utilities | 95.3 | 82.2 | +13.1 |
| Other services | 95.6 | 96.2 | −0.6 |
Houston: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area · reference year 2024. San Antonio: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX metro area · reference year 2024.
How much is rent in Houston vs San Antonio?
HUD sets the 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent at $1,573 in Houston and $1,426 in San Antonio for HUD fiscal year 2026.
| Bedrooms | Houston | San Antonio | Houston − San Antonio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-BR FMR | $1,323 | $1,177 | +$146 |
| 2-BR FMR | $1,573 | $1,426 | +$147 |
| 3-BR FMR | $2,116 | $1,830 | +$286 |
Houston: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX HUD Metro FMR Area. San Antonio: San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX HUD Metro FMR Area. HUD FY2026 40th-percentile gross rents.
Are taxes higher in Houston or San Antonio?
Houston and San Antonio are both in Texas, so these state-grain tax figures are identical for both cities. Combined state and local sales tax is about 8.2% statewide.
| Measure | Texas (TX) |
|---|---|
| Combined sales tax rate | 8.2% |
| Top state income tax rate | None |
| State and local tax collections per resident | $5,675 |
Sales & income tax rates: state statutes / DOR schedules, TY2026. Collections per resident: Census Annual Survey of State & Local Government Finances, FY2024. State totals include local governments. Differences are descriptive. Combined tax-category sampling covariance is unavailable, so no statistical-significance claim is made.
Are utilities and gas cheaper in Houston or San Antonio?
Houston and San Antonio are both in Texas, so these state and PADD-region energy prices are identical for both cities. Residential electricity runs about 15.4¢/kWh statewide.
| Measure | Texas (TX) |
|---|---|
| Residential electricity | 15.4¢/kWh |
| Residential natural gas | 18.56 $/Mcf |
| Retail gasoline | 4.05 $/gal |
Electricity & natural gas: EIA state-grain residential prices. Gasoline: EIA PADD 3 (Gulf Coast) vs PADD 3 (Gulf Coast) (PADD-region grain).
What does groceries cost in Houston vs San Antonio?
A USDA Low-Cost food plan for a family of four is about $1,122 a month nationally; the plan value is a national figure, while local price differences show up through the RPP-adjusted budget above.
| USDA plan (family of 4, monthly) | Houston | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Thrifty plan | $1,018 | $1,018 |
| Low-cost plan | $1,122 | $1,122 |
| Moderate plan | $1,387 | $1,387 |
USDA Cost of Food Plans, May 2026. National grain — identical for every city; the family budget applies each state’s RPP for local context.
Go deeper on Houston and San Antonio
Premium U.S. rent and regional price data
Rent benchmarks and regional price indexes, curated into a paid workbook with source notes and field definitions. Original geographies preserved; no city-level prices.
County, town, ZIP-area and regional data · Excel and CSV
The public data and tools on this page stay free.
Sources
Every figure above traces to an official federal or state source, shown with its vintage and geographic grain. Cost-of-living measures are not combined into one composite score. See the cost-of-living methodology.