on $100k a year, leaving Los Angeles
changea dispatch from
houston
TX
29.76°N
95.37°W
Houston has no zoning laws (you'll see a taco truck next to a mansion next to a strip mall), the most diverse food scene in America by most rankings, and NASA's mission control out on the edge of town. The Texas Medical Center is the largest in the world. It's sprawling and culturally enormous, with a Vietnamese pho district, Nigerian jollof spots, and a Tex-Mex scene that takes itself seriously. Bigger than you think, in every direction.
in our guides
the verdict
lighter monthly cost than Los Angeles
Move to Houston and the monthly math gets easier. Los Angeles's rent is the headline; Houston's is a footnote.
a quick ledger.
$1,610/mo
44% cheaper than Los Angeles(vs $2,899/mo)
0%
$775/mo less in state tax than Los Angeles
vs 9.3% in Los Angeles
$6,723/mo
$2,064 more than Los Angeles
gross of federal tax. a comparison, not a paycheck.
$311k
70% cheaper than Los Angeles
vs $1029k in Los Angeles
7.5M
vs 12.8M in Los Angeles
field notes, weather & such.
171
pleasant days a year, in houston.
Los Angeles actually gets more: 283 pleasant days a year. Summer is real but not punishing: 54 days top 95° vs Los Angeles's 19.
But the calendar thins out: Los Angeles stays 1.6× busier.
55/100
18% lower than Los Angeles
vs 67/100 in Los Angeles
Closest outdoor draw: Sheldon Lake State Park & Environmental Learning Center, 14.6 mi.
77/100
20% lower than Los Angeles
vs 96/100 in Los Angeles
176
17% more than Los Angeles
vs 150 nonstops in Los Angeles
neighbors of houston on the map of tradeoffs:
compare houston with:
