City comparison
Cleveland, OH vs Houston, TX
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent, state taxes and federal GS pay.
Key findings
- Prices in Houston, TX are 5.0% higher than in Cleveland, OH. Someone earning $100,000 in Cleveland, OH would need about $105,000 in Houston, TX to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,323 a month in Houston, TX versus $1,058 in Cleveland, OH. On $100,000, that's 20% of take-home pay in Houston, TX and 16% in Cleveland, OH.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $1,968 a year higher in Cleveland, OH than in Houston, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +10.4% moving from Cleveland, OH to Houston, TX ($111,138 → $122,749), while prices change by +5.0%. Net effect of the transfer: +5.2% in real buying power.
- Cleveland, OH: price level 93.9 (cheaper)
- Houston, TX: price level 98.6 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Cleveland, OH | Houston, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 93.9 | 98.6 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $105,010 in Houston | $95,229 in Cleveland |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,058/mo | $1,323/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $77,212 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $1,968 (OH) | $0 (TX) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 16% | 20% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $50,140 | $49,410 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA | Houston-The Woodlands, TX |
Rent areas: Cleveland, OH HUD Metro FMR Area and Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Cleveland, OH and Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Cleveland | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 79.4 | 104.5 |
| Goods | 93.6 | 100.6 |
| Utilities | 96.0 | 95.3 |
| Other services | 98.9 | 95.6 |
| Overall | 93.9 | 98.6 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Cleveland, OH → Houston, TX
Same pay buys less
Buying power −4.8%; rent takes 20% of take-home; state tax −$1,968/yr.
54 Fair offer
Houston, TX → Cleveland, OH
Same pay goes further
Buying power +5.0%; rent takes 16% of take-home; state tax +$1,968/yr.
84 Strong offer
Federal employees: GS pay
Cleveland, OH is in the Cleveland-Akron-Canton, OH-PA pay area; Houston, TX is in Houston-The Woodlands, TX. The last column shows what a transfer from Cleveland, OH to Houston, TX at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Cleveland, OH | Houston, TX | Real change, Cleveland → Houston |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $64,448 | $71,181 | +5.2% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $77,977 | $86,123 | +5.2% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $93,461 | $103,225 | +5.2% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $111,138 | $122,749 | +5.2% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $131,331 | $145,052 | +5.2% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Cleveland, OH | Houston, TX | Houston pay in Cleveland dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Information Security Analysts | $105,890 | $126,370 | $120,340 (+13.6%) |
| Software Developers | $111,310 | $129,440 | $123,264 (+10.7%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $80,000 | $85,090 | $81,030 (+1.3%) |
| Registered Nurses | $83,940 | $99,830 | $95,067 (+13.3%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.