The Big Apple or H-Town: The Difference Between Houston and New York
Torn between the Big Apple and H-Town? Well, we can’t blame you either – both cities are good and can be the ideal place if you want to start anew. Thus, if you’re looking to move to either city, then this simple guide will be for you.
New Yorkers have a higher average salary compared to Houstonians, but Houston has the advantage of having a better standard of living, along with cheaper real estate and transportation prices overall.
Houston is also a lot hotter compared to New York, along with a less safe place to live in thanks to Houston having a higher crime rate.
Cost of Living in New York Vs. Chicago
New York employers pay 15% more compared to Houston employers. On average, New Yorkers also take home $483.82 compared to their Houstonian counterparts, but Houston’s prices are a lot cheaper compared to New York’s
| Houston | New York | |
| Average Salary (after tax) | $4,682.11 | $6,299.00 |
| Unemployment Rate | 4% | 4.3% |
| Rent Per Month (1 Bedroom) | $1 434.58 | $3 279.87 |
| VAT | 8.25% | 8.8% |
| Monthly Transportation Ticket | $40.00 | $129.00 |
| Avg. Price of Milk (1L) | $0.80 | $1.20 |
| Fuel Price (1L) | $0.73 | $0.84 |
| Internet Price | $59.42 | $65.15 |
Data Source: Living Cost
Data has shown that although New Yorkers take home more money with their salary even after taxes, Houston has better living quality since living in New York’s sky-high prices can make living there a lot more expensive.
Numbers have shown that moving from Houston to New York with an income of $60,000 means that you will need to earn twice that, or $112,228 to maintain your current standard of living.
Though there isn’t as much price difference when it comes to regular items between New York and Houston, New York’s rent prices are almost twice as expensive along with the monthly transportation tickets being thrice as much as well.
The main reason for New York being a lot more expensive than Houston is mainly because of the taxes that the government has placed on its citizens. This is mainly because New Yorkers earn more – or 14% more than the national average.
The high sales taxes and VAT also add into it as well. Though a .55 more when it comes to VAT might seem negligible, it will still add a lot, especially when you consider that New York prices are a lot more expensive compared to Houston prices.
Real Estate in Houston Vs. New York
Both houses and apartments cost a lot in New York compared to Houston – with apartment rent being at least $1000 more than the national, US average, and almost twice as much compared to Houston’s.
New York has also faced a housing problem since the 90s, which means there are less and fewer homes available in the metropolis
| Housing |
| Houston | New York | |
| Median Home Cost | $247,900 | $677,200 |
| Property Tax Rate | $17.1 | $8.6 |
| Homes Owned | 37.7% | 30.0% |
| Apartments |
| Houston | New York | |
| Average Rent | $1,760 | $3,210 |
| Studio Apartment Rent | $1,070 | $2,250 |
| 1 Bedroom Apartment Rent | $1,130 | $2,300 |
| 2 Bedroom Apartment Rent | $1,350 | $2,600 |
| 3 Bedroom Apartment Rent | $1,780 | $3,260 |
| 4 Bedroom Apartment Rent | $2,310 | $3,510 |
Data Source: Bestplaces.net
New York’s prices have been on a consistent uprise since it the 1990s, and it still haven’t gone down even until today. The housing prices have still not gone down – in fact, New York’s prices have skyrocketed past twice the US average.
Although the New York housing scene does have less property tax and more New Yorkers own their own homes compared to Houston, Houston’s median house prices are still 4 times less expensive compared to New York’s.
Apartments are also a lot less expensive in New York compared to Houston – with data suggesting that the rent for a one-bedroom apartment in New York is twice as expensive as it is in Houston.
Transportation Prices: New York vs. Houston
Both cities are congested, as expected from a metropolitan city like New York and Houston. But Houston’s prices on public transportation and gas are significantly cheaper – some cars are even cheaper in Houston compared to New York!
Though New York’s Metro systems are a lot more efficient compared to Houston’s METRORail, its monthly passes are a lot less expensive compared to New York’s MTA Transit.
| Houston | New York | |
| One-way Ticket Price | $1.38 | $2.90 |
| Monthly Pass | $60 | $132 |
| Taxi (1KM) | $1.86 | $2.02 |
| Gasoline (1L) | $0.81 | $1.03 |
| Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car) | $26,500 | $28,000 |
Data Source: Numbeo
Data suggests that as of February 1, 2024, Houston’s regular transportation prices are at least 20-30% cheaper compared to those of New York – even when New York’s MTA Transit is a lot more convenient and has a lot more stops.
Motorists will also have a better time in Houston, as gasoline prices are at least 20% cheaper compared to New York’s, too. Additionally, New York’s gasoline prices have gone up as of the time of writing too – but it’s still more expensive than Houston’s.
Speaking of motorists, Houston car dealers also offer significantly lower prices compared to their New York counterparts. That only applies to new cars bought in dealerships, as Texas has a higher average used car price compared to New York,
City Climate: New York vs. Houston
Although both New York and Houston suffer from intense heat during the summer, New York is a lot colder during the winter and fall. New York reached 70 in. of snow in 2021, compared to Houston’s 0.1 inches over the decades.
That being said though, Houston is a lot hotter, and even if New York is a lot more humid, Houston is susceptible to mold (Houston dirtiest city) and other infestations at certain times of the year.
| Houston | New York | |
| Average Temperature | 22.4 °C | 14.2 °C |
| Humidity Rate | 60% | 68% |
| Air Quality Index | 64 | 58 |
| Average Minimum Temperature | 27.1 °C | 18.2 °C |
| Average Maximum Temperature | 17.7 °C | 10.2 °C |
Data Source: Versus.com
With Houston recording its hottest summer yet in 2023 and New York suffering from having one of the lowest atmospheric pressures recorded in May of last year, both cities are not strangers to freak weather occurrences.
However, New York is a lot cooler compared to Houston by a long shot, as reports from Versus.com show that the Houston heat still averages out to a relatively toasty 22.4°C compared to New York’s 14.2 °C.
That being said though, New York is a lot more humid compared to Houston – and has all to do with New York being more populated, yet significantly smaller than Houston. The packed buildings and highrise buildings don’t help with the humidity issue, either.
| Houston | New York (Brooklyn) | |
| Summer High | 93 °F | 84.3 °F |
| Winter Low | 43.4 °F | 26.5 °F |
| Rain Average | 53 in. | 46.1 in |
| Snow Average | 0 in | 24.9 in |
Data Source: BestPlaces
Houston has also recorded a hotter summer high compared with New York, and Houston’s winter low still being significantly hotter than New York’s as well. Houston also received less rain, and as usual for Texas, 0 inches of snow as well.
Crime Rates in Houston vs New York
When thinking of an unsafe city to live in, New York might be the first place you’ll think of – but Houston by far surpasses New York when it comes to the crime rate, both in petty and lethal crimes.
A study has shown that Houston by far surpasses not just New York in terms of crime rate, but also bigger cities like Los Angeles and Chicago as well.
| Houston | New York | |
| Violent Crime | 625,4 | 354.7 |
| Property Crime | 2585.5 | 1351.4 |
Data Source: BestPlaces
When it comes to crime, Houston has always been on the top, not just across Texas, but the entirety of the United States. Houston’s 2020 crime rate far surpassed the national average, with at least 200 more cases per 100,000 people than the entire US.
New York has a slightly lower murder rate compared to Houston, with New York having 6.7 murders per 100,000 people. Compared to Houston’s 13.1 cases with the same numbers.
Houston also has a higher property crime rate, with the 2020 numbers reaching 2585.5 per 100,000 homes, as compared to New York’s 1351.4 per 100,000. This means Houston houses are more likely to be broken into compared to New York homes.
This can be mainly chalked to Houston having less police officers per capita compared to New York, with Houston only having 22.2 police officers per 10,000 people as of 2014 compared to New York’s 42.3 police officers per 10,000.
