Ann Arbor, MI vs Houston, TX
Moving from Ann Arbor to Houston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($422,945 → $308,306 median home) and taxes.
Ann Arbor vs Houston at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Ann Arbor, MI, you'd need about $101,614 in Houston, TX (+$1,614).
Livability — Ann Arbor, MI: 61 · Houston, TX: 75 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,951 sqft in Ann Arbor vs 3,406 sqft in Houston ($256 vs $147 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Ann Arbor, MI | Houston, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $24,816 | $19,668 | −$5,148 |
| Groceries | $4,703 | $5,085 | +$382 |
| Transportation | $4,575 | $3,675 | −$900 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,836 | −$480 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $3,600 | +$2,300 |
| Taxes | $11,605 | $7,399 | −$4,206 |
| Total | $49,315 | $41,263 | −$8,052 |
Side by side
| Metric | Ann Arbor, MI | Houston, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.2 | 99.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.69% | 5.96% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 2.4% | 7.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 43 | 63 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.58 | $5.67 |
| Median home price | $422,945 | $308,306 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.0× | 3.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.5% | -2.0% |
| Price per square foot | $256 | $147 |
| Median rent | $2,068 | $1,639 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.0% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.00% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.56% | 1.79% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,500 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.61% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,700 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.4 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.35 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 38 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |