Evansville, IN vs Houston, TX
Moving from Evansville to Houston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($226,753 → $308,306 median home) and taxes.
Evansville 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 Evansville, IN, you'd need about $105,030 in Houston, TX (+$5,030).
Livability — Evansville, IN: 73 · Houston, TX: 75 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 4,191 sqft in Evansville vs 3,406 sqft in Houston ($119 vs $147 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Evansville, IN | Houston, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,044 | $19,668 | +$6,624 |
| Groceries | $4,740 | $5,085 | +$345 |
| Transportation | $3,250 | $3,675 | +$425 |
| Utilities | $4,992 | $5,064 | +$72 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $5,450 | $2,870 | −$2,580 |
| Total | $31,656 | $36,542 | +$4,886 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Evansville, IN: 5.5% · Houston, TX: 2.9% (income + local + sales + property tax where applicable ÷ income)
Assumptions: 500 gal gasoline/yr · $5000 base annual grocery · 35% of income sales-taxable. Renter: housing = median rent, renter's insurance, no property tax.
Side by side
| Metric | Evansville, IN | Houston, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.0 | 99.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.14% | 5.96% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -0.4% | 7.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 46 | 63 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.12 | $5.67 |
| Median home price | $226,753 | $308,306 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.5× | 3.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.8% | -2.0% |
| Price per square foot | $119 | $147 |
| Median rent | $1,087 | $1,639 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 9.3% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.00% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.05% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.80% | 1.79% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 75.1 yrs | 77.7 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,800 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 7.0% | 19.6% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 92 | 61 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.20% | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 38 | 84 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 1 | 1 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 94% | 95% |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 30 |
| Commute by driving alone | 81.2% | 73.6% |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,100 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 80.9 — Relatively Low | 97.6 — Relatively High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $600 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.9 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.30 | 3.00 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $52 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $102 | $134 |
| Home internet / mo | $81 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 360 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 86 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | 20 | 38 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 43.6 | 55.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 25.5 | 0.1 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 55% | 59% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |
Ad · affiliate links
Find a job in Evansville or Houston
Openings in each metro, so you can check what your salary actually looks like before you move.