Harrisburg, PA vs Houston, TX
Moving from Harrisburg to Houston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($312,126 → $308,306 median home) and taxes.
Harrisburg 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 Harrisburg, PA, you'd need about $102,845 in Houston, TX (+$2,845).
Livability — Harrisburg, PA: 65 · Houston, TX: 75 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,803 sqft in Harrisburg vs 3,406 sqft in Houston ($178 vs $147 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Harrisburg, PA | Houston, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $17,844 | $19,668 | +$1,824 |
| Groceries | $4,915 | $5,085 | +$170 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $3,675 | +$235 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,836 | −$480 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $3,600 | +$2,400 |
| Taxes | $8,331 | $7,399 | −$932 |
| Total | $38,046 | $41,263 | +$3,217 |
Side by side
| Metric | Harrisburg, PA | Houston, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.0 | 99.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.97% | 5.96% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.0% | 7.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 48 | 63 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.52 | $5.67 |
| Median home price | $312,126 | $308,306 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.1× | 3.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.5% | -2.0% |
| Price per square foot | $178 | $147 |
| Median rent | $1,487 | $1,639 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.35% | 1.79% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 38 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |