Houston, TX vs Hickory, NC
Moving from Houston to Hickory? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($308,306 → $271,739 median home) and taxes.
Houston vs Hickory 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 Houston, TX, you'd need about $100,691 in Hickory, NC (+$691).
Livability — Houston, TX: 75 · Hickory, NC: 73 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,406 sqft in Houston vs 3,679 sqft in Hickory ($147 vs $136 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Houston, TX | Hickory, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,668 | $17,952 | −$1,716 |
| Groceries | $5,085 | $4,840 | −$245 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $3,130 | −$545 |
| Utilities | $5,064 | $4,392 | −$672 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $2,870 | $6,693 | +$3,823 |
| Total | $36,542 | $37,187 | +$645 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Houston, TX: 2.9% · Hickory, NC: 6.7% (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 | Houston, TX | Hickory, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 99.7 | 89.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.96% | 5.52% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.6% | 0.5% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 63 | 46 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.67 | $5.09 |
| Median home price | $308,306 | $271,739 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 4.7× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.0% | 2.3% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $136 |
| Median rent | $1,639 | $1,496 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 8.6% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 1.79% | 0.69% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 77.7 yrs | 73.7 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,600 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 19.6% | 12.6% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 61 | 56 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.10% |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 84 | 27 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 1 | 0 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 95% | 91% |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 24 |
| Commute by driving alone | 73.6% | 81.9% |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,400 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 97.6 — Relatively High | 71.7 — Relatively Low |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.20 |
| Natural gas / mo | $52 | $62 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $134 | $78 |
| Home internet / mo | $83 | $80 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 430 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 30 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 55.6 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.1 | 5.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 59% | 58% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |
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