Houston, TX vs Prescott Valley, AZ
Moving from Houston to Prescott Valley? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($308,306 → $350,000 median home) and taxes.
Houston vs Prescott Valley 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 $95,852 in Prescott Valley, AZ (−$4,148).
Livability — Houston, TX: 75 · Prescott Valley, AZ: 67 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,406 sqft in Houston vs 2,500 sqft in Prescott Valley ($147 vs $200 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Houston, TX | Prescott Valley, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,668 | $22,488 | +$2,820 |
| Groceries | $5,085 | $4,841 | −$244 |
| Transportation | $3,675 | $3,960 | +$285 |
| Utilities | $1,836 | $1,668 | −$168 |
| Insurance | $3,600 | $1,800 | −$1,800 |
| Taxes | $7,399 | $7,104 | −$295 |
| Total | $41,263 | $41,861 | +$598 |
Side by side
| Metric | Houston, TX | Prescott Valley, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 99.7 | 95.6 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.96% | 4.91% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.6% | 3.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 63 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.67 | $5.44 |
| Median home price | $308,306 | $350,000 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.9× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.0% | 3.0% |
| Price per square foot | $147 | $200 |
| Median rent | $1,639 | $1,874 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.6% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.20% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 1.79% | 0.47% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,800 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $9,500 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 30 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $3,600 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $900 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 17.0 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.00 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 96 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 38 | 41 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |