Manchester, NH vs Houston, TX
Moving from Manchester to Houston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($526,340 → $308,306 median home) and taxes.
Manchester 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 Manchester, NH, you'd need about $94,425 in Houston, TX (−$5,575).
Livability — Manchester, NH: 62 · Houston, TX: 75 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,710 sqft in Manchester vs 3,406 sqft in Houston ($292 vs $147 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Manchester, NH | Houston, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $25,632 | $19,668 | −$5,964 |
| Groceries | $4,935 | $5,085 | +$149 |
| Transportation | $2,955 | $3,675 | +$720 |
| Utilities | $2,940 | $1,836 | −$1,104 |
| Insurance | $1,000 | $3,600 | +$2,600 |
| Taxes | $6,681 | $7,399 | +$718 |
| Total | $44,143 | $41,263 | −$2,881 |
Side by side
| Metric | Manchester, NH | Houston, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 105.6 | 99.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.69% | 5.96% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 4.0% | 7.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 37 | 63 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.01 | $5.67 |
| Median home price | $526,340 | $308,306 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 3.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.2% | -2.0% |
| Price per square foot | $292 | $147 |
| Median rent | $2,136 | $1,639 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | None | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.88% | 1.79% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.80% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,000 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 27.2 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.25 | 3.00 |
| Violent crime /100k | 120 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 81 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | 10 | 38 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |