Santa Cruz, CA vs Houston, TX
Moving from Santa Cruz to Houston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($1,157,157 → $308,306 median home) and taxes.
Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz, CA, you'd need about $65,671 in Houston, TX (−$34,329).
Livability — Santa Cruz, CA: 38 · Houston, TX: 75 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 648 sqft in Santa Cruz vs 3,406 sqft in Houston ($771 vs $147 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Santa Cruz, CA | Houston, TX | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $43,188 | $19,668 | −$23,520 |
| Groceries | $5,247 | $5,085 | −$162 |
| Transportation | $5,125 | $3,675 | −$1,450 |
| Utilities | $7,320 | $5,064 | −$2,256 |
| Insurance | $180 | $180 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $8,826 | $2,870 | −$5,956 |
| Total | $69,885 | $36,542 | −$33,344 |
Effective state & local tax rate on $100,000 — Santa Cruz, CA: 8.8% · 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 | Santa Cruz, CA | Houston, TX |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 112.8 | 99.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.94% | 5.96% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | -1.7% | 7.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 39 | 63 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.42 | $5.67 |
| Median home price | $1,157,157 | $308,306 |
| Home price ÷ income | 11.1× | 3.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 2.9% | -2.0% |
| Price per square foot | $771 | $147 |
| Median rent | $3,599 | $1,639 |
| Total tax burden (state avg, Tax Foundation) | 13.5% | 8.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.82% | 8.20% |
| Capital gains tax | 13.30% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.63% | 1.79% |
| Life expectancy at birth | 81.8 yrs | 77.7 yrs |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,200 | $6,800 |
| Uninsured (share of residents) | 6.5% | 19.6% |
| Primary care providers / 100k | 102 | 61 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $19,000 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 0.65% | None |
| Days per year ≥ 90°F | 6 | 84 |
| Days per year ≥ 100°F | 0 | 1 |
| Homes with air conditioning (state) | 72% | 95% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 30 |
| Commute by driving alone | 63.4% | 73.6% |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $3,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,400 | $2,100 |
| FEMA risk index (0–100, higher = more risk) | 97.8 — Relatively High | 97.6 — Relatively High |
| Flood insurance / yr | $750 | $900 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $950 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 35.3 | 17.0 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.85 | 3.00 |
| Natural gas / mo | $72 | $52 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $138 | $134 |
| Home internet / mo | $83 | $83 |
| Violent crime /100k (state avg) | 500 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 96 |
| Avg winter low °F | 45 | 38 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 22.9 | 55.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 0.1 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 68% | 59% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |
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