Cost of living: Quito vs. Houston
Thinking of moving to the US? Compare the cost of living in any city with your hometown.
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At a glance
Texas has no state income tax, and housing is relatively affordable for a big metro. Sending money home? Ria makes it fast and secure.
Life in Houston
Houston is a flat, low-lying city near the Gulf of Mexico, drained by bayous and prone to flooding, as Hurricane Harvey showed in 2017. Energy, the Texas Medical Center and NASA's Johnson Space Center shape its economy, and its port leads the US in international waterborne tonnage. It is the largest US city without formal zoning, and 44% of residents were Hispanic or Latino in 2020.
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Often ranked the most ethnically diverse big city in the US.
Monthly breakdown
What everyday life costs in each city, side by side.
| Total |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | $300 | $1,123 |
| Healthcare | $60 | $337 |
| Groceries | $105 | $444 |
| Utilities | $45 | $276 |
| Transit | $20 | $55 |
| Other | $420 | $484 |
Estimated monthly costs for one adult: typical rent across the metro area, USDA's moderate-cost food plan and U.S. government spending data — a typical budget, not a minimum.
Sources, updated September 2026: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (Regional Price Parities, 2024); U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (Consumer Expenditure Surveys, 2024; Consumer Price Index); U.S. Department of Agriculture (Food Plans, July 2026); Federal Communications Commission (Urban Rate Survey, 2026); U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (Fair Market Rents, FY2026); U.S. Energy Information Administration (weekly retail gasoline prices); official fare pages of each city's transit agency; Latin America: crowdsourced cost-of-living platforms, used for reference.
Quito figures are collected from online sources.
Cost of living by US city
15 cities, ranked by monthly cost for one person
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Frequently asked questions
Is Houston more expensive than Quito?
For one adult, Houston is 2.9× more expensive than Quito: about $2,719 a month, compared with about $950 in Quito.
What is the monthly cost difference between Quito and Houston?
About $1,769 a month for one adult: $2,719 in Houston versus $950 in Quito. Change the number of adults above to see your household's figures.
Which costs change the most between Quito and Houston?
Utilities shows the biggest jump: it costs 6.1× as much in Houston as in Quito.
How does rent compare between Quito and Houston?
A one-bedroom apartment rents for about $1,123 a month in Houston and about $300 in Quito. Rents exclude utilities.
Can a minimum-wage job cover the costs in Houston?
A full-time minimum-wage job in Houston ($7.25 an hour) pays about $1,257 a month before taxes. Typical costs for one adult there are about $2,719 a month. Add your income above to see what would be left each month.
How is the cost of living measured?
We add up typical monthly costs for one adult in six categories: housing, healthcare, groceries, utilities, transit and other everyday spending. U.S. figures are calculated from government data (Bureau of Labor Statistics, Bureau of Economic Analysis, HUD and the Energy Information Administration) plus transit agencies' published fares. Latin American figures come from crowdsourced cost-of-living platforms, and their healthcare costs are a modeled estimate. Minimum wages are each city's local rate where it has one, otherwise the state rate published by the U.S. Department of Labor. Both cities' figures were last updated in 2026.
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