COMPARE COST OF LIVING

Cook County, IL→Harris County, TX

Equivalent salary in Harris County, TX

$42,620

-14.76% lower

Current salary: $50,000

Household: 1 adult · 0 children

Median Income in Cook County, IL: $102,297

Median Income in Harris County, TX: $86,227

Living Index in Cook County, IL 50.70

Living Index in Harris County, TX 51.27

This estimate matches your purchasing power (equivalent salary) when moving from Cook County, IL to Harris County, TX.

* Living index is estimated from (estimated total cost / median_income of area) * 100.A living index above 100% means costs exceed median income.

Cost of Living Breakdown by Category

Summary/TLDR:

Overall your move from Cook County, IL → Harris County, TX can dramatically lower your cost of living by a large margin, around 14.76% ($7,658). Should your salary stay at or similar range this could feel like getting a tax-free pay raise of the same amount Moving can lead to meaningful savings especially in Housing, Food, Other Costs, and Taxes According to the Economic Policy Institute’s 2025 Family Budget data, Cook County, IL's Housing costs are 23.92% higher ($16,483 vs. $12,540), driving a large part of the cost difference. Movers could potentially save $3,943 in annual expenses. Transport and Healthcare costs for Harris County, TX , however, rise slightly.

Since Housing is one of the biggest drivers of living costs, this gap alone can noticeably change how the move feels month to month. Because housing is usually the largest line item in a budget, this gap alone can make the move feel noticeably cheaper or more expensive.

Below we break down the key differences driving this gap.

What changed the most?

The following numbers represent which categories have the highest and lowest cost increase when moving to Harris County, TX.

Biggest Increase

Highest new COST when moving to Harris County, TX

Average Cost:

$10,093 per year

TRANSPORT costs are highest in Harris County, TX.

Smallest Increase

Highest money SAVE when moving to Harris County, TX

Average Cost:

$12,540 per year

HOUSING costs are lowest in Harris County, TX.

Breakdown of price percentages per category.

Numbers are average costs per section.

Category	Difference
Housing	-23.92% lower
Cook County, IL Harris County, TX Average Cost $16483.00 $12540.00 INFO: Housing costs are based on the Department of Housing and Urban Development. The data represented shows the rental cost at the 40th percentile at a given area for privately owned, rental unit. Studio apartments were paired with 1 adult families, 1 Bedroom apartments with 2 Adult families, and 2 bedroom apartments for families with 1 or 2 children.
Food	-17.66% lower
Cook County, IL Harris County, TX Average Cost $4603.00 $3790.00 INFO: Food cost are based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food plan. Numbers are normalized to each area using weights from Feeding America and the Meal Gap data. This number assumes most food is bought at a local grocery store and then prepared at home.
Transport	16.55% higher
Cook County, IL Harris County, TX Average Cost $10093.00 $11763.00 INFO: Transportation costs are a combination of auto ownership, auto use, and public transit. Data is collected from the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT).
Healthcare	1.67% higher
Cook County, IL Harris County, TX Average Cost $4616.00 $4693.00 INFO: Health care expenses come from an average of insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The data assumes families purchase the lowest cost available insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act. Data comes from Kaiser Family foundation and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Other Costs	-22.55% lower
Cook County, IL Harris County, TX Average Cost $7094.00 $5494.00 INFO: This cost is calculated through the average spending of categories deemed necessary by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. These include apparel, personal care, household supplies, reading materials, and school supplies.
Taxes	-33.97% lower
Cook County, IL Harris County, TX Average Cost $8979.00 $5929.00 INFO: Taxes are calculated from the National Bureau of Economic Research. The number weighs in personal income tax, state income tax, federal Social Security, and Medicare taxes.

In your new location your total average costs would be $44210.00 compared to your previous average costs of $51868.00.

The lower price could be attributed to different factors. For example, in larger percentage differences, Large gaps often reflect location metropolitan vs. non-metropolitan cost structures.

In this case Harris County, TX and Cook County, IL are both metropolitan locations.

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