cost
Cost of Living Index
Houston49.6 / 100
Vancouver67.8 / 0
Comparison
Side-by-side data for relocation, travel, hiring, and investment decisions. Values are shown with source-backed metric definitions so trade-offs are easy to compare.
Bars and radar use 0-100 better scores. Tooltips keep the raw source values visible.
Chart summary: Houston leads Cost of Living Index with 100 out of 100; Houston leads Safety Index with 100 out of 100; Vancouver leads Median Monthly Rent with 100 out of 100; Vancouver leads House Price to Income with 100 out of 100. A complete normalized score table follows.
| Metric | Place | Raw value | Normalized score | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cost of Living Index | Houston | 49.6 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Cost of Living Index | Vancouver | 67.8 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Safety Index | Houston | 60.2 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | UNData / UNSD |
| Safety Index | Vancouver | 59.1 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | UNData / UNSD |
| Median Monthly Rent | Houston | $3,428 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Median Monthly Rent | Vancouver | $1,026 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| House Price to Income | Houston | 11.6x | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| House Price to Income | Vancouver | 3.7x | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Average Salary | Houston | $5,949/mo | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Average Salary | Vancouver | $3,750/mo | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Unemployment Rate | Houston | 5.2% | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Unemployment Rate | Vancouver | 10.6% | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | World Bank Open Data |
| Healthcare Access Index | Houston | 67.7 | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
| Healthcare Access Index | Vancouver | 68.5 | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
| Life Expectancy | Houston | 76.0 years | 0 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
| Life Expectancy | Vancouver | 77.4 years | 100 out of 100 | 2026 | WHO Global Health Observatory |
cost
safety
housing
housing
jobs
jobs
health
health
Winner
No clear winner across 22 metrics.
Winner logic counts row wins after applying each metric direction. Exact ties do not count. Methodology
Top trade-offs
Houston leads cost, safety, and salary; Vancouver leads rent, housing, and health.
cost
Houston
49.6
Vancouver
67.8
safety
Houston
60.2
Vancouver
59.1
housing
Houston
$3,428
Vancouver
$1,026
housing
Houston
11.6x
Vancouver
3.7x
jobs
Houston
$5,949/mo
Vancouver
$3,750/mo
jobs
Houston
5.2%
Vancouver
10.6%
health
Houston
67.7
Vancouver
68.5
health
Houston
76.0 years
Vancouver
77.4 years
environment
environment
infrastructure
demographics
Houston
1.8%
Vancouver
2.3%
education
Houston
71.1
Vancouver
90
transport
Houston
73.2
Vancouver
45.6
safety
Houston
9.5 per 100k
Vancouver
15.1 per 100k
safety
Houston
62.1 per 100k
Vancouver
58.7 per 100k
health
Houston
23.4%
Vancouver
5.6%
quality
Houston
7.2
Vancouver
5.9
housing
Houston
$14,932/sqm
Vancouver
$7,727/sqm
religion
Houston
7.2%
Vancouver
57.3%
religion
Houston
34.3%
Vancouver
23.2%
religion
Houston
19.0%
Vancouver
69.9%
Some city-level values are modeled estimates when official city-level data is unavailable.
Each metric keeps its source, year, last refreshed date, and confidence label visible. Review methodology or Data Sources.