Monthly estimate = 1BR rent + electricity + gas
A one-person monthly baseline (1BR rent plus typical utilities) runs $1,360 in Houston, TX versus $940 in Huntington, WV. Overall, Huntington, WV is roughly 31% cheaper to live in day-to-day than Houston, TX, driven mainly by rent.
Median household income is $62,894 in Houston, TX and $43,146 in Huntington, WV — about 31% higher in Houston, TX. Texas has no state income tax and a 6.25% state sales tax; West Virginia has a top state income tax rate of 4.82% and a 6% state sales tax.
Rent
Buying a Home
Income
People & Lifestyle
Crime (per 100k/yr)
FBI Crime Data Explorer. Offenses per 100,000 residents per year; agency reporting practices vary, so this is approximate.
Climate
Gas
Area: Houston vs East Coast (PADD 1).
Public Transit
Adult base one-way fare — Houston METRO vs — (2026).
Utilities
Residential, state-level averages (EIA). MCF = 1,000 cubic feet.
Groceries
Average prices — South vs South (BLS). Regional where available, otherwise U.S. average.
State Taxes
Houston vs Huntington — FAQ
- Is it cheaper to live in Houston or Huntington?
- Huntington, WV is cheaper. Its monthly baseline of $940 (1BR rent + utilities) runs about 31% below Houston, TX's $1,360, mainly because of rent.
- How much more do you need to earn to live in Houston than in Huntington?
- To keep rent near the recommended 30% of gross income, you'd want to earn roughly $46,000 a year in Houston versus $30,000 in Huntington.
- Which has lower taxes, Houston or Huntington?
- Houston is taxed under Texas's rules (no state income tax and a 6.25% state sales tax); Huntington under West Virginia's (a top state income tax rate of 4.82% and a 6% state sales tax).
Sources: US Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year (rent, income, home value, demographics); NOAA Climate Normals 1981–2010 (climate); EIA weekly retail (gas); Tax Foundation 2026 (state taxes).