Climate
Houston logs 136 hot days a year to New York City's 22 — New York City wins by 114. Houston also leads on frost days by 50.
Houston
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
New York City
Feels-like °C
Dinner outside
Cost of Living
Houston is $2282/mo cheaperHouston runs about $3,133/mo for a balanced lifestyle against New York City's $5,415/mo — Houston comes in $2,282 cheaper each month, roughly 73% less.
Houston
$3,133monthly · balanced
New York City
$5,415monthly · balanced
Mobility
On mobility, New York City scores 3.6 vs Houston's 2.0 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on walkability. Houston still holds an edge on car efficiency.
Culture
New York City's culture score of 4.8 sits well above Houston's 3.5, with the biggest gap on history museums.
Nature & Outdoors
New York City's nature & outdoors score of 4.0 sits well above Houston's 3.2, with the biggest gap on sea access. Houston still holds an edge on forest access.
Safety
Houston and New York City score neck-and-neck on safety (2.2 vs 2.2, 0–5 scale).
Career
New York City's career score of 5.0 sits well above Houston's 3.8, with the biggest gap on startup ecosystem.
Social & Community
New York City's social & community score is ~1.3× Houston's — in the upper band, while Houston lands in the middle of the scale, with the biggest gap on expat-first community.
Food & Dining
On food & dining, New York City scores 5.0 vs Houston's 3.6 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on vegan & vegetarian options.
Family
On family, New York City scores 4.3 vs Houston's 3.1 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on international schools.
Healthcare
On healthcare, New York City scores 3.5 vs Houston's 2.1 (0–5 scale), with the biggest gap on private healthcare quality.
Air Quality
Houston averages 8.9 µg/m³ (good) PM2.5 annually versus New York City's 8.6 µg/m³ (good) — New York City breathes ~3% cleaner air (0.3 µg/m³ lower).
Houston
New York City
PM2.5 annual average
WHO classification
City Scale
Both maps at the same real-world scale — 1 cm on either map is the same distance.
Houston (4.3M) and New York City (14.2M) are 3.3x in population — New York City is the larger metro, Houston the smaller; on land area New York City spans roughly 1.6x more ground.
New York City is roughly 2.3x the scale of Houston
Combined population & area comparison
New York CityHoustonCity Scale Rankings
New York City14.2M3.3xHouston4.3M1xNew York City3,031 km²1.6xHouston1,859 km²1xHouston
New York City
Who Thrives Here
Houston favours the crowd avoider, while New York City suits the ocean lover. Both cities work well for the english speaker.
Also compared
Frequently asked about Houston vs New York City
▶Which is cheaper, Houston or New York City?
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The best city depends on what matters to you
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