2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Augusta Metro, GA-SC to Houston-Pasadena, TX

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$105,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+5.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,242
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$708
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$3,534/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

COL 102.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,242
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,939
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,424
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,515
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $105,000
Federal Income Tax -$14,270
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,033
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $82,698
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,566

EPI family budgets put living costs 5.0% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC, so $100,000 in Augusta goes about as far as $105,000 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,202 a month in Augusta and $1,261 in Houston, $708 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,242 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Houston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,534 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $45,990 in Augusta and $49,410 in Houston.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Augusta-Richmond County (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,202$1,261+$59+4.9%
Food & Groceries$341$321-$20-5.9%
Transportation$1,100$1,015-$85-7.7%
Healthcare$475$422-$53-11.2%
Other Necessities$375$480+$105+28.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,088$1,735-$353-16.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$59/mo (4.9%)
Augusta-Richmond County: $1,202/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$168/mo (12.6%)
Augusta-Richmond County: $1,329/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.14/hr (5.0%)
Augusta-Richmond County: $22.61/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.72/hr (3.6%)
Augusta-Richmond County: $19.86/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Augusta-Richmond County Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,360$119,600+$17,240 (+16.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$87,760$99,830+$12,070 (+13.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,280$99,510-$1,770 (-1.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,710$85,090+$8,380 (+10.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$119,780$129,440+$9,660 (+8.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,660$59,180-$480 (-0.8%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$66,690$63,180-$3,510 (-5.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$129,180$166,910+$37,730 (+29.2%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$49,960$46,630-$3,330 (-6.7%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$108,110$103,530-$4,580 (-4.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,690$135,880-$2,810 (-2.0%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$50,800$57,940+$7,140 (+14.1%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

About $105,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (102.2 in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
Relocation: Augusta Metro, GA-SC to Houston-Pasadena, TX Overview

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Augusta Metro, GA-SC to Houston-Pasadena, TX compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to match $100,000 in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC?

About $105,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (102.2 in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX cheaper than Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 5.0% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.