2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Casper, WY to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, 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 Casper, WY to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$106,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+6.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,484
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$5,484/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

Casper, WY

COL 100.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$9,648
Discretionary Cash Flow $69,532
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $106,800
Federal Income Tax -$14,666
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,170
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $83,964
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $68,832

EPI family budgets put living costs 6.8% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Casper, WY, so $100,000 in Casper goes about as far as $106,800 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $804 a month in Casper and $1,261 in Houston, $5,484 a year more. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays the same total tax in both metros. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,484 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,880 in Casper 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 Casper (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$804$1,261+$457+56.8%
Food & Groceries$342$321-$21-6.1%
Transportation$1,076$1,015-$61-5.7%
Healthcare$740$422-$318-43.0%
Other Necessities$341$480+$139+40.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$457/mo (56.8%)
Casper: $804/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$452/mo (43.3%)
Casper: $1,045/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.52/hr (6.8%)
Casper: $22.23/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.13/hr (-5.2%)
Casper: $21.71/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 Casper Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$101,450$119,600+$18,150 (+17.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$83,760$99,830+$16,070 (+19.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,910$99,510+$600 (+0.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,890$85,090+$1,200 (+1.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$103,000$129,440+$26,440 (+25.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$69,640$59,180-$10,460 (-15.0%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$65,130$63,180-$1,950 (-3.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$129,430$166,910+$37,480 (+29.0%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$56,200$46,630-$9,570 (-17.0%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$94,250$103,530+$9,280 (+9.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$129,670$135,880+$6,210 (+4.8%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,660$57,940-$4,720 (-7.5%)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

Casper, WY to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

About $106,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.5 in Casper, WY, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Casper, WY to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Casper, WY
Relocation: Casper, WY to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Overview

Casper, WY to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to match $100,000 in Casper, WY?

About $106,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (100.5 in Casper, WY, 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 Casper, WY?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 6.8% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Casper, WY. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.