2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$106,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+6.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,576
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$3,576/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

Cheyenne, WY

COL 101.0
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 -$11,556
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,624
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $106,300
Federal Income Tax -$14,556
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,132
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $83,612
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $68,480

EPI family budgets put living costs 6.3% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Cheyenne, WY, so $100,000 in Cheyenne goes about as far as $106,300 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $963 a month in Cheyenne and $1,261 in Houston, $3,576 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 $3,576 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $51,540 in Cheyenne 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 Cheyenne (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$963$1,261+$298+30.9%
Food & Groceries$349$321-$28-8.0%
Transportation$1,075$1,015-$60-5.6%
Healthcare$712$422-$290-40.7%
Other Necessities$351$480+$129+36.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$298/mo (30.9%)
Cheyenne: $963/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$269/mo (21.9%)
Cheyenne: $1,228/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.41/hr (6.3%)
Cheyenne: $22.34/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.27/hr (-5.8%)
Cheyenne: $21.85/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 Cheyenne Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$97,980$119,600+$21,620 (+22.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$94,540$99,830+$5,290 (+5.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$93,060$99,510+$6,450 (+6.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$74,050$85,090+$11,040 (+14.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$121,990$129,440+$7,450 (+6.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$74,590$59,180-$15,410 (-20.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$116,770$166,910+$50,140 (+42.9%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$72,950$63,180-$9,770 (-13.4%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$106,460$103,530-$2,930 (-2.8%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$57,900$46,630-$11,270 (-19.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$108,110$135,880+$27,770 (+25.7%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,030$57,940-$1,090 (-1.8%)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

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

About $106,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.0 in Cheyenne, WY, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Cheyenne, WY to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Cheyenne, WY to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, 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 Cheyenne, WY?

About $106,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.0 in Cheyenne, 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 Cheyenne, WY?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 6.3% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Cheyenne, WY. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.