2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Davenport-Moline, IA-IL 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$113,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+13.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,148
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,908
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,760/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

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL

COL 94.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,148
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $76,032
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,224
Discretionary Cash Flow $65,808
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $113,900
Federal Income Tax -$16,228
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,713
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $88,959
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $73,827

EPI family budgets put living costs 13.9% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL, so $100,000 in Davenport goes about as far as $113,900 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $852 a month in Davenport and $1,261 in Houston, $4,908 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,148 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Houston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,760 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,550 in Davenport 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$852$1,261+$409+48.0%
Food & Groceries$345$321-$24-7.0%
Transportation$1,031$1,015-$16-1.6%
Healthcare$483$422-$61-12.6%
Other Necessities$327$480+$153+46.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,997$1,735-$262-13.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$409/mo (48.0%)
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $852/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$441/mo (41.8%)
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $1,056/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.90/hr (13.9%)
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $20.85/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.40/hr (2.0%)
Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $20.18/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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$91,140$119,600+$28,460 (+31.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$77,150$99,830+$22,680 (+29.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,880$99,510-$3,370 (-3.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,600$85,090+$7,490 (+9.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$115,780$129,440+$13,660 (+11.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$76,950$59,180-$17,770 (-23.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$139,150$166,910+$27,760 (+19.9%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$72,790$63,180-$9,610 (-13.2%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$51,190$46,630-$4,560 (-8.9%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$48,630$57,940+$9,310 (+19.1%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,360$103,530+$1,170 (+1.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$128,420$135,880+$7,460 (+5.8%)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

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

About $113,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (94.3 in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL
Relocation: Davenport-Moline, IA-IL to Houston-Pasadena, TX Overview

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Davenport-Moline, IA-IL 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL?

About $113,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (94.3 in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL, 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 13.9% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.