2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Fayetteville Metro, AR 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 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$106,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+6.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,687
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$2,460
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,227/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

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR

COL 101.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,687
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,493
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,672
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,821
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $106,100
Federal Income Tax -$14,512
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,117
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $83,471
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $68,339

EPI family budgets put living costs 6.1% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR, so $100,000 in Fayetteville goes about as far as $106,100 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,056 a month in Fayetteville and $1,261 in Houston, $2,460 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,687 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Houston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,227 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,610 in Fayetteville 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 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,056$1,261+$205+19.4%
Food & Groceries$342$321-$21-6.1%
Transportation$1,085$1,015-$70-6.5%
Healthcare$481$422-$59-12.3%
Other Necessities$371$480+$109+29.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,042$1,735-$307-15.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$205/mo (19.4%)
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers: $1,056/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$241/mo (19.2%)
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers: $1,256/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.37/hr (6.1%)
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers: $22.38/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.68/hr (3.4%)
Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers: $19.90/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 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$81,800$119,600+$37,800 (+46.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$77,910$99,830+$21,920 (+28.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$82,310$99,510+$17,200 (+20.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,190$85,090+$7,900 (+10.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$105,130$129,440+$24,310 (+23.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$49,230$59,180+$9,950 (+20.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$147,410$166,910+$19,500 (+13.2%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$59,880$63,180+$3,300 (+5.5%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$41,570$46,630+$5,060 (+12.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$147,270$135,880-$11,390 (-7.7%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$99,320$103,530+$4,210 (+4.2%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$47,740$57,940+$10,200 (+21.4%)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

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

About $106,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.2 in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR
Relocation: Fayetteville Metro, AR to Houston-Pasadena, TX Overview

Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR 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: Fayetteville Metro, AR 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 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR?

About $106,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.2 in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR, 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 Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 6.1% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.