2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Gulfport-Biloxi, MS 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 Gulfport-Biloxi, MS to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$111,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+11.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,268
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,348
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$80/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

Gulfport-Biloxi, MS

COL 96.0
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,268
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,912
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,784
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,128
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $111,800
Federal Income Tax -$15,766
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,553
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $87,481
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $72,349

EPI family budgets put living costs 11.8% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Gulfport-Biloxi, MS, so $100,000 in Gulfport goes about as far as $111,800 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $982 a month in Gulfport and $1,261 in Houston, $3,348 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,268 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Houston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $80 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $43,470 in Gulfport 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 Gulfport-Biloxi (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$982$1,261+$279+28.4%
Food & Groceries$343$321-$22-6.4%
Transportation$1,023$1,015-$8-0.8%
Healthcare$518$422-$96-18.5%
Other Necessities$344$480+$136+39.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,007$1,735-$272-13.6%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$279/mo (28.4%)
Gulfport-Biloxi: $982/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$312/mo (26.3%)
Gulfport-Biloxi: $1,185/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.51/hr (11.8%)
Gulfport-Biloxi: $21.24/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.29/hr (6.7%)
Gulfport-Biloxi: $19.29/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 Gulfport-Biloxi Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$107,480$119,600+$12,120 (+11.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$78,960$99,830+$20,870 (+26.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$84,200$99,510+$15,310 (+18.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,380$85,090+$8,710 (+11.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$104,240$129,440+$25,200 (+24.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,440$59,180-$3,260 (-5.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$115,320$166,910+$51,590 (+44.7%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$69,200$63,180-$6,020 (-8.7%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$63,440$57,940-$5,500 (-8.7%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$63,520$46,630-$16,890 (-26.6%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,940$103,530+$590 (+0.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$87,570$135,880+$48,310 (+55.2%)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

Gulfport-Biloxi, MS to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

About $111,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.0 in Gulfport-Biloxi, MS, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Gulfport-Biloxi, MS to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Gulfport-Biloxi, MS
Relocation: Gulfport-Biloxi, MS to Houston-Pasadena, TX Overview

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

About $111,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (96.0 in Gulfport-Biloxi, MS, 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 Gulfport-Biloxi, MS?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 11.8% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Gulfport-Biloxi, MS. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.