2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Atlanta Metro, GA

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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$130,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+30.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,242
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,296
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$8,538/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

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
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 -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,048
Target Market
Destination Location

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

COL 140.3
Gross Parity Income $130,700
Federal Income Tax -$20,102
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,999
State Income Tax -$5,773
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $94,826
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,428
Discretionary Cash Flow $75,398

EPI family budgets put living costs 30.7% higher in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, so $100,000 in Houston goes about as far as $130,700 in Atlanta. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,261 a month in Houston and $1,619 in Atlanta, $4,296 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,242 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Atlanta. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $8,538 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Houston and $51,170 in Atlanta.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,261$1,619+$358+28.4%
Food & Groceries$321$378+$57+17.8%
Transportation$1,015$1,054+$39+3.8%
Healthcare$422$515+$93+22.0%
Other Necessities$480$611+$131+27.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,088+$353+20.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$358/mo (28.4%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell: $1,619/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$265/mo (17.7%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell: $1,762/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$7.28/hr (30.7%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell: $31.03/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.59/hr (22.3%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell: $25.17/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$111,410-$8,190 (-6.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,830$100,490+$660 (+0.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,440$132,960+$3,520 (+2.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$85,820+$730 (+0.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,510$103,400+$3,890 (+3.9%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,120$101,220+$100 (+0.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,910$171,240+$4,330 (+2.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,180$58,650-$530 (-0.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,880$166,920+$31,040 (+22.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$172,160$177,970+$5,810 (+3.4%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,630$46,870+$240 (+0.5%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$105,440$108,730+$3,290 (+3.1%)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

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Relocation FAQs

About $130,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 140.3 in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Atlanta Metro, GA Overview

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Atlanta Metro, GA 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA to match $100,000 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

About $130,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 140.3 in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA cheaper than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 30.7% higher in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.