2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Augusta Metro, GA-SC

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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$95,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-4.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,242
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$708
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$3,534/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

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

COL 102.2
Gross Parity Income $95,200
Federal Income Tax -$12,114
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,283
State Income Tax -$4,002
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $71,801
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,424
Discretionary Cash Flow $57,377

EPI family budgets put living costs 4.8% lower in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, so $100,000 in Houston goes about as far as $95,200 in Augusta. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,261 a month in Houston and $1,202 in Augusta, $708 a year less. 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 Augusta. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,534 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Houston and $45,990 in Augusta.

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) Augusta-Richmond County (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,261$1,202-$59-4.7%
Food & Groceries$321$341+$20+6.2%
Transportation$1,015$1,100+$85+8.4%
Healthcare$422$475+$53+12.6%
Other Necessities$480$375-$105-21.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,088+$353+20.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$59/mo (-4.7%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo Augusta-Richmond County: $1,202/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$168/mo (-11.2%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo Augusta-Richmond County: $1,329/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$1.14/hr (-4.8%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr Augusta-Richmond County: $22.61/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.72/hr (-3.5%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr Augusta-Richmond County: $19.86/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 Augusta-Richmond County Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$102,360-$17,240 (-14.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,830$87,760-$12,070 (-12.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,510$101,280+$1,770 (+1.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$76,710-$8,380 (-9.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,440$119,780-$9,660 (-7.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,180$59,660+$480 (+0.8%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$63,180$66,690+$3,510 (+5.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,910$129,180-$37,730 (-22.6%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,630$49,960+$3,330 (+7.1%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,530$108,110+$4,580 (+4.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,880$138,690+$2,810 (+2.1%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,940$50,800-$7,140 (-12.3%)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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Relocation FAQs

About $95,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 102.2 in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Augusta Metro, GA-SC Overview

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

About $95,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 102.2 in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC cheaper than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 4.8% lower in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.