2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Bismarck, ND

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 Bismarck, ND.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$87,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-12.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$669
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$4,008
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$3,339/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

Bismarck, ND

COL 94.1
Gross Parity Income $87,600
Federal Income Tax -$10,442
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,701
State Income Tax -$428
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $70,029
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,124
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,905

EPI family budgets put living costs 12.4% lower in Bismarck, ND than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, so $100,000 in Houston goes about as far as $87,600 in Bismarck. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,261 a month in Houston and $927 in Bismarck, $4,008 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $669 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Bismarck. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,339 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Houston and $52,560 in Bismarck.

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) Bismarck (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,261$927-$334-26.5%
Food & Groceries$321$350+$29+9.0%
Transportation$1,015$1,105+$90+8.9%
Healthcare$422$406-$16-3.8%
Other Necessities$480$366-$114-23.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,791+$56+3.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$334/mo (-26.5%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo Bismarck: $927/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$430/mo (-28.7%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo Bismarck: $1,067/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$2.95/hr (-12.4%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr Bismarck: $20.80/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.65/hr (-8.0%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr Bismarck: $18.93/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 Bismarck Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$93,540-$26,060 (-21.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,830$81,120-$18,710 (-18.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,510$88,650-$10,860 (-10.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$76,910-$8,180 (-9.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,440$106,020-$23,420 (-18.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,180$61,900+$2,720 (+4.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,910$133,370-$33,540 (-20.1%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$63,180$62,630-$550 (-0.9%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,530$101,230-$2,300 (-2.2%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,630$63,910+$17,280 (+37.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,880$101,660-$34,220 (-25.2%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,940$62,000+$4,060 (+7.0%)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 Bismarck, ND Relocation FAQs

About $87,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 94.1 in Bismarck, ND, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Bismarck, ND: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Bismarck, ND to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Relocation: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Bismarck, ND Overview

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Bismarck, ND: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Bismarck, ND 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 Bismarck, ND to match $100,000 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

About $87,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 94.1 in Bismarck, ND, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Bismarck, ND cheaper than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 12.4% lower in Bismarck, ND than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.