2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Boise City, ID

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 Boise City, ID.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$112,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+12.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,192
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$408
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$4,600/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

Boise City, ID

COL 121.3
Gross Parity Income $112,900
Federal Income Tax -$16,008
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,637
State Income Tax -$4,875
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $83,380
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,540
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,840

EPI family budgets put living costs 12.9% higher in Boise City, ID than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, so $100,000 in Houston goes about as far as $112,900 in Boise City. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,261 a month in Houston and $1,295 in Boise City, $408 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,192 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Boise City. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,600 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Houston and $49,100 in Boise City.

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) Boise City (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,261$1,295+$34+2.7%
Food & Groceries$321$394+$73+22.7%
Transportation$1,015$1,075+$60+5.9%
Healthcare$422$388-$34-8.1%
Other Necessities$480$526+$46+9.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,084+$349+20.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$34/mo (2.7%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo Boise City: $1,295/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$43/mo (2.9%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo Boise City: $1,540/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.07/hr (12.9%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr Boise City: $26.82/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.35/hr (16.3%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr Boise City: $23.93/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 Boise City Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$83,680-$35,920 (-30.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,830$97,880-$1,950 (-2.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,510$98,580-$930 (-0.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$76,700-$8,390 (-9.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,440$131,590+$2,150 (+1.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,180$61,610+$2,430 (+4.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,910$131,130-$35,780 (-21.4%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$63,180$63,620+$440 (+0.7%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,530$109,990+$6,460 (+6.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,880$141,440+$5,560 (+4.1%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,630$49,820+$3,190 (+6.8%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,940$50,240-$7,700 (-13.3%)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 Boise City, ID Relocation FAQs

About $112,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 121.3 in Boise City, ID, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Boise City, ID: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Boise City, ID to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Relocation: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Boise City, ID Overview

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Boise City, ID: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Boise City, ID to match $100,000 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

About $112,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 121.3 in Boise City, ID, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Boise City, ID cheaper than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 12.9% higher in Boise City, ID than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.