2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Boston-Newton, MA

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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$151,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+51.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,780
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$15,084
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$19,864/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

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

COL 162.7
Gross Parity Income $151,500
Federal Income Tax -$25,094
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$11,590
State Income Tax -$7,355
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $107,461
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$30,216
Discretionary Cash Flow $77,245

EPI family budgets put living costs 51.5% higher in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, so $100,000 in Houston goes about as far as $151,500 in Boston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,261 a month in Houston and $2,518 in Boston, $15,084 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,780 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Boston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $19,864 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Houston and $66,620 in Boston.

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) Boston-Cambridge-Newton (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,261$2,518+$1,257+99.7%
Food & Groceries$321$418+$97+30.2%
Transportation$1,015$1,080+$65+6.4%
Healthcare$422$413-$9-2.1%
Other Necessities$480$832+$352+73.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,133+$398+22.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,257/mo (99.7%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $2,518/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,511/mo (100.9%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $3,008/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$12.22/hr (51.5%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $35.97/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$10.85/hr (52.7%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $31.43/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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$133,800+$14,200 (+11.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,830$106,180+$6,350 (+6.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$100,150+$15,060 (+17.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,440$166,090+$36,650 (+28.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,510$114,990+$15,480 (+15.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,910$209,780+$42,870 (+25.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,120$135,640+$34,520 (+34.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$172,160$214,960+$42,800 (+24.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,180$79,910+$20,730 (+35.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,880$206,610+$70,730 (+52.1%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$124,400$136,760+$12,360 (+9.9%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,630$58,210+$11,580 (+24.8%)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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Relocation FAQs

About $151,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Boston-Newton, MA Overview

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Boston-Newton, MA 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to match $100,000 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

About $151,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH cheaper than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 51.5% higher in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.