2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Burlington Metro, VT

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 Burlington-South Burlington, VT.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$135,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+35.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,089
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,496
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$9,585/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

Burlington-South Burlington, VT

COL 145.6
Gross Parity Income $135,600
Federal Income Tax -$21,278
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,373
State Income Tax -$6,439
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $97,510
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$20,628
Discretionary Cash Flow $76,882

EPI family budgets put living costs 35.6% higher in Burlington-South Burlington, VT than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, so $100,000 in Houston goes about as far as $135,600 in Burlington. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,261 a month in Houston and $1,719 in Burlington, $5,496 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,089 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Burlington. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $9,585 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Houston and $60,020 in Burlington.

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) Burlington-South Burlington (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,261$1,719+$458+36.3%
Food & Groceries$321$405+$84+26.2%
Transportation$1,015$1,148+$133+13.1%
Healthcare$422$882+$460+109.0%
Other Necessities$480$554+$74+15.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,076+$341+19.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$458/mo (36.3%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo Burlington-South Burlington: $1,719/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$668/mo (44.6%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo Burlington-South Burlington: $2,165/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$8.45/hr (35.6%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr Burlington-South Burlington: $32.20/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$14.02/hr (68.1%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr Burlington-South Burlington: $34.60/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 Burlington-South Burlington Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$98,430-$21,170 (-17.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,830$98,330-$1,500 (-1.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,510$85,410-$14,100 (-14.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$82,510-$2,580 (-3.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,440$126,940-$2,500 (-1.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,180$66,860+$7,680 (+13.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,910$134,650-$32,260 (-19.3%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$63,180$63,250+$70 (+0.1%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,530$103,450-$80 (-0.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,880$131,840-$4,040 (-3.0%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,630$52,820+$6,190 (+13.3%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,940$63,460+$5,520 (+9.5%)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 Burlington-South Burlington, VT Relocation FAQs

About $135,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 145.6 in Burlington-South Burlington, VT, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Burlington-South Burlington, VT: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Burlington-South Burlington, VT to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Burlington Metro, VT Overview

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

About $135,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 145.6 in Burlington-South Burlington, VT, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Burlington-South Burlington, VT cheaper than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 35.6% higher in Burlington-South Burlington, VT than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.