2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Colorado Springs, CO

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 Colorado Springs, CO.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$106,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+6.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$3,692
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,428
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$5,120/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

Colorado Springs, CO

COL 114.1
Gross Parity Income $106,200
Federal Income Tax -$14,534
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,124
State Income Tax -$3,964
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,577
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,560
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,017

EPI family budgets put living costs 6.2% higher in Colorado Springs, CO than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, so $100,000 in Houston goes about as far as $106,200 in Colorado Springs. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,261 a month in Houston and $1,380 in Colorado Springs, $1,428 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,692 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Colorado Springs. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,120 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Houston and $52,710 in Colorado Springs.

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) Colorado Springs (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,261$1,380+$119+9.4%
Food & Groceries$321$364+$43+13.4%
Transportation$1,015$1,015$00.0%
Healthcare$422$439+$17+4.0%
Other Necessities$480$491+$11+2.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,043+$308+17.8%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$119/mo (9.4%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo Colorado Springs: $1,380/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$124/mo (8.3%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo Colorado Springs: $1,621/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.47/hr (6.2%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr Colorado Springs: $25.22/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.67/hr (22.7%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr Colorado Springs: $25.25/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 Colorado Springs Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$120,770+$1,170 (+1.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,830$96,140-$3,690 (-3.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,510$111,740+$12,230 (+12.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$85,000-$90 (-0.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,440$134,280+$4,840 (+3.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,180$59,210+$30 (+0.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,910$172,680+$5,770 (+3.5%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$63,180$78,640+$15,460 (+24.5%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,530$112,390+$8,860 (+8.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,880$177,780+$41,900 (+30.8%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,630$51,080+$4,450 (+9.5%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,940$55,270-$2,670 (-4.6%)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 Colorado Springs, CO Relocation FAQs

About $106,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 114.1 in Colorado Springs, CO, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Colorado Springs, CO: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Colorado Springs, CO to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Colorado Springs, CO Overview

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

About $106,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 114.1 in Colorado Springs, CO, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Colorado Springs, CO cheaper than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 6.2% higher in Colorado Springs, CO than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.