2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Davenport-Moline, IA-IL

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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$87,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-12.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$3,148
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$4,908
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,760/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

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL

COL 94.3
Gross Parity Income $87,800
Federal Income Tax -$10,486
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,717
State Income Tax -$2,685
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $67,913
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,224
Discretionary Cash Flow $57,689

EPI family budgets put living costs 12.2% lower in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, so $100,000 in Houston goes about as far as $87,800 in Davenport. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,261 a month in Houston and $852 in Davenport, $4,908 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,148 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Davenport. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,760 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Houston and $48,550 in Davenport.

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) Davenport-Moline-Rock Island (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,261$852-$409-32.4%
Food & Groceries$321$345+$24+7.5%
Transportation$1,015$1,031+$16+1.6%
Healthcare$422$483+$61+14.5%
Other Necessities$480$327-$153-31.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,997+$262+15.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$409/mo (-32.4%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $852/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$441/mo (-29.5%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $1,056/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$2.90/hr (-12.2%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $20.85/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.40/hr (-1.9%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $20.18/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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$91,140-$28,460 (-23.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,830$77,150-$22,680 (-22.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,510$102,880+$3,370 (+3.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$77,600-$7,490 (-8.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,440$115,780-$13,660 (-10.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,180$76,950+$17,770 (+30.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,910$139,150-$27,760 (-16.6%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$63,180$72,790+$9,610 (+15.2%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,630$51,190+$4,560 (+9.8%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,940$48,630-$9,310 (-16.1%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,530$102,360-$1,170 (-1.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,880$128,420-$7,460 (-5.5%)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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL Relocation FAQs

About $87,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 94.3 in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Davenport-Moline, IA-IL Overview

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Davenport-Moline, IA-IL 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL to match $100,000 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

About $87,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 94.3 in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL cheaper than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 12.2% lower in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.