2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Lincoln, NE

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 Lincoln, NE.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$92,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-7.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$3,670
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$3,024
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$646/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

Lincoln, NE

COL 98.9
Gross Parity Income $92,100
Federal Income Tax -$11,432
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,046
State Income Tax -$3,311
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $70,311
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,108
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,203

EPI family budgets put living costs 7.9% lower in Lincoln, NE than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, so $100,000 in Houston goes about as far as $92,100 in Lincoln. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,261 a month in Houston and $1,009 in Lincoln, $3,024 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,670 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Lincoln. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $646 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Houston and $49,800 in Lincoln.

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) Lincoln (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,261$1,009-$252-20.0%
Food & Groceries$321$360+$39+12.1%
Transportation$1,015$1,000-$15-1.5%
Healthcare$422$544+$122+28.9%
Other Necessities$480$365-$115-24.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,041+$306+17.6%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$252/mo (-20.0%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo Lincoln: $1,009/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$267/mo (-17.8%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo Lincoln: $1,230/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$1.89/hr (-8.0%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr Lincoln: $21.86/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.95/hr (4.6%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr Lincoln: $21.53/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 Lincoln Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$92,780-$26,820 (-22.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,830$87,530-$12,300 (-12.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,510$64,710-$34,800 (-35.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$65,170-$19,920 (-23.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,440$101,690-$27,750 (-21.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,180$60,680+$1,500 (+2.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,910$131,150-$35,760 (-21.4%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$63,180$67,720+$4,540 (+7.2%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,530$99,060-$4,470 (-4.3%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,630$57,590+$10,960 (+23.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,880$120,430-$15,450 (-11.4%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,940$53,990-$3,950 (-6.8%)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 Lincoln, NE Relocation FAQs

About $92,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 98.9 in Lincoln, NE, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Lincoln, NE: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Lincoln, NE to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Relocation: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Lincoln, NE Overview

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

About $92,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 98.9 in Lincoln, NE, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Lincoln, NE cheaper than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 7.9% lower in Lincoln, NE than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.