2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Orlando-Kissimmee, FL

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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$122,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+22.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,580
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$5,580/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

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

COL 131.6
Gross Parity Income $122,600
Federal Income Tax -$18,158
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,379
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $95,063
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$20,712
Discretionary Cash Flow $74,351

EPI family budgets put living costs 22.6% higher in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, so $100,000 in Houston goes about as far as $122,600 in Orlando. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,261 a month in Houston and $1,726 in Orlando, $5,580 a year more. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays the same total tax in both metros. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,580 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Houston and $46,630 in Orlando.

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) Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,261$1,726+$465+36.9%
Food & Groceries$321$372+$51+15.9%
Transportation$1,015$1,041+$26+2.6%
Healthcare$422$492+$70+16.6%
Other Necessities$480$623+$143+29.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$465/mo (36.9%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: $1,726/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$462/mo (30.9%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: $1,959/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.36/hr (22.6%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: $29.11/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.20/hr (15.5%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: $23.78/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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$100,440-$19,160 (-16.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,830$83,550-$16,280 (-16.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,510$96,390-$3,120 (-3.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$78,630-$6,460 (-7.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,440$129,620+$180 (+0.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,180$50,820-$8,360 (-14.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,910$140,850-$26,060 (-15.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,880$131,770-$4,110 (-3.0%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,530$108,010+$4,480 (+4.3%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$63,180$60,150-$3,030 (-4.8%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,630$45,630-$1,000 (-2.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$172,160$171,210-$950 (-0.6%)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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL Relocation FAQs

About $122,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 131.6 in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Orlando-Kissimmee, FL Overview

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

About $122,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 131.6 in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL cheaper than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 22.6% higher in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.