2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Providence-Warwick, RI

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 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$103,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+3.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$3,148
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$2,976
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$6,124/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

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

COL 111.2
Gross Parity Income $103,600
Federal Income Tax -$13,962
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,925
State Income Tax -$3,319
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $78,393
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,108
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,285

EPI family budgets put living costs 3.6% higher in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, so $100,000 in Houston goes about as far as $103,600 in Providence. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,261 a month in Houston and $1,509 in Providence, $2,976 a year more. 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 Providence. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $6,124 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Houston and $53,680 in Providence.

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) Providence-Warwick (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,261$1,509+$248+19.7%
Food & Groceries$321$386+$65+20.2%
Transportation$1,015$964-$51-5.0%
Healthcare$422$381-$41-9.7%
Other Necessities$480$503+$23+4.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,997+$262+15.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$248/mo (19.7%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo Providence-Warwick: $1,509/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$382/mo (25.5%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo Providence-Warwick: $1,879/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$0.84/hr (3.5%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr Providence-Warwick: $24.59/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.70/hr (13.1%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr Providence-Warwick: $23.28/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 Providence-Warwick Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$110,360-$9,240 (-7.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,830$99,880+$50 (+0.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,510$104,510+$5,000 (+5.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$95,020+$9,930 (+11.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,440$130,690+$1,250 (+1.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,180$73,980+$14,800 (+25.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,910$167,570+$660 (+0.4%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$63,180$64,770+$1,590 (+2.5%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,630$49,790+$3,160 (+6.8%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,940$52,800-$5,140 (-8.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,880$148,880+$13,000 (+9.6%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,530$122,830+$19,300 (+18.6%)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 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA Relocation FAQs

About $103,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 111.2 in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Providence-Warwick, RI-MA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Providence-Warwick, RI-MA to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Relocation: Houston-Pasadena, TX to Providence-Warwick, RI Overview

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Providence-Warwick, RI-MA: 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 Providence-Warwick, RI 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 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA to match $100,000 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

About $103,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 111.2 in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Providence-Warwick, RI-MA cheaper than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 3.6% higher in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.