2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Richmond, VA

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 Richmond, VA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$122,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+22.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,936
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,072
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$8,008/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

Richmond, VA

COL 131.3
Gross Parity Income $122,300
Federal Income Tax -$18,086
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,356
State Income Tax -$6,218
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $88,640
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,204
Discretionary Cash Flow $70,436

EPI family budgets put living costs 22.3% higher in Richmond, VA than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, so $100,000 in Houston goes about as far as $122,300 in Richmond. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,261 a month in Houston and $1,517 in Richmond, $3,072 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,936 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Richmond. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $8,008 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Houston and $51,460 in Richmond.

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) Richmond (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,261$1,517+$256+20.3%
Food & Groceries$321$376+$55+17.1%
Transportation$1,015$1,089+$74+7.3%
Healthcare$422$389-$33-7.8%
Other Necessities$480$579+$99+20.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,146+$411+23.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$256/mo (20.3%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo Richmond: $1,517/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$154/mo (10.3%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo Richmond: $1,651/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.29/hr (22.3%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr Richmond: $29.04/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.89/hr (14.0%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr Richmond: $23.47/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 Richmond Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$108,670-$10,930 (-9.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,830$93,580-$6,250 (-6.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,510$102,170+$2,660 (+2.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$84,220-$870 (-1.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,440$132,120+$2,680 (+2.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,180$61,350+$2,170 (+3.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,910$173,140+$6,230 (+3.7%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$63,180$66,080+$2,900 (+4.6%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,630$48,710+$2,080 (+4.5%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,530$110,350+$6,820 (+6.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,880$168,590+$32,710 (+24.1%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,940$57,710-$230 (-0.4%)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 Richmond, VA Relocation FAQs

About $122,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 131.3 in Richmond, VA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Richmond, VA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Richmond, VA to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Relocation: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Richmond, VA Overview

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Richmond, VA: 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 Richmond, VA 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 Richmond, VA to match $100,000 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

About $122,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 131.3 in Richmond, VA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Richmond, VA cheaper than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 22.3% higher in Richmond, VA than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.