2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Sioux Falls, SD-MN

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 Sioux Falls, SD-MN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$87,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-12.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$2,604
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,604/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

Sioux Falls, SD-MN

COL 93.8
Gross Parity Income $87,300
Federal Income Tax -$10,376
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,678
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $70,246
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,528
Discretionary Cash Flow $57,718

EPI family budgets put living costs 12.7% lower in Sioux Falls, SD-MN than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, so $100,000 in Houston goes about as far as $87,300 in Sioux Falls. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,261 a month in Houston and $1,044 in Sioux Falls, $2,604 a year less. 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 $2,604 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,410 in Houston and $47,970 in Sioux Falls.

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) Sioux Falls (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,261$1,044-$217-17.2%
Food & Groceries$321$367+$46+14.3%
Transportation$1,015$1,112+$97+9.6%
Healthcare$422$474+$52+12.3%
Other Necessities$480$346-$134-27.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$217/mo (-17.2%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo Sioux Falls: $1,044/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$269/mo (-18.0%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo Sioux Falls: $1,228/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$3.01/hr (-12.7%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr Sioux Falls: $20.74/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.25/hr (-6.1%)
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr Sioux Falls: $19.33/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 Sioux Falls Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,600$142,730+$23,130 (+19.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,830$75,350-$24,480 (-24.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,510$84,190-$15,320 (-15.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,090$80,920-$4,170 (-4.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,440$101,040-$28,400 (-21.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,180$61,470+$2,290 (+3.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$166,910$163,580-$3,330 (-2.0%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$63,180$61,920-$1,260 (-2.0%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$46,630$44,670-$1,960 (-4.2%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,530$119,490+$15,960 (+15.4%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,940$55,200-$2,740 (-4.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,880$135,930+$50 (0.0%)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 Sioux Falls, SD-MN Relocation FAQs

About $87,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 93.8 in Sioux Falls, SD-MN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Sioux Falls, SD-MN: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Sioux Falls, SD-MN to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX
Relocation: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Sioux Falls, SD-MN Overview

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Sioux Falls, SD-MN: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Sioux Falls, SD-MN to match $100,000 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

About $87,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, 93.8 in Sioux Falls, SD-MN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Sioux Falls, SD-MN cheaper than Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 12.7% lower in Sioux Falls, SD-MN than in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.