2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Las Vegas-Henderson, NV to Houston-Pasadena, TX

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 Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$96,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-3.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$2,088
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,088/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

Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV

COL 111.8
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 -$17,220
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,960
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $96,100
Federal Income Tax -$12,312
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,352
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $76,436
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,304

EPI family budgets put living costs 3.9% lower in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV, so $100,000 in Las Vegas goes about as far as $96,100 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,435 a month in Las Vegas and $1,261 in Houston, $2,088 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 $2,088 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,670 in Las Vegas and $49,410 in Houston.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,435$1,261-$174-12.1%
Food & Groceries$349$321-$28-8.0%
Transportation$1,007$1,015+$8+0.8%
Healthcare$410$422+$12+2.9%
Other Necessities$517$480-$37-7.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$174/mo (-12.1%)
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas: $1,435/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$189/mo (-11.2%)
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas: $1,686/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$0.97/hr (-3.9%)
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas: $24.72/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$2.35/hr (-10.2%)
Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas: $22.93/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $20.58/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$97,290$119,600+$22,310 (+22.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$103,940$99,830-$4,110 (-4.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,940$99,510-$430 (-0.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$80,530$85,090+$4,560 (+5.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,940$129,440-$500 (-0.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$70,890$59,180-$11,710 (-16.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$132,650$166,910+$34,260 (+25.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,580$135,880+$32,300 (+31.2%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$112,570$103,530-$9,040 (-8.0%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$74,570$63,180-$11,390 (-15.3%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$47,680$46,630-$1,050 (-2.2%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$57,980$57,940-$40 (-0.1%)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

Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

About $96,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (111.8 in Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV
Relocation: Las Vegas-Henderson, NV to Houston-Pasadena, TX Overview

Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Las Vegas-Henderson, NV to Houston-Pasadena, TX 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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to match $100,000 in Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV?

About $96,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (111.8 in Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX cheaper than Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 3.9% lower in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.