2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Lewiston-Auburn, ME 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 Lewiston-Auburn, ME to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$101,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+1.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$5,129
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$252
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$5,381/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

Lewiston-Auburn, ME

COL 106.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$5,129
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,051
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,384
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,667
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $101,200
Federal Income Tax -$13,434
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,742
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $80,024
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,892

EPI family budgets put living costs 1.2% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Lewiston-Auburn, ME, so $100,000 in Lewiston goes about as far as $101,200 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,282 a month in Lewiston and $1,261 in Houston, $252 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,129 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Houston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,381 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,540 in Lewiston 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 Lewiston-Auburn (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,282$1,261-$21-1.6%
Food & Groceries$371$321-$50-13.5%
Transportation$1,053$1,015-$38-3.6%
Healthcare$559$422-$137-24.5%
Other Necessities$394$480+$86+21.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,162$1,735-$427-19.8%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$21/mo (-1.6%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $1,282/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$180/mo (-10.7%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $1,677/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$0.28/hr (1.2%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $23.47/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.37/hr (-6.2%)
Lewiston-Auburn: $21.95/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 Lewiston-Auburn Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$96,730$119,600+$22,870 (+23.6%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$85,870$99,830+$13,960 (+16.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,490$99,510-$2,980 (-2.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,980$85,090+$9,110 (+12.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$117,700$129,440+$11,740 (+10.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$78,430$59,180-$19,250 (-24.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$131,190$166,910+$35,720 (+27.2%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$66,890$63,180-$3,710 (-5.5%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$48,310$46,630-$1,680 (-3.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$125,230$135,880+$10,650 (+8.5%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,870$103,530-$14,340 (-12.2%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$55,520$57,940+$2,420 (+4.4%)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

Lewiston-Auburn, ME to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

About $101,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (106.1 in Lewiston-Auburn, ME, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Lewiston-Auburn, ME to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Lewiston-Auburn, ME
Relocation: Lewiston-Auburn, ME to Houston-Pasadena, TX Overview

Lewiston-Auburn, ME to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Lewiston-Auburn, ME 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 Lewiston-Auburn, ME?

About $101,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (106.1 in Lewiston-Auburn, ME, 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 Lewiston-Auburn, ME?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 1.2% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Lewiston-Auburn, ME. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.