2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Lincoln, NE to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, 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 Lincoln, NE to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$108,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+8.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,670
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,024
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$646/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

Lincoln, NE

COL 98.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,670
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,510
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,108
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,402
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $108,600
Federal Income Tax -$15,062
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,308
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $85,230
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $70,098

EPI family budgets put living costs 8.6% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Lincoln, NE, so $100,000 in Lincoln goes about as far as $108,600 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,009 a month in Lincoln and $1,261 in Houston, $3,024 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,670 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Houston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $646 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,800 in Lincoln 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 Lincoln (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,009$1,261+$252+25.0%
Food & Groceries$360$321-$39-10.8%
Transportation$1,000$1,015+$15+1.5%
Healthcare$544$422-$122-22.4%
Other Necessities$365$480+$115+31.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,041$1,735-$306-15.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$252/mo (25.0%)
Lincoln: $1,009/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$267/mo (21.7%)
Lincoln: $1,230/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.89/hr (8.6%)
Lincoln: $21.86/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.95/hr (-4.4%)
Lincoln: $21.53/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 Lincoln Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$92,780$119,600+$26,820 (+28.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$87,530$99,830+$12,300 (+14.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$64,710$99,510+$34,800 (+53.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$65,170$85,090+$19,920 (+30.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$101,690$129,440+$27,750 (+27.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,680$59,180-$1,500 (-2.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$131,150$166,910+$35,760 (+27.3%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$67,720$63,180-$4,540 (-6.7%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$99,060$103,530+$4,470 (+4.5%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$57,590$46,630-$10,960 (-19.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$120,430$135,880+$15,450 (+12.8%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$53,990$57,940+$3,950 (+7.3%)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

Lincoln, NE to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

About $108,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (98.9 in Lincoln, NE, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Lincoln, NE to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Lincoln, NE
Relocation: Lincoln, NE to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Overview

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

About $108,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (98.9 in Lincoln, NE, 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 Lincoln, NE?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 8.6% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Lincoln, NE. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.