2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$99,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-0.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,670
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$504
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$3,166/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

Omaha, NE-IA

COL 108.3
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 -$14,628
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,882
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $99,100
Federal Income Tax -$12,972
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,581
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $78,547
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,415

EPI family budgets put living costs 0.9% lower in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Omaha, NE-IA, so $100,000 in Omaha goes about as far as $99,100 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,219 a month in Omaha and $1,261 in Houston, $504 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 $3,166 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,660 in Omaha 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 Omaha (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,219$1,261+$42+3.4%
Food & Groceries$359$321-$38-10.6%
Transportation$1,069$1,015-$54-5.1%
Healthcare$513$422-$91-17.7%
Other Necessities$419$480+$61+14.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,041$1,735-$306-15.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$42/mo (3.4%)
Omaha: $1,219/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$47/mo (3.2%)
Omaha: $1,450/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$0.21/hr (-0.9%)
Omaha: $23.96/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.36/hr (-6.2%)
Omaha: $21.94/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 Omaha Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$90,620$119,600+$28,980 (+32.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$84,600$99,830+$15,230 (+18.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$82,460$99,510+$17,050 (+20.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,030$85,090+$8,060 (+10.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$125,220$129,440+$4,220 (+3.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,440$59,180-$3,260 (-5.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$140,390$166,910+$26,520 (+18.9%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$65,320$63,180-$2,140 (-3.3%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,520$103,530+$1,010 (+1.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$130,100$135,880+$5,780 (+4.4%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$49,030$46,630-$2,400 (-4.9%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$53,110$57,940+$4,830 (+9.1%)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

Omaha, NE-IA to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

About $99,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (108.3 in Omaha, NE-IA, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Omaha, NE-IA 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: Omaha, NE-IA 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 Omaha, NE-IA?

About $99,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (108.3 in Omaha, NE-IA, 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 Omaha, NE-IA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 0.9% lower in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Omaha, NE-IA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.