2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Orlando-Kissimmee, FL 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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$81,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-18.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$5,580
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$5,580/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

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

COL 131.6
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 -$20,712
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,468
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $81,600
Federal Income Tax -$9,122
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,242
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $66,236
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $51,104

EPI family budgets put living costs 18.4% lower in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL, so $100,000 in Orlando goes about as far as $81,600 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,726 a month in Orlando and $1,261 in Houston, $5,580 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 $5,580 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,630 in Orlando 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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,726$1,261-$465-26.9%
Food & Groceries$372$321-$51-13.7%
Transportation$1,041$1,015-$26-2.5%
Healthcare$492$422-$70-14.2%
Other Necessities$623$480-$143-23.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$465/mo (-26.9%)
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: $1,726/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$462/mo (-23.6%)
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: $1,959/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$5.36/hr (-18.4%)
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: $29.11/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$3.20/hr (-13.5%)
Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford: $23.78/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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$100,440$119,600+$19,160 (+19.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$83,550$99,830+$16,280 (+19.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,390$99,510+$3,120 (+3.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$78,630$85,090+$6,460 (+8.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$129,620$129,440-$180 (-0.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$50,820$59,180+$8,360 (+16.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$140,850$166,910+$26,060 (+18.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$131,770$135,880+$4,110 (+3.1%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$108,010$103,530-$4,480 (-4.1%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$60,150$63,180+$3,030 (+5.0%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$45,630$46,630+$1,000 (+2.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$171,210$172,160+$950 (+0.6%)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

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

About $81,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (131.6 in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL
Relocation: Orlando-Kissimmee, FL to Houston-Pasadena, TX Overview

Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Orlando-Kissimmee, FL 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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL?

About $81,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (131.6 in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL, 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 Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 18.4% lower in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.