2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Peoria, IL 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 Peoria, IL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$107,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+7.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,805
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,600
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,205/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

Peoria, IL

COL 99.6
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,805
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,375
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,532
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,843
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $107,800
Federal Income Tax -$14,886
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,247
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $84,667
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $69,535

EPI family budgets put living costs 7.8% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Peoria, IL, so $100,000 in Peoria goes about as far as $107,800 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $961 a month in Peoria and $1,261 in Houston, $3,600 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,805 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Houston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,205 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,590 in Peoria 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 Peoria (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$961$1,261+$300+31.2%
Food & Groceries$353$321-$32-9.1%
Transportation$1,052$1,015-$37-3.5%
Healthcare$590$422-$168-28.5%
Other Necessities$332$480+$148+44.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$1,735-$400-18.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$300/mo (31.2%)
Peoria: $961/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$285/mo (23.5%)
Peoria: $1,212/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.73/hr (7.9%)
Peoria: $22.02/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.33/hr (-6.1%)
Peoria: $21.91/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 Peoria Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$98,290$119,600+$21,310 (+21.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,010$99,830+$18,820 (+23.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$123,730$99,510-$24,220 (-19.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$79,540$85,090+$5,550 (+7.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$130,590$129,440-$1,150 (-0.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$80,460$59,180-$21,280 (-26.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$155,840$166,910+$11,070 (+7.1%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$74,780$63,180-$11,600 (-15.5%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$56,770$46,630-$10,140 (-17.9%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$105,900$103,530-$2,370 (-2.2%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$58,960$57,940-$1,020 (-1.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$131,660$135,880+$4,220 (+3.2%)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

Peoria, IL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

About $107,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.6 in Peoria, IL, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Peoria, IL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Peoria, IL
Relocation: Peoria, IL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Overview

Peoria, IL to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to match $100,000 in Peoria, IL?

About $107,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (99.6 in Peoria, IL, 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 Peoria, IL?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 7.8% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Peoria, IL. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.