2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Providence-Warwick, RI 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 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$96,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-3.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,148
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$2,976
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$6,124/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

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA

COL 111.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,148
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $76,032
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,108
Discretionary Cash Flow $57,924
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $96,600
Federal Income Tax -$12,422
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,390
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $76,788
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,656

EPI family budgets put living costs 3.4% lower in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA, so $100,000 in Providence goes about as far as $96,600 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,509 a month in Providence and $1,261 in Houston, $2,976 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,148 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Houston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $6,124 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $53,680 in Providence 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 Providence-Warwick (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,509$1,261-$248-16.4%
Food & Groceries$386$321-$65-16.8%
Transportation$964$1,015+$51+5.3%
Healthcare$381$422+$41+10.8%
Other Necessities$503$480-$23-4.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,997$1,735-$262-13.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$248/mo (-16.4%)
Providence-Warwick: $1,509/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$382/mo (-20.3%)
Providence-Warwick: $1,879/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$0.84/hr (-3.4%)
Providence-Warwick: $24.59/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$2.70/hr (-11.6%)
Providence-Warwick: $23.28/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 Providence-Warwick Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$110,360$119,600+$9,240 (+8.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,880$99,830-$50 (-0.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$104,510$99,510-$5,000 (-4.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$95,020$85,090-$9,930 (-10.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$130,690$129,440-$1,250 (-1.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$73,980$59,180-$14,800 (-20.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,570$166,910-$660 (-0.4%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$64,770$63,180-$1,590 (-2.5%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$49,790$46,630-$3,160 (-6.3%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$52,800$57,940+$5,140 (+9.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$148,880$135,880-$13,000 (-8.7%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$122,830$103,530-$19,300 (-15.7%)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

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

About $96,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (111.2 in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Providence-Warwick, RI-MA
Relocation: Providence-Warwick, RI to Houston-Pasadena, TX Overview

Providence-Warwick, RI-MA 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: Providence-Warwick, RI 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 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA?

About $96,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (111.2 in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA, 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 Providence-Warwick, RI-MA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 3.4% lower in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Providence-Warwick, RI-MA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.