2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Provo-Orem, UT 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$89,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-10.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,500
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$828
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$3,672/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

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT

COL 119.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,500
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,680
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,304
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,376
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $89,900
Federal Income Tax -$10,948
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,877
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $72,075
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $56,943

EPI family budgets put living costs 10.1% lower in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT, so $100,000 in Provo goes about as far as $89,900 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,192 a month in Provo and $1,261 in Houston, $828 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,500 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Houston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,672 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,010 in Provo 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,192$1,261+$69+5.8%
Food & Groceries$343$321-$22-6.4%
Transportation$1,136$1,015-$121-10.7%
Healthcare$519$422-$97-18.7%
Other Necessities$468$480+$12+2.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,110$1,735-$375-17.8%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$69/mo (5.8%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $1,192/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$134/mo (9.8%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $1,363/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$2.67/hr (-10.1%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $26.42/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.81/hr (-8.1%)
Provo-Orem-Lehi: $22.39/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 Provo-Orem-Lehi Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$95,790$119,600+$23,810 (+24.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,780$99,830+$18,050 (+22.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,180$99,510+$11,330 (+12.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,700$85,090+$9,390 (+12.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$131,210$129,440-$1,770 (-1.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,860$59,180-$1,680 (-2.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$154,990$166,910+$11,920 (+7.7%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$65,770$63,180-$2,590 (-3.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,210$135,880+$670 (+0.5%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$99,490$103,530+$4,040 (+4.1%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$45,710$46,630+$920 (+2.0%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$54,740$57,940+$3,200 (+5.8%)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

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

About $89,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (119.5 in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT
Relocation: Provo-Orem, UT to Houston-Pasadena, TX Overview

Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT 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: Provo-Orem, UT 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT?

About $89,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (119.5 in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT, 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 Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 10.1% lower in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.