2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Reno, NV 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 Reno, NV 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
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$2,388
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,388/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

Reno, NV

COL 111.1
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 -$17,520
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,660
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 Reno, NV, so $100,000 in Reno goes about as far as $96,600 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,460 a month in Reno and $1,261 in Houston, $2,388 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 $2,388 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,660 in Reno 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 Reno (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,460$1,261-$199-13.6%
Food & Groceries$390$321-$69-17.7%
Transportation$1,046$1,015-$31-3.0%
Healthcare$474$422-$52-11.0%
Other Necessities$488$480-$8-1.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$199/mo (-13.6%)
Reno: $1,460/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$340/mo (-18.5%)
Reno: $1,837/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$0.82/hr (-3.3%)
Reno: $24.57/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$3.16/hr (-13.3%)
Reno: $23.74/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 Reno Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$106,050$119,600+$13,550 (+12.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$107,520$99,830-$7,690 (-7.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,500$99,510+$10 (0.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,370$85,090+$2,720 (+3.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$125,710$129,440+$3,730 (+3.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$72,800$59,180-$13,620 (-18.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$133,470$166,910+$33,440 (+25.1%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$77,810$63,180-$14,630 (-18.8%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$49,620$46,630-$2,990 (-6.0%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$113,640$103,530-$10,110 (-8.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$123,990$135,880+$11,890 (+9.6%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$58,800$57,940-$860 (-1.5%)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

Reno, NV 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 (111.1 in Reno, NV, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Reno, NV to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Reno, NV
Relocation: Reno, NV to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Overview

Reno, NV 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 Reno, NV?

About $96,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (111.1 in Reno, NV, 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 Reno, NV?

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