2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Sioux Falls, SD-MN 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 Sioux Falls, SD-MN to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$114,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+14.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$2,604
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,604/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

Sioux Falls, SD-MN

COL 93.8
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 -$12,528
Discretionary Cash Flow $66,652
Target Market
Destination Location

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX

COL 107.4
Gross Parity Income $114,500
Federal Income Tax -$16,360
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,759
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $89,381
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,132
Discretionary Cash Flow $74,249

EPI family budgets put living costs 14.5% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Sioux Falls, SD-MN, so $100,000 in Sioux Falls goes about as far as $114,500 in Houston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,044 a month in Sioux Falls and $1,261 in Houston, $2,604 a year more. 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 $2,604 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $47,970 in Sioux Falls 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 Sioux Falls (Monthly) Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,044$1,261+$217+20.8%
Food & Groceries$367$321-$46-12.5%
Transportation$1,112$1,015-$97-8.7%
Healthcare$474$422-$52-11.0%
Other Necessities$346$480+$134+38.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$217/mo (20.8%)
Sioux Falls: $1,044/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,261/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$269/mo (21.9%)
Sioux Falls: $1,228/mo Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $1,497/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.01/hr (14.5%)
Sioux Falls: $20.74/hr Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands: $23.75/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.25/hr (6.5%)
Sioux Falls: $19.33/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 Sioux Falls Median Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$142,730$119,600-$23,130 (-16.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$75,350$99,830+$24,480 (+32.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$84,190$99,510+$15,320 (+18.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$80,920$85,090+$4,170 (+5.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$101,040$129,440+$28,400 (+28.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$61,470$59,180-$2,290 (-3.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$163,580$166,910+$3,330 (+2.0%)View Dossier
Industrial Machinery MechanicIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$61,920$63,180+$1,260 (+2.0%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$44,670$46,630+$1,960 (+4.4%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,490$103,530-$15,960 (-13.4%)View Dossier
WelderSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$55,200$57,940+$2,740 (+5.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,930$135,880-$50 (-0.0%)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

Sioux Falls, SD-MN to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Relocation FAQs

About $114,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (93.8 in Sioux Falls, SD-MN, 107.4 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Sioux Falls, SD-MN to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to Sioux Falls, SD-MN
Relocation: Sioux Falls, SD-MN to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX Overview

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

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX to match $100,000 in Sioux Falls, SD-MN?

About $114,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (93.8 in Sioux Falls, SD-MN, 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 Sioux Falls, SD-MN?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 14.5% higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX than in Sioux Falls, SD-MN. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.