Moving from Texas to Iowa: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from Texas to Iowa.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from Texas to Iowa
Texas has no state income tax on wages and Iowa has a flat 3.8% income tax. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $0 in state income tax in Texas and $3,148 in state income tax in Iowa. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax rises by $3,148 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,035 a month across Texas's metro areas and $859 across Iowa's (-16.9%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $49,204 in Texas and $49,899 in Iowa. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
Metropolitan Corridors Between Texas & Iowa
Moving from Texas to Iowa on a $100,000 salary: pay $3,148 more in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $859 vs $1,035 a month (HUD FMR).
Quick answers
For a single filer earning $100,000 with no local income tax, total federal, FICA and state taxes are $3,148 higher in Iowa than in Texas (3.1 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Iowa's metros is $859 a month, versus $1,035 in Texas (-16.9%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by -$1,046 a year.
Texas: No State Income Tax, top rate 0%. Iowa: Flat Tax, top rate 3.8%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.