Moving from Texas to North Carolina: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from Texas to North Carolina.
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 North Carolina
Texas has no state income tax on wages and North Carolina has a flat 3.99% income tax. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $0 in state income tax in Texas and $3,481 in state income tax in North Carolina. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax rises by $3,481 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,035 a month across Texas's metro areas and $1,187 across North Carolina's (+14.7%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $49,204 in Texas and $49,515 in North Carolina. City and county income taxes, which some localities add, are not included in these state-level figures; the metro routes below include them.
North Carolina Paycheck & Living Costs
Metropolitan Corridors Between Texas & North Carolina
Moving from Texas to North Carolina on a $100,000 salary: pay $3,481 more in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,187 vs $1,035 a month (HUD.
Quick answers
For a single filer earning $100,000 with no local income tax, total federal, FICA and state taxes are $3,481 higher in North Carolina than in Texas (3.5 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across North Carolina's metros is $1,187 a month, versus $1,035 in Texas (+14.7%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by -$5,310 a year.
Texas: No State Income Tax, top rate 0%. North Carolina: Flat Tax, top rate 3.99%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.