Moving from Texas to Utah: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from Texas to Utah.
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 Utah
Texas has no state income tax on wages and Utah has a flat 4.5% income tax. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $0 in state income tax in Texas and $4,500 in state income tax in Utah. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax rises by $4,500 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $1,035 a month across Texas's metro areas and $1,151 across Utah's (+11.2%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $49,204 in Texas and $51,758 in Utah. 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 & Utah
Moving from Texas to Utah on a $100,000 salary: pay $4,500 more in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,151 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 $4,500 higher in Utah than in Texas (4.5 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Utah's metros is $1,151 a month, versus $1,035 in Texas (+11.2%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by -$5,893 a year.
Texas: No State Income Tax, top rate 0%. Utah: Flat Tax, top rate 4.5%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.