Moving from West Virginia to Texas: Cost & Tax Comparison
Compare state income tax savings, HUD rent differentials, and household purchasing power adjustments when relocating from West Virginia to Texas.
Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology
What changes when you move from West Virginia to Texas
West Virginia has graduated income tax rates up to 4.82% and Texas has no state income tax on wages. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,885 in state income tax in West Virginia and $0 in state income tax in Texas. With federal income tax and FICA unchanged, total tax falls by $3,885 a year after the move. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent averages $836 a month across West Virginia's metro areas and $1,035 across Texas's (+23.8%). Pay differs too: the BLS median wage across all occupations, weighted by employment in each state's metros, is $44,856 in West Virginia and $49,204 in Texas. 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 West Virginia & Texas
Moving from West Virginia to Texas on a $100,000 salary: pay $3,885 less in total taxes per year; average one-bedroom rent is $1,035 vs $836 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 $3,885 lower in Texas than in West Virginia (3.9 percentage points of gross pay). The average HUD one-bedroom Fair Market Rent across Texas's metros is $1,035 a month, versus $836 in West Virginia (+23.8%). Taxes and one-bedroom rent combined change by +$1,502 a year.
West Virginia: Graduated Brackets, top rate 4.82%. Texas: No State Income Tax, top rate 0%. Federal income tax and FICA are the same in both states.