
#4 of 387 for you
Houston: $3,170/mo left
- No state income tax
- Property tax 1.75%
- Rent under 30% of pay
From your Chicago paycheck, you'd keep +$744/mo versus Chicago.
Compare
Versus Chicago.
Left each month
$3,170
Versus Chicago
+$744/mo
+$8,928 a year
Local pay
$95,686
This job, this city
Top things to do in Houston
More in Houston
User eschipul on Flickr. CC BY-SA 2.0. Photo source · License Reliant Stadium
American football and multipurpose stadium in Houston, Texas, USA
Quercus montana. CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo source · License Wells Fargo Plaza
Skyscraper in Houston, Texas, United States

Hequals2henry. CC BY-SA 3.0. Photo source · License Museum of Fine Arts, Houston
Art museum in Houston, Texas
Delaywaves. CC BY 3.0. Photo source · License Daikin Park
Baseball stadium in Houston, Texas

HDFC PR. CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo source · License Shell Energy Stadium
Soccer stadium in Houston, Texas, USA

EricEnfermero. CC BY-SA 3.0. Photo source · License Astrodome
Historic place in Houston, Harris County, Texas
Next
$3,170 / mo left
The month
One earner. 1 bd.
See full breakdown
- Taxes$1,665
- Rent$1,188
- Other living costs$1,950
- Left over$3,170
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $95,686
- Federal income tax
- −$12,665
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$7,320
- State income tax (TX)
- None
- Take-home pay
- $75,701
- Effective tax rate
- 20.9%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,188
- Groceries
- $380
- Getting around
- $572
- Healthcare
- $428
- Utilities and internet
- $238
- Everything else
- $333
- Total spending
- $3,138
Left over each month
$7,974 gross, minus $1,665 in tax and $3,138 in living costs.
$3,170
County by county
10 counties. Rent is what residents pay, not asking rent.
| County | People | Median rent | 2-bed rent | Home value | Income | Commute |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harris CountyTX | 4.8M65% | $1,349 | $1,371 | $255,000 | $73,104 | 29 min |
| Fort Bend CountyTX | 860k12% | $1,770 | $1,662 | $350,300 | $113,409 | 33 min |
| Montgomery CountyTX | 655k9% | $1,471 | $1,475 | $317,500 | $97,266 | 32 min |
| Brazoria CountyTX | 382k5% | $1,410 | $1,335 | $276,800 | $95,155 | 31 min |
| Galveston CountyTX | 355k5% | $1,360 | $1,382 | $284,900 | $85,348 | 28 min |
| Liberty CountyTX | 98k1% | $1,038 | $1,075 | $167,100 | $64,773 | 39 min |
| Waller CountyTX | 59k1% | $1,210 | $1,088 | $292,000 | $76,135 | 32 min |
| Chambers CountyTX | 49k1% | $1,548 | $1,130 | $289,900 | $108,114 | 33 min |
| Austin CountyTX | 31k0% | $1,111 | $1,100 | $270,900 | $75,994 | 29 min |
| San Jacinto CountyTX | 28k0% | $1,018 | $959 | $183,100 | $59,526 | 39 min |
Census ACS 2023. “—” is not published.
Working remotely
If the paycheck stays the same
One adult, one bedroom, $120,000 held flat in every city. That leaves $4,593 a month here after tax and rent. One-bedroom rent in that math is $1,188.
- Work from home
- 12.1% of workers
- ACS 2024 1-year
- Home internet
- 76.4% of households
- Cable, fiber optic, or DSL
- Paid to move, remote job
- No open remote grant on this metro
Worked-from-home share is Census B08006_017E divided by all workers (ACS 2024 1-year, or ACS 2023 5-year when the 1-year table has no metro). Internet is households with cable, fiber optic, or DSL, from ACS 2023 5-year.
USAJOBS
Federal jobs that pay relocation here
34 open postings marked relocation-eligible. Fetched October 10, 2026.
- Behavioral Health Provider (O-3/O-4/O-5 Billet) Non-Supervisory
ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC) (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) · $1–$150,000 a year
Conroe, TX · Houston, TX · Closes October 21, 2026
- Behavioral Health Provider (O-3/O-4/O-5 Billet) Non-Supervisory
ICE Health Service (IHSC) (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) · $1–$150,000 a year
Houston, TX · Houston, TX · Closes October 21, 2026
- Civil Engineer
Southwestern Division (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) · $125,776–$197,200 a year
Little Rock AFB, AR · Corona, CA · El Monte, CA · +24 more · Little Rock, AR, Los Angeles, CA, Bakersfield, CA +16 · Closes October 22, 2026
- Engineering Technician (Civil)
Southwestern Division (SWD) (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers) · $46,979–$75,653 a year
La Porte, TX · Houston, TX · Closes October 22, 2026
- Supervisory Program Manager (Assistant Director)
Department of State Headquarters · $125,776–$197,200 a year
Hot Springs, AR · Tucson, AZ · Los Angeles, CA · +27 more · Hot Springs, AR, Tucson, AZ, Los Angeles, CA +26 · Closes October 22, 2026
29 more on the full list.
The place
204 sunny days. July high 94°F. January nights 45°F. 29 min commute. A car per adult.
- Weather
- 204 sunny days, 94°F in July, 45°F January nights
- Getting around
- A car per adult
- Average commute
- 29 minutes each way
- Size
- 7.3M people
- Buying instead
- Median home $275,200. About $2,045/mo with 20% down.
- Taxes
- No state income tax. Sales tax 8.2%, property tax 1.75%.
Fit
- Money left over
- 88
- Sun and mild weather
- 63
- Being in a big city
- 76
Public school districts in Houston
12 largest districts, NCES 2024-2025. This is districts, not every school. Students, school count, and pupils per teacher.
| District | City | Students | Schools | Pupils / teacher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houston ISD | Houston | 176,727 | 274 | 16.1 |
| Cypress-Fairbanks ISD | Cypress | 117,927 | 94 | 15.4 |
| Katy ISD | Katy | 96,111 | 79 | 13.9 |
| Fort Bend ISD | Sugar Land | 79,663 | 83 | 16 |
| Conroe ISD | Conroe | 72,914 | 67 | 15.3 |
| Aldine ISD | Houston | 56,419 | 80 | 14.4 |
| Klein ISD | Klein | 52,437 | 53 | 14.7 |
| Humble ISD | Humble | 48,502 | 51 | 14.8 |
| Lamar CISD | Rosenberg | 46,786 | 50 | 18.2 |
| Pasadena ISD | Pasadena | 46,491 | 67 | 13 |
| Clear Creek ISD | League City | 39,684 | 46 | 16.1 |
| Alief ISD | Houston | 38,610 | 46 | 13.6 |
Chicago vs Houston
Full comparisonExplore more
Moving from Houston
- Houston → Oklahoma City · $621 less
- Houston → Dallas · $121 less
- Midland → Houston · $323 less
- Houston → Midland · $322 more
- Oklahoma City → Houston · $617 more
- Houston → Austin · $10 more
- Houston → Denver · $515 less
- Houston → Raleigh · $419 less
- Houston → San Francisco · $808 less
- Houston → New York · $1,922 less
- Houston → Reno · $874 less
- Houston → Los Angeles · $1,467 less
- Houston → Chicago · $745 less
- Houston → Washington · $259 less
- Houston → Atlanta · $674 less
- Houston → Philadelphia · $733 less
Take-home by job in Houston
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Lawyer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Firefighter
- Mechanical engineer
Other Texas metros
- Dallas, TX
PaycheckHousingCostsDaily lifeKidsMove costCost of livingTake-home
- San Antonio, TX
PaycheckHousingCostsDaily lifeKidsMove costCost of livingTake-home
- Austin, TX
PaycheckHousingCostsDaily lifeKidsMove costCost of livingTake-home
- McAllen, TX
PaycheckHousingCostsDaily lifeKidsMove costCost of livingTake-home
- Eagle Pass, TX
PaycheckHousingCostsDaily lifeKidsMove costCost of livingTake-home
- Victoria, TX
PaycheckHousingCostsDaily lifeKidsMove costCost of livingTake-home
- San Angelo, TX
PaycheckHousingCostsDaily lifeKidsMove costCost of livingTake-home
- Sherman, TX
PaycheckHousingCostsDaily lifeKidsMove costCost of livingTake-home
Questions
How is take-home pay in Houston calculated?
Houston is in Texas, which has no state income tax. Take-home is a local salary minus federal tax, payroll tax, and that state tax. Leftover is what remains after rent.
What does rent cost in Houston?
About $1,188 for a one-bedroom and $1,414 for a two-bedroom in Houston, TX.
How do I compare Houston with another city?
Put Houston next to another city on the same job and household. The gap is the tax bill and the rent.
Also look at
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.