Houston vs Waco leftover
Moving to Waco costs you $833 a month
$2,327/mo leftover in Waco vs $3,160 in Houston after tax and rent ($833 less). −$9,996 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Houston leftover
$3,160
a month after tax and rent
Waco leftover
$2,327
−$833 vs Houston
Compare Houston to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Houston.
Monthly gap
Houston → Waco
$833
less / month in Houston
$2,327 in Waco · $3,160 in Houston · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 296 households moved Houston → Waco (avg AGI $61,115). 317 went the other way. The whole move →
−$833 / mo
| Per month | Houston | Waco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,958 | $6,538 | −$1,420 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,661 | $1,240 | −$421 |
| Take-home pay | $6,298 | $5,299 | −$999 |
| Rent | $1,188 | $1,108 | −$80 |
| Getting around | $572 | $549 | −$23 |
| Groceries | $380 | $363 | −$17 |
| Healthcare | $428 | $408 | −$20 |
| Utilities | $238 | $227 | −$11 |
| Everything else | $333 | $317 | −$16 |
| Left over | $3,160 | $2,327 | −$833 |
To break even in Waco, you'd need to earn
$92,500
Household gross, versus $95,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Houston does now.
The tax difference alone
$0
A year, in state and local income tax. Texas has no wage income tax.
More about Waco
Houston, TX in full
The cheapest housing of any top-10 metro, paid for in property tax and humidity.
Waco, TX in full
No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,319 and 221 sunny days; commutes average 22 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Waco on Waco wages.
Waco → Houston →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Waco than Houston?
A one-bedroom is about $1,188 in Houston versus $1,108 in Waco. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $833 a month lower in Waco. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Waco have state income tax?
Waco is in Texas, which has no state income tax.
What changes if you move from Houston to Waco?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Texas tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Houston and Waco moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.