Indianapolis, IN → Houston, TX
You'd keep $689 more a month in Houston
+$8,268 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 356 households moved Indianapolis → Houston (avg AGI $60,076). 211 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Indianapolis | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,417 | $7,963 | +$547 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,870 | $1,662 | −$208 |
| Take-home pay | $5,547 | $6,301 | +$754 |
| Rent | $1,205 | $1,199 | −$6 |
| Getting around | $545 | $572 | +$27 |
| Groceries | $368 | $380 | +$12 |
| Healthcare | $414 | $428 | +$14 |
| Utilities | $230 | $238 | +$8 |
| Everything else | $322 | $333 | +$11 |
| Left over | $2,463 | $3,152 | +$689 |
To break even in Houston, you'd need to earn
$84,000
Household gross, versus $89,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Indianapolis does now.
The tax difference alone
+$4,438
A year, in state and local income tax. Texas has no wage income tax.
More about Houston
Indianapolis, IN in full
Cheap housing, a 3% flat state tax, and a short commute.
Houston, TX in full
The cheapest housing of any top-10 metro, paid for in property tax and humidity.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Houston on Houston wages.
Houston → Indianapolis →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.