Orlando, FL → Houston, TX
You'd keep $977 more a month in Houston
+$11,724 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
| Per month | Orlando | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,083 | $7,940 | +$856 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,401 | $1,655 | +$254 |
| Take-home pay | $5,682 | $6,284 | +$602 |
| Rent | $1,502 | $1,199 | −$303 |
| Getting around | $586 | $572 | −$14 |
| Groceries | $396 | $380 | −$16 |
| Healthcare | $446 | $428 | −$18 |
| Utilities | $248 | $238 | −$10 |
| Everything else | $347 | $333 | −$14 |
| Left over | $2,158 | $3,135 | +$977 |
To break even in Houston, you'd need to earn
$78,500
Household gross, versus $85,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Orlando does now.
The tax difference alone
$0
A year, in state and local income tax. Texas has no wage income tax.
Orlando, FL in full
No income tax, but a service economy holds wages below the national median.
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 → Orlando →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.