Seattle vs Abilene leftover
Moving to Abilene costs you $1,394 a month
$2,011/mo leftover in Abilene vs $3,405 in Seattle after tax and rent ($1,394 less). −$16,728 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Seattle leftover
$3,405
a month after tax and rent
Abilene leftover
$2,011
−$1,394 vs Seattle
Compare Seattle to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Seattle.
Monthly gap
Seattle → Abilene
$1,394
less / month in Seattle
$2,011 in Abilene · $3,405 in Seattle · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
−$1,394 / mo
| Per month | Seattle | Abilene | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $9,375 | $6,539 | −$2,836 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,081 | $1,240 | −$841 |
| Take-home pay | $7,294 | $5,299 | −$1,995 |
| Rent | $1,758 | $1,421 | −$337 |
| Getting around | $493 | $552 | +$59 |
| Groceries | $452 | $363 | −$89 |
| Healthcare | $508 | $408 | −$100 |
| Utilities | $283 | $227 | −$56 |
| Everything else | $395 | $317 | −$78 |
| Left over | $3,405 | $2,011 | −$1,394 |
To break even in Abilene, you'd need to earn
$102,000
Household gross, versus $112,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Seattle does now.
The tax difference alone
$0
A year, in state and local income tax. Texas has no wage income tax.
More about Abilene
Seattle, WA in full
No state income tax and high wages, offset by home prices and 150 sunny days.
Abilene, TX in full
No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,692 and 254 sunny days; commutes average 18 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Abilene on Abilene wages.
Abilene → Seattle →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Abilene than Seattle?
A one-bedroom is about $1,758 in Seattle versus $1,421 in Abilene. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $1,394 a month lower in Abilene. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Abilene have state income tax?
Abilene is in Texas, which has no state income tax.
What changes if you move from Seattle to Abilene?
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 Seattle and Abilene 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.