Washington, DC → Houston, TX
You'd keep $261 more a month in Houston
+$3,132 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
| Per month | Washington | Houston | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $9,667 | $7,952 | −$1,715 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,752 | $1,659 | −$1,093 |
| Take-home pay | $6,914 | $6,293 | −$622 |
| Rent | $1,929 | $1,199 | −$730 |
| Getting around | $463 | $572 | +$109 |
| Groceries | $452 | $380 | −$72 |
| Healthcare | $508 | $428 | −$80 |
| Utilities | $283 | $238 | −$45 |
| Everything else | $395 | $333 | −$62 |
| Left over | $2,883 | $3,144 | +$261 |
To break even in Houston, you'd need to earn
$91,000
Household gross, versus $116,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Washington does now.
The tax difference alone
+$7,019
A year, in state and local income tax. Texas has no wage income tax.
Washington, DC in full
Recession-resistant government and consulting pay, humid summers, real transit.
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 → Washington →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.