Software developer · Houston, TX
Software developer in Houston: $5,173/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median software developer wage in Houston at $129,440 a year. About 22,940 software developer jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.64). The 10th percentile is $80,400 and the 90th is $181,770. Pay ranks 89th-highest of 375 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 9.1× a year of one-bedroom rent ($1,188/mo). Texas has no state income tax. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $5,173 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Victoria, about 134 miles away, at $5,612 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
After tax and rent
$5,173
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$129,440
$80,400 to $181,770
Rent (1 bd)
$1,188
$1,414 (2 bd)
Employment
22,940
Location quotient 0.64
Pay rank
89th of 375
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
9.1×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, software developer pay of $129,440.
- Taxes$2,475
- Rent$1,188
- Other$1,951
- Left$5,173
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $129,440
- Federal income tax
- −$19,800
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$9,902
- State income tax (TX)
- None
- Take-home pay
- $99,738
- Effective tax rate
- 22.9%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $1,188
- Groceries
- $380
- Getting around
- $572
- Healthcare
- $428
- Utilities and internet
- $238
- Everything else
- $333
- Total spending
- $3,139
After tax and rent
$5,173 left/mo
Rank every metro for a software developer
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Victoria, $5,612/mo.
Software developer leftover by city →Best cities for software developers to move to →Software developer nearby
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Questions
What does a software developer make in Houston?
$129,440 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 22,940 software developer jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a software developer in Houston?
$5,173 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. Texas has no state income tax Rent is $1,188, and pay covers 9.1× a year of it.
Where nearby would a software developer keep more?
Victoria, about 134 miles away, leaves $5,612 a month, more than Houston.