Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos → Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.1 to 98.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $757/mo.
- -$2,459
- BLS median salary lower in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
- 395 to 395
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14.4:1 to 14.4:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $0
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + $757/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
Cons of Moving
- - $2K lower median salary
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 98.1 to 98.6 (ratio 1.01), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $757/mo ($9,084/yr) from $1,852 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos to $1,095 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (1 destination wins · 2 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands sits #248 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos is #321/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $2,459 lower ($71,789 → $69,330). Labor-market size: 1,265,270 tracked jobs at origin vs 3,246,270 at destination.
Both metros sit in Texas: state retirement score 65 (C, #19/51) - tax posture does not change with this move. Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 100
- Property tax
- 55
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 44
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos to see what you'd need to earn in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands to maintain the same purchasing power.
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026