Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands St. George

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands to St. George is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 98.6 to 97.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $480/mo.

-$10,420
BLS median salary lower in St. George
395 to 229
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
14.7:1 to 21.4:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,262
DOL infant care higher / yr in St. George

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.

Verdict
Less Favorable
Cost Index: 98.6 → 97.3
Rent Delta: +$480/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + Lower violent crime rate
  • + Fewer environmental violations

Cons of Moving

  • - $480/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - $10K lower median salary
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More expensive childcare

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 98.6 to 97.3 (ratio 0.99), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $480/mo ($5,760/yr) from $1,095 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands to $1,575 in St. George.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (3 destination wins · 4 origin wins); priorities decide this move. St. George sits #311 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands is #248/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $10,420 lower ($69,330 → $58,910). Labor-market size: 3,246,270 tracked jobs at origin vs 83,630 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Texas scores 65 (C, #19/51) vs Utah at 53 (D, #40/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
St. George
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 98.6
RPP 97.3
St. George
Rent (2BR)
$1,095/mo
$1,575/mo
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Wages
$69,330
$58,910
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Crime
395 per 100K
229 per 100K
St. George
Schools
14.7:1
21.4:1
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Childcare
$7,566/yr
$11,828/yr
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Environment
35693 violations
1172 violations
St. George

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Texas
65 C #19/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
55
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
44
Destination state · Utah
53 D #40/51
Income tax
70
Property tax
83
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
0

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 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands to see what you'd need to earn in St. George to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in St. George
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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