Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach → Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 114.2 to 98.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $1,238/mo.
- +$1,005
- BLS median salary higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
- 210 to 395
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17.8:1 to 14.4:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $2,939
- DOL infant care lower / 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
- + 16% lower cost of living
- + $1238/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + More affordable childcare
Cons of Moving
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - More environmental violations
Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 114.2 to 98.6, so each dollar covers more in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands (ratio 0.86). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $1,238/mo ($14,856/yr) from $2,333 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach to $1,095 in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands.
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, a destination-heavy ledger. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands sits #248 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach is #361/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,005 higher ($68,325 → $69,330). Labor-market size: 2,720,630 tracked jobs at origin vs 3,246,270 at destination.
State retirement friendliness is near-even: Florida 62 (C, #23/51) vs Texas 65 (C, #19/51). 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
- 67
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 12
- 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 Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach 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