PlainRelocate

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin → Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 96.3 to 98.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $635/mo.

+$1,474
BLS median salary higher in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
602 to 395
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.2:1 to 14.4:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$294
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.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 96.3 → 98.6
Rent Delta: -$635/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $635/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + Lower violent crime rate

Cons of Moving

  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 96.3 to 98.6 (ratio 1.02), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $635/mo ($7,620/yr) from $1,730 in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin 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). Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin is #337/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $1,474 higher ($67,856 → $69,330). Labor-market size: 1,079,340 tracked jobs at origin vs 3,246,270 at destination.

State retirement friendliness is near-even: Tennessee 66 (C, #17/51) vs Texas 65 (C, #19/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 96.3
RPP 98.6
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Rent (2BR)
$1,730/mo
$1,095/mo
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Wages
$67,856
$69,330
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Crime
602 per 100K
395 per 100K
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Schools
15.2:1
14.4:1
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Childcare
$7,860/yr
$7,566/yr
Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Environment
1192 violations
35693 violations
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin

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 · Tennessee
66 C #17/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
36
Destination state · Texas
65 C #19/51
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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin to see what you'd need to earn in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
-
See the reverse: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands → Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin

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