San Antonio-New Braunfels → Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from San Antonio-New Braunfels to Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands is less favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 94.7 to 98.6 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $3/mo.
- +$397
- BLS median salary higher 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.
Cons of Moving
- - 4% higher cost of living
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 94.7 to 98.6 (ratio 1.04), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent barely moves ($1,098 → $1,095); the housing line is not the swing factor on this corridor.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 1 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands sits #248 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (middle third). San Antonio-New Braunfels is #222/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Less Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $397 higher ($68,933 → $69,330). Labor-market size: 1,113,320 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 San Antonio-New Braunfels 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