City comparison
Houston, TX vs New Haven, CT
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in New Haven, CT are 6.0% higher than in Houston, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Houston, TX would need about $106,000 in New Haven, CT to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,591 a month in New Haven, CT versus $1,323 in Houston, TX. On $100,000, that's 25% of take-home pay in New Haven, CT and 20% in Houston, TX.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $3,925 a year higher in New Haven, CT than in Houston, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +2.2% moving from Houston, TX to New Haven, CT ($122,749 → $125,431), while prices change by +6.0%. Net effect of the transfer: −3.6% in real buying power.
- Houston, TX: price level 98.6 (about average)
- New Haven, CT: price level 104.6 (pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Houston, TX | New Haven, CT | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.6 | 104.6 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $106,012 in New Haven | $94,329 in Houston |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,323/mo | $1,591/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $75,255 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $3,925 (CT) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 20% | 25% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $49,410 | $60,060 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Houston-The Woodlands, TX | New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA |
Rent areas: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and New Haven, CT MSA. Metro areas: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX and New Haven, CT.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Houston | New Haven |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 104.5 | 124.3 |
| Goods | 100.6 | 97.3 |
| Utilities | 95.3 | 144.8 |
| Other services | 95.6 | 102.7 |
| Overall | 98.6 | 104.6 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Houston, TX → New Haven, CT
Same pay buys less
Buying power −5.7%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax +$3,925/yr.
50 Fair offer
New Haven, CT → Houston, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +6.0%; rent takes 20% of take-home; state tax −$3,925/yr.
88 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Houston, TX is in the Houston-The Woodlands, TX pay area; New Haven, CT is in New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA. The last column shows what a transfer from Houston, TX to New Haven, CT at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Houston, TX | New Haven, CT | Real change, Houston → New Haven |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $71,181 | $72,737 | −3.6% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $86,123 | $88,005 | −3.6% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $103,225 | $105,481 | −3.6% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $122,749 | $125,431 | −3.6% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $145,052 | $148,222 | −3.6% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Houston, TX | New Haven, CT | New Haven pay in Houston dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $64,500 | $79,820 | $75,293 (+16.7%) |
| Software Developers | $129,440 | $133,040 | $125,495 (−3.0%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $85,090 | $94,960 | $89,574 (+5.3%) |
| Registered Nurses | $99,830 | $104,490 | $98,564 (−1.3%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.