What salary do you need to live in Brownsville, TX?
For a single person: about $60,000/year before taxes to live comfortably. That's the gross income whose TX-taxed take-home covers roughly $1,047 rent plus everyday essentials, with a 20% cushion for savings. Figures include 2025 federal tax, FICA, and no state income tax (Texas doesn't have one).
What jobs here actually pay: the typical Brownsville worker earns about $36,490/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $49,500 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 26% short.
Single person — est. essentials $3,502/mo
Tight
take-home covers $3,502/mo
$49,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $4,202/mo
$60,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $5,253/mo
$77,500/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $4,736/mo
Tight
take-home covers $4,736/mo
$65,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $5,683/mo
$79,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $7,104/mo
$101,000/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $5,821/mo
Tight
take-home covers $5,821/mo
$81,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $6,985/mo
$99,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $8,732/mo
$125,000/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $6,556/mo
Tight
take-home covers $6,556/mo
$92,500/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $7,867/mo
$112,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $9,834/mo
$143,500/yr
How we calculate this
Essentials = typical rent ($1,047) + a national non-housing baseline by household size ($2,450 for one person) + Texas's combined sales tax on the taxable share of that spending. We then solve for the gross salary whose after-tax take-home hits each tier, including municipal income tax where the city levies one. These assume adults sharing a home. A household with young children also pays childcare, which in most cities is the largest line after rent — run a search with your own household to price it. Property taxes aren't modeled — see the methodology.
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