What salary do you need to live in Houston, TX?
For a single person: about $70,500/year before taxes to live comfortably. That's the gross income whose TX-taxed take-home covers roughly $1,573 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 Houston worker earns about $49,410/year (BLS OEWS, all occupations) — below the $58,000 a single person needs to cover local essentials, so a median local job alone runs 15% short.
Single person — est. essentials $4,046/mo
Tight
take-home covers $4,046/mo
$58,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $4,855/mo
$70,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $6,069/mo
$91,500/yr
2-person household — est. essentials $5,377/mo
Tight
take-home covers $5,377/mo
$75,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $6,452/mo
$91,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $8,066/mo
$115,000/yr
3-person household — est. essentials $6,657/mo
Tight
take-home covers $6,657/mo
$94,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $7,988/mo
$114,000/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $9,986/mo
$146,000/yr
4-person household — est. essentials $7,868/mo
Tight
take-home covers $7,868/mo
$112,000/yr
Comfortable
take-home covers $9,442/mo
$136,500/yr
Thriving
take-home covers $11,802/mo
$177,000/yr
How we calculate this
Essentials = typical rent ($1,573) + 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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