City comparison
Brownsville, TX vs Kiryas Joel, NY
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Kiryas Joel, NY are 27.3% higher than in Brownsville, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Brownsville, TX would need about $127,300 in Kiryas Joel, NY to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,549 a month in Kiryas Joel, NY versus $866 in Brownsville, TX. On $100,000, that's 25% of take-home pay in Kiryas Joel, NY and 13% in Brownsville, TX.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $4,860 a year higher in Kiryas Joel, NY than in Brownsville, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +17.8% moving from Brownsville, TX to Kiryas Joel, NY ($106,437 → $125,431), while prices change by +27.3%. Net effect of the transfer: −7.4% in real buying power.
- Brownsville, TX: price level 86.0 (much cheaper)
- Kiryas Joel, NY: price level 109.4 (much pricier)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Brownsville, TX | Kiryas Joel, NY | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 86.0 | 109.4 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $127,272 in Kiryas Joel | $78,572 in Brownsville |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $866/mo | $1,549/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $74,320 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $4,860 (NY) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 13% | 25% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $36,490 | $50,990 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Rest of U.S. | New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA |
Rent areas: Brownsville-Harlingen, TX MSA and Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY MSA. Metro areas: Brownsville-Harlingen, TX and Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Brownsville | Kiryas Joel |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 57.7 | 115.8 |
| Goods | 93.8 | 110.3 |
| Utilities | 81.2 | 136.8 |
| Other services | 96.2 | 106.5 |
| Overall | 86.0 | 109.4 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Brownsville, TX → Kiryas Joel, NY
Same pay buys less
Buying power −21.4%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax +$4,860/yr.
37 Weak offer
Kiryas Joel, NY → Brownsville, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +27.3%; rent takes 13% of take-home; state tax −$4,860/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Brownsville, TX is in the Rest of U.S. pay area; Kiryas Joel, NY is in New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA. The last column shows what a transfer from Brownsville, TX to Kiryas Joel, NY at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Brownsville, TX | Kiryas Joel, NY | Real change, Brownsville → Kiryas Joel |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $61,722 | $72,737 | −7.4% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $74,678 | $88,005 | −7.4% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $89,508 | $105,481 | −7.4% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $106,437 | $125,431 | −7.4% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $125,776 | $148,222 | −7.4% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Brownsville, TX | Kiryas Joel, NY | Kiryas Joel pay in Brownsville dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $63,350 | $81,770 | $64,248 (+1.4%) |
| Software Developers | $106,990 | $145,830 | $114,581 (+7.1%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $66,440 | $88,900 | $69,850 (+5.1%) |
| Registered Nurses | $81,090 | $102,890 | $80,843 (−0.3%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.