City comparison
Houston, 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 10.9% higher than in Houston, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Houston, TX would need about $110,900 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 $1,323 in Houston, TX. On $100,000, that's 25% of take-home pay in Kiryas Joel, NY and 20% in Houston, TX.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $4,860 a year higher in Kiryas Joel, NY than in Houston, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by +2.2% moving from Houston, TX to Kiryas Joel, NY ($122,749 → $125,431), while prices change by +10.9%. Net effect of the transfer: −7.9% in real buying power.
- Houston, TX: price level 98.6 (about average)
- 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
| Houston, TX | Kiryas Joel, NY | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.6 | 109.4 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $110,943 in Kiryas Joel | $90,136 in Houston |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,323/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 | 20% | 25% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $49,410 | $50,990 |
| 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 Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY MSA. Metro areas: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX and Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Houston | Kiryas Joel |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 104.5 | 115.8 |
| Goods | 100.6 | 110.3 |
| Utilities | 95.3 | 136.8 |
| Other services | 95.6 | 106.5 |
| Overall | 98.6 | 109.4 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Houston, TX → Kiryas Joel, NY
Same pay buys less
Buying power −9.9%; rent takes 25% of take-home; state tax +$4,860/yr.
38 Weak offer
Kiryas Joel, NY → Houston, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +10.9%; rent takes 20% of take-home; state tax −$4,860/yr.
100 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Houston, TX is in the Houston-The Woodlands, TX pay area; Kiryas Joel, NY is in New York-Newark, NY-NJ-CT-PA. The last column shows what a transfer from Houston, TX to Kiryas Joel, NY at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Houston, TX | Kiryas Joel, NY | Real change, Houston → Kiryas Joel |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $71,181 | $72,737 | −7.9% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $86,123 | $88,005 | −7.9% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $103,225 | $105,481 | −7.9% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $122,749 | $125,431 | −7.9% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $145,052 | $148,222 | −7.9% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Houston, TX | Kiryas Joel, NY | Kiryas Joel pay in Houston dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $64,500 | $81,770 | $73,704 (+14.3%) |
| Software Developers | $129,440 | $145,830 | $131,446 (+1.5%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $85,090 | $88,900 | $80,131 (−5.8%) |
| Registered Nurses | $99,830 | $102,890 | $92,741 (−7.1%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.