City comparison
Houston, TX vs Port St. Lucie, FL
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Port St. Lucie, FL are 1.6% higher than in Houston, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in Houston, TX would need about $101,600 in Port St. Lucie, FL to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $1,467 a month in Port St. Lucie, FL versus $1,323 in Houston, TX. On $100,000, that's 22% of take-home pay in Port St. Lucie, FL and 20% in Houston, TX.
- Estimated state income tax on $100,000 is close: $0 a year in TX and $0 in FL.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −7.7% moving from Houston, TX to Port St. Lucie, FL ($122,749 → $113,356), while prices change by +1.6%. Net effect of the transfer: −9.1% in real buying power.
- Houston, TX: price level 98.6 (about average)
- Port St. Lucie, FL: price level 100.2 (about average)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Houston, TX | Port St. Lucie, FL | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 98.6 | 100.2 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $101,621 in Port St. Lucie | $98,405 in Houston |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $1,323/mo | $1,467/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $79,180 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $0 (TX) | $0 (FL) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 20% | 22% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $49,410 | $46,490 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | Houston-The Woodlands, TX | Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL |
Rent areas: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX HUD Metro FMR Area and Port St. Lucie, FL MSA. Metro areas: Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX and Port St. Lucie, FL.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Houston | Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 104.5 | 113.6 |
| Goods | 100.6 | 96.2 |
| Utilities | 95.3 | 87.0 |
| Other services | 95.6 | 98.9 |
| Overall | 98.6 | 100.2 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Houston, TX → Port St. Lucie, FL
Roughly even
Buying power −1.6%; rent takes 22% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
64 Fair offer
Port St. Lucie, FL → Houston, TX
Roughly even
Buying power +1.6%; rent takes 20% of take-home; state tax +$0/yr.
74 Strong offer
On the GS pay scale?
Houston, TX is in the Houston-The Woodlands, TX pay area; Port St. Lucie, FL is in Miami-Port St. Lucie-Fort Lauderdale, FL. The last column shows what a transfer from Houston, TX to Port St. Lucie, FL at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Houston, TX | Port St. Lucie, FL | Real change, Houston → Port St. Lucie |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $71,181 | $65,735 | −9.1% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $86,123 | $79,533 | −9.1% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $103,225 | $95,326 | −9.1% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $122,749 | $113,356 | −9.1% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $145,052 | $133,953 | −9.1% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Houston, TX | Port St. Lucie, FL | Port St. Lucie pay in Houston dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $64,500 | $53,610 | $52,755 (−18.2%) |
| Software Developers | $129,440 | $128,510 | $126,460 (−2.3%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $85,090 | $79,430 | $78,163 (−8.1%) |
| Registered Nurses | $99,830 | $82,090 | $80,780 (−19.1%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.