$90,000 in Allentown ≈ $88,740 in Houston

$88,740

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (100 → 98.6). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

Prices in Houston run −1.4% vs Allentown for equal purchasing power at this salary level.

Allentown RPP
100
Houston RPP
98.6
Price gap
−1.4%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in Houston run −1.4% versus Allentown on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are lower at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in Allentown maps to about $88,740 in Houston for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in Houston: $88,740

Live math: salary × (98.6 ÷ 100). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in Houston

In AllentownIn Houston
$60,000$59,160
$90,000$88,740
$150,000$147,900

Equivalent = origin salary × (98.6 ÷ 100). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentAllentownHoustonUS
All items100.098.6100
Goods100.6100.6100
Housing (rents)105.5104.5100
Other services97.895.6100

BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.

Wages in both metros

OccupationAllentownHoustonDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Chief Executives$279,080$275,270$182,990 to $435,0401,920−1.4%
Physicians, All Other$258,750$292,490$120,200 to $403,9007,010+13.0%
Architectural and Engineering Managers$166,180$172,020$155,420 to $217,5505,330+3.5%
Computer and Information Systems Managers$165,660$172,160$136,430 to $212,71013,090+3.9%
Financial Managers$146,030$166,910$130,430 to $217,13018,570+14.3%
Marketing Managers$153,930$153,030$109,990 to $200,9508,930−0.6%
Lawyers$126,160$157,980$105,240 to $243,93016,810+25.2%
Pharmacists$138,390$140,470$127,070 to $163,5106,410+1.5%

BLS OEWS May 2025 metro medians where published for both CBSAs. Employment is OEWS published employment, not job openings.

FAQ

What salary do I need in Houston to match $90,000 in Allentown?
About $88,740, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 100 and 98.6. Formula: salary × (RPP_destination / RPP_origin). Not financial advice.
What do goods, housing, and other RPP components mean?
BEA publishes component indexes alongside all-items RPP. Goods covers merchandise prices; housing (rents) covers rents; other services covers remaining services. All are indexed to US = 100 for the same vintage year.
How do OEWS wages relate to this comparison?
BLS OEWS (May 2025) publishes occupation medians by metro. The wage bridge shows jobs with published medians in both metros, plus middle-half bands and OEWS employment where available. RPP adjusts purchasing power; OEWS reports pay.
Does this include taxes or benefits?
No. PayByCity does not model income taxes, childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave. Use the figures as a price-level starting point, not a take-home or total-rewards calculator.

What this covers

Includes

  • BEA Regional Price Parities (all items, goods, housing rents, other services)
  • BLS OEWS median wages, percentile bands, and employment where published
  • Purchasing-power math: salary × (destination RPP ÷ origin RPP)

Does not include

  • Federal, state, or local income taxes
  • Childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave benefits
  • Job openings. OEWS employment is a published stock estimate, not hiring demand

See methodology and disclaimer.