$90,000 in Durham ≈ $90,922 in Houston

$90,922

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (97.6 → 98.6). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

Prices in Houston run +1.0% vs Durham for equal purchasing power at this salary level.

Durham RPP
97.6
Houston RPP
98.6
Price gap
+1.0%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in Houston run +1.0% versus Durham on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are higher at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in Durham maps to about $90,922 in Houston for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in Houston: $90,922

Live math: salary × (98.6 ÷ 97.6). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in Houston

In DurhamIn Houston
$60,000$60,615
$90,000$90,922
$150,000$151,537

Equivalent = origin salary × (98.6 ÷ 97.6). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentDurhamHoustonUS
All items97.698.6100
Goods96.6100.6100
Housing (rents)98.9104.5100
Other services98.295.6100

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

Wages in both metros

OccupationDurhamHoustonDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Computer and Information Systems Managers$176,190$172,160$136,430 to $212,71013,090−2.3%
Architectural and Engineering Managers$172,480$172,020$155,420 to $217,5505,330−0.3%
Financial Managers$165,470$166,910$130,430 to $217,13018,570+0.9%
Marketing Managers$175,160$153,030$109,990 to $200,9508,930−12.6%
Sales Managers$190,370$135,880$95,990 to $188,00016,430−28.6%
Human Resources Managers$160,580$142,110$105,090 to $177,1205,890−11.5%
Managers, All Other$152,090$144,820$104,670 to $181,90014,930−4.8%
Lawyers$132,790$157,980$105,240 to $243,93016,810+19.0%

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 Durham?
About $90,922, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 97.6 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.