$90,000 in Houston ≈ $88,448 in Milwaukee
$88,448
Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (98.6 → 96.9). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.
Prices in Milwaukee run −1.7% vs Houston for equal purchasing power at this salary level.
Same job, both metros
- Physicians, All Other in Houston Physicians, All Other in Milwaukee
- Computer and Information Systems Managers in Houston Computer and Information Systems Managers in Milwaukee
- Financial Managers in Houston Financial Managers in Milwaukee
- Architectural and Engineering Managers in Houston Architectural and Engineering Managers in Milwaukee
- Pharmacists in Houston Pharmacists in Milwaukee
- Houston RPP
- 98.6
- Milwaukee RPP
- 96.9
- Price gap
- −1.7%
- Base salary
- $90,000
Prices in Milwaukee run −1.7% versus Houston on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are lower at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in Houston maps to about $88,448 in Milwaukee for equal purchasing power.
Salary needed in Milwaukee
| In Houston | In Milwaukee |
|---|---|
| $60,000 | $58,966 |
| $90,000 | $88,448 |
| $150,000 | $147,414 |
Equivalent = origin salary × (96.9 ÷ 98.6). Adjust the base with the slider above.
Price level components
| Component | Houston | Milwaukee | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 98.6 | 96.9 | 100 |
| Goods | 100.6 | 93.8 | 100 |
| Housing (rents) | 104.5 | 97.1 | 100 |
| Other services | 95.6 | 99.4 | 100 |
BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.
Wages in both metros
| Occupation | Houston | Milwaukee | Dest. middle half | Dest. OEWS emp. | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Physicians, All Other | $292,490 | $411,200 | $336,480 to $456,390 | 2,390 | +40.6% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $172,160 | $161,220 | $129,380 to $202,580 | 2,520 | −6.4% |
| Financial Managers | $166,910 | $156,100 | $113,910 to $200,830 | 5,160 | −6.5% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $172,020 | $143,570 | $128,750 to $169,500 | 1,610 | −16.5% |
| Pharmacists | $140,470 | $153,340 | $133,400 to $170,380 | 1,760 | +9.2% |
| Lawyers | $157,980 | $131,100 | $98,010 to $222,330 | 4,040 | −17.0% |
| Marketing Managers | $153,030 | $130,700 | $97,740 to $172,220 | 1,580 | −14.6% |
| Sales Managers | $135,880 | $144,560 | $105,910 to $180,380 | 3,240 | +6.4% |
BLS OEWS May 2025 metro medians where published for both CBSAs. Employment is OEWS published employment, not job openings.
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FAQ
- What salary do I need in Milwaukee to match $90,000 in Houston?
- About $88,448, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 98.6 and 96.9. 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.