Moving from North Carolina to Texas
Your real buying power stays about the same (+1.2%). Change the salary below to see your own numbers.
The salary comparison above is for W-2 earnings. Your retirement income and budget results appear in the calculator below.
State-median gross rent (2024 ACS): $1,338/month in North Carolina and $1,475/month in Texas. These are state benchmarks, not current rental quotes or your own housing costs. Compare your salary offer, housing and moving-cost recovery using the personal-budget option in the calculator.
Equal salary in TX: $74,000
To keep the same lifestyle, you need about $74,000 in Texas to match $75,000 in North Carolina ($1,000 less), after 2026 taxes and local prices.
Single filer, W-2 salary, standard deduction.
The renter figure uses ACS gross rent, which includes tenant-paid electricity, gas, water/sewer and fuels. The buyer figure adds electricity separately to mortgage, property tax and insurance. Food, transport, healthcare, other spending and one-time moving costs are excluded. These are selected-cost changes, not total savings. State medians may differ from your neighborhood and current quotes.
| Tax on $75,000 | North Carolina | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Federal income tax | $7,670 | $7,670 |
| Social Security + Medicare | $5,738 | $5,738 |
| State income tax | $2,484 | $0 |
| State payroll programs (UI, disability, paid leave, transit) | $0 | $0 |
| Take-home pay | $59,109 | $61,593 |
Key facts: North Carolina to Texas
- Median rent
- $1,338 → $1,475/mo
- Median home value
- $333,000 → $313,200
- Price level (U.S. = 100)
- 94.3 → 97.1
- Road distance
- ≈ 1,250 miles
- Natural hazard risk (FEMA)
- Very high county-score mean (83.6 → 91.0 of 100)
What changes when you move to Texas
- Texas has no state income tax on wages. At $75,000 you'd stop paying about $2,484 a year in North Carolina income tax.
- BEA's housing rents price index is 19% higher in Texas. Median rent goes from $1,338 to $1,475 a month and the median home value from $333,000 to $313,200.
- Homeowners pay more property tax: the median bill is $4,108 in Texas vs $2,044 in North Carolina.
- The average home electric bill is $171 a month in Texas vs $146 in North Carolina (EIA 2025), about $298 a year more.
Who moves from North Carolina to Texas
In the latest IRS migration data (2022–2023), 8,387 households (15,133 people) filed their taxes in Texas after filing in North Carolina the year before. That makes Texas the #5 destination for people leaving North Carolina. These households reported an average adjusted gross income of $71,235. Going the other way, 8,694 households moved from Texas to North Carolina, a net loss of 307 households for Texas.
Five-year trend
Moves from North Carolina to Texas peaked in 2021–22 at 8,541 households, then held roughly steady by 2022–23. That is still up 18% from 2018–19.
Source: IRS SOI state-to-state migration files, tax years 2018–19 to 2022–23.
Cost to move from North Carolina to Texas
Moving cost: $870–$11,610
Moving about 1,250 miles from North Carolina to Texas costs roughly $870 – $11,610, depending on how much of the work you hire out.
Distance between the states' population centers by road (estimate).
| Moving method | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Rental truck (DIY) Truck rental, taxes and fees. Add fuel, damage coverage, lodging and your time. | $870 – $3,760 |
| Moving container You pack and load; the company drives the container. | $1,710 – $4,360 |
| Full-service movers Loading, transport and unloading. Packing, storage and other extra services may cost more; confirm the written estimate. | $2,760 – $11,610 |
These ranges are based on summer (peak-season) quotes. A move between October and April usually costs less: peak prices run 20–30% higher.
A rental truck also burns about 125 gallons of fuel over this distance. One-way truck rental prices depend on direction: a truck headed where many people are moving often costs more than the same trip in reverse.
Ranges combine 198 published quote ranges on 22 interstate routes (moveBuddha, retrieved 2026-09-24) with 47 independent published prices from U-Pack, HireAHelper and Move.org, which raised the top of several ranges. They are not quotes; get at least three written estimates.
Alaska and Hawaii ranges come from published carrier rates and moving quotes, dated in each row (Matson's household-goods rates, U-Pack, Royal Hawaiian Movers). See how we estimate.
Shipping a car from North Carolina to Texas
Car shipping: $970–$1,430
Shipping a sedan from North Carolina to Texas on an open carrier costs about $970–$1,430, typically 3–7 days in transit over about 1,250 miles.
Modeled from 32 published 2026 route prices (SGT Auto Transport 'Ship a Car to Another State' sample routes, SGT Auto Transport cost calculator sample routes) plus published mainland-to-Hawaii and mainland-to-Alaska prices. Reverse ocean routes reuse those inbound prices as a proxy, not a separately sourced price for that direction. The 25% SUV and 35% enclosed-carrier uplifts are model assumptions; ocean carrier packages and vehicle charges can differ. Not a quote.
North Carolina vs Texas take-home pay at every salary
| Salary | Equal salary in TX | Take-home change | Take-home in NC | Take-home in TX |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,700 | +$1,486 | $40,869 | $42,355 |
| $75,000 | $74,000 | +$2,484 | $59,109 | $61,593 |
| $100,000 | $98,200 | +$3,481 | $75,699 | $79,180 |
| $150,000 | $146,700 | +$5,476 | $108,315 | $113,791 |
| $250,000 | $243,400 | +$9,466 | $173,716 | $183,182 |
Single filer, 2026 tax rules, standard deduction. "Equal salary" keeps the same after-tax buying power.
At higher incomes, especially for homeowners, itemizing state and local taxes (deductible up to $40,400 in 2026) can lower your federal tax while you live in North Carolina, which narrows the gap shown.
Cost of living: North Carolina vs Texas
| Measure | North Carolina | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Overall price level (U.S. = 100) | 94.3 | 97.1 |
| Housing rents price index | 81.4 | 96.5 |
| Utilities price index | 88.6 | 87.5 |
| Goods price index | 96.6 | 98.1 |
| Median rent (monthly) | $1,338 | $1,475 |
| Median home value | $333,000 | $313,200 |
| Median property tax (yearly) | $2,044 | $4,108 |
| Electricity (residential) | 14.74¢/kWh | 15.94¢/kWh |
| State sales tax rate | 4.75% | 6.25% |
| Median household income | $73,958 | $79,721 |
Renting and buying: North Carolina vs Texas
| Measure | North Carolina | Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Income to rent the median home (30% rule) | $53,520 | $59,000 |
| Monthly cost to own the median home (20% down) | $2,099 | $2,237 |
| Income needed to buy the median home | $89,940 | $95,892 |
| Homeowners insurance (yearly median, homes with a mortgage) | $1,353 | $2,251 |
| Infant child care (center, yearly) | $13,916 | $10,894 |
Mortgage at the Freddie Mac 30-year average with 20% down, plus the median property tax and the median homeowners insurance that owners with a mortgage paid in 2024 (Census ACS). Premiums have risen in most states since then, so get quotes. See buying a home in Texas for other down payments.
Your yearly budget: North Carolina vs Texas
On a $75,000 salary, taxes, gross rent including basic utilities, one car and health insurance for one adult come to $42,173 a year in North Carolina and $42,245 in Texas if you rent: $72 more after the move. If you buy the median home, those selected costs use mortgage, property tax, homeowners insurance and electricity instead of gross rent; they come to $53,054 and $53,446 ($392 more).
Your yearly budget, before vs after
| Yearly cost | NC | TX | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Income and payroll taxes on $75,000, single filer | $15,891 | $13,408 | -$2,483 |
| Car insurance one car, state average | $925 | $1,429 | +$504 |
| Gas 12,000 miles at 25 mpg | $1,645 | $1,776 | +$131 |
| Health insurance one adult, age 40, own plan before subsidies | $7,656 | $7,932 | +$276 |
| If you rent | |||
| Rent and basic utilities ACS median gross rent, 12 months | $16,056 | $17,700 | +$1,644 |
| Total if you rent | $42,173 | $42,245 | +$72 |
| If you buy the median home (20% down) | |||
| Mortgage payment median home, 20% down, 7.24% | $21,786 | $20,491 | -$1,295 |
| Property tax median home | $2,044 | $4,108 | +$2,064 |
| Homeowners insurance state median, with a mortgage | $1,353 | $2,251 | +$898 |
| Electricity state average bill | $1,754 | $2,051 | +$297 |
| Total if you buy | $53,054 | $53,446 | +$392 |
Taxes: 2026 federal and state rules, standard deduction. Rent, home value and property tax: Census ACS 2024 state medians. Gross rent includes tenant-paid electricity, gas, water/sewer and fuels; those basic utilities are not added again. Mortgage: Freddie Mac 30-year average (7.24%, week of October 29, 2026).
State figures: EIA 2025 average residential power bill (buyers only), NAIC 2023 auto insurance (average per car), Census ACS 2024 homeowners insurance (median for owners with a mortgage; premiums have risen since), AAA regular gas on October 29, 2026, and the KFF 2026 benchmark silver Marketplace premium. Job-based health coverage usually costs you less, and in 2026 incomes between 100% and 400% of the federal poverty level can get a premium tax credit.
Not included: sales tax (combined state and local rates are not in our data yet), food, car payments and other spending.
Child care is not in the totals. Full-time center care for one infant averages $13,916 a year in North Carolina and $10,894 in Texas (Child Care Aware of America, 2025 (2024 fallback for Colorado, Washington, DC and South Carolina) state averages).
Cost of living in Texas cities: Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Austin.
After you arrive in Texas
- Texas new resident checklist: driver license and vehicle registration deadlines.
- Taxes the year you move: part-year returns in North Carolina and Texas.
- How Texas taxes retirement income.
Frequently asked questions
How much salary do I need in Texas to live like I do in North Carolina?
A $75,000 salary in North Carolina works out to about $74,000 in Texas once 2026 federal and state taxes and BEA regional price levels are counted. At $100,000 it is about $98,200.
Will I pay less tax in Texas than in North Carolina?
Yes, about $2,484 less a year in income and payroll taxes on a $75,000 salary (21.2% of pay in North Carolina vs 17.9% in Texas). Property and sales taxes are shown separately.
How much does it cost to move from North Carolina to Texas?
For a 2–3 bedroom home over about 1,250 miles, expect roughly $870–$3,760 with a rental truck, $1,710–$4,360 with a moving container, or $2,760–$11,610 with full-service movers.
Are more people moving from North Carolina to Texas?
Moves from North Carolina to Texas peaked in 2021–22 at 8,541 households, then held roughly steady by 2022–23. That is still up 18% from 2018–19.
How many people move from North Carolina to Texas?
IRS migration data for 2022–2023 show 8,387 households (15,133 people) moved from North Carolina to Texas, making Texas the #5 destination for people leaving North Carolina. 8,694 households moved the other way.
Is Texas cheaper than North Carolina?
Overall prices in Texas are 3.0% higher than North Carolina (BEA Regional Price Parities 2024). Median rent is $1,475 vs $1,338 a month.
Compare other moves
Where people from North Carolina actually move
- NC to South Carolina 18,026 households
- NC to Florida 14,530 households
- NC to Virginia 12,599 households
- NC to Georgia 8,487 households
- NC to New York 6,906 households
- NC to California 6,470 households
- NC to Tennessee 5,058 households
- NC to Pennsylvania 4,327 households
State-agency links identify the responsible tax office; they do not verify every modeled rule. Use forms and guidance for the year you are filing.