Colorado vs Texas: take-home pay and taxes
On a $75,000 salary you take home $58,204 a year in Colorado and $61,593 in Texas — $3,388 more in Texas. But prices are about 6% higher in Colorado, so moving from Colorado to Texas on the same take-home after prices takes $65,511.
| Per year | Offer A · Colorado | Offer B · Texas |
|---|---|---|
| Pay (salary and bonus) | $75,000 | $75,000 |
| Federal income tax | −$7,670 | −$7,670 |
| Social Security and Medicare | −$5,737 | −$5,737 |
| State and local taxes | −$3,388 | $0 |
| Take-home | $58,204 | $61,593 |
| Offer value (take-home + match + benefits − commute) | $58,204 | $61,593 |
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | 103.1 | 97.1 |
| Value in U.S.-average prices | $56,481 | $63,460 |
Price level is BEA's Regional Price Parity for the state — what the same things cost there compared with the U.S. average, housing included. It's an average for the whole state, not a budget. The matching salary keeps Offer A's take-home after prices, with the same W-4 and no 401(k) or benefits.
Take-home pay in Colorado and Texas
| Salary | Colorado take-home | Texas take-home | Colorado state taxes | Texas state taxes | Texas vs Colorado |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $40,177 | $42,355 | $2,178 | $0 | +$2,178 |
| $75,000 | $58,204 | $61,593 | $3,388 | $0 | +$3,388 |
| $100,000 | $74,582 | $79,180 | $4,598 | $0 | +$4,598 |
| $150,000 | $106,773 | $113,791 | $7,018 | $0 | +$7,018 |
| $200,000 | $139,557 | $148,927 | $9,370 | $0 | +$9,370 |
A year. Single filer, paid every two weeks, standard W-4, each state's default form choices, no 401(k) or benefits. Federal tax, Social Security and Medicare are the same in both; the whole difference is state and local tax and state payroll premiums.
What makes up the difference
- Colorado: a flat income tax, plus Colorado FAMLI (paid family and medical leave) — $3,388 a year on $75,000.
- Texas: no state income tax on wages — $0 a year on $75,000.
The salary you'd need to move
| Salary now | Colorado → Texas: same take-home | … after prices | Texas → Colorado: same take-home | … after prices |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $60,000 | $56,687 | $53,231 | $63,525 | $67,823 |
| $75,000 | $70,184 | $65,511 | $80,172 | $85,979 |
| $100,000 | $93,464 | $87,297 | $107,019 | $114,485 |
"After prices" uses the Bureau of Economic Analysis's Regional Price Parities for 2024: Colorado 103.1, Texas 97.1 (U.S. = 100). Housing is most of the gap — rents are 127.4 in Colorado and 96.5 in Texas on the same scale. These are state averages: a big city can cost well above its state's figure. See what rent fits in Colorado and Texas. On $75,000, the reverse move — Texas to Colorado — needs $85,979 for the same take-home after prices; Texas is the cheaper state.
Who moves between them
About 22,986 people moved from Colorado to Texas and 27,574 from Texas to Colorado in 2024, according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey — one of the 40 busiest pairs of states we cover. Survey estimates have margins of error.
If you move: your W-4 and state forms
Your federal W-4 doesn't change with the state. Texas has no income tax on wages, so there's no state withholding form to fill in there, and make sure Colorado withholding stops once you no longer live or work there. If you move mid-year, Colorado taxes the part of the year you lived there. Working remotely for an employer in the other state has its own rules — see the moving between states tax guide.
How it's worked out
- Take-home in each state from the same engine as our paycheck calculators: IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Social Security and Medicare, and each state's own withholding formula, payroll premiums and default form choices.
- Prices from the Bureau of Economic Analysis's Regional Price Parities for 2024 (released 2026-02-19): each state's price level for everyday spending, with the U.S. at 100. Dividing take-home by it puts both offers in the same dollars.
- The matching salary is found by searching salaries in the second state until its take-home, after prices, equals the first — to the cent.
More comparisons
Colorado paycheck calculator · Texas paycheck calculator · Job offer comparison · Salary needed to move · California vs Colorado · California vs Texas · Florida vs Texas · Oklahoma vs Texas · New York vs Texas · Louisiana vs Texas · Illinois vs Texas · Georgia vs Texas
Sources
- BEA — Real Personal Consumption Expenditures by State and Real Personal Income by State, 2024 (Feb 19, 2026) — Regional Price Parities: California 110.7, Hawaii 110.0, D.C. 109.9, New Jersey 108.8 highest; Arkansas 86.9 lowest; full table SARPP in BEA's interactive data (checked 2026-09-27)
- FRED (St. Louis Fed) — 2024 Regional Price Parities by State (BEA data) — all items, goods, rents and other services for every state and D.C. (checked 2026-09-27)
- IRS Publication 15-T (2026), Federal Income Tax Withholding Methods — Worksheet 1A and the annual percentage-method tables
- IRS Publication 15 (2026), Employer's Tax Guide — Social Security and Medicare rates
- Social Security Administration — 2026 wage base of $184,500
- U.S. Census Bureau — State-to-State Migration Flows, 2024 (ACS 1-year, Table 1) — movers age 1 and over by current state and state of residence one year earlier; estimates with margins of error (checked 2026-09-27)
- Colorado FAMLI — Individuals and families — up to 12 weeks, plus up to 4 for pregnancy or childbirth complications; eligible after earning at least $2,500 (checked 2026-09-27)
- Texas Constitution, Article 8, Section 24-a — the legislature may not tax the net incomes of individuals (adopted November 5, 2019)
Questions
Do you take home more in Colorado or Texas?
In Texas: $3,388 more a year on $75,000 (single filer). Colorado state taxes are $3,388 and Texas's $0 on that salary.
What salary in Texas equals $75,000 in Colorado?
$70,184 for the same take-home pay, or $65,511 for the same take-home after prices (BEA Regional Price Parities: Colorado 103.1, Texas 97.1).
Is Colorado or Texas cheaper to live in?
Texas: BEA puts prices about 6% lower there than in Colorado on average, mostly because of housing. Costs vary a lot between cities within each state.