Moving to Texas from Massachusetts
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Massachusetts to Texas — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Massachusetts to Texas, you would find that Texas is 22.3% cheaper than Massachusetts. A $75,000 salary in Massachusetts would need to be roughly $58,300 in Texas to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Houston averages 80°F vs 59°F in Boston, making it significantly warmer. Boston and Houston are about 1,600 mi apart.
Is Texas cheaper than Massachusetts?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 11.3% less
Groceries
pay 18.7% less
Transportation
pay 6.4% less
Housing
pay 36.3% less
Childcare
pay 30.8% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 13.9% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Texas?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $58,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Texas
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Texas cost about 22% less than cities in Massachusetts.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Massachusetts to Texas.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Massachusetts performs better than Texas across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Massachusetts performs better than Texas across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Texas generally does better on what about housing?, though Massachusetts leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Massachusetts generally does better on infrastructure, though Texas leads in average commute.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Massachusetts generally does better on employment & economy, though Texas leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Massachusetts performs better than Texas across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Texas vs Massachusetts
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Boston | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C) | 67°/48°F (20°/9°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 66°/50°F (19°/10°C) | 86°/67°F (30°/19°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/62°F (25°/17°C) | 93°/73°F (34°/23°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/38°F (11°/3°C) | 73°/53°F (23°/11°C) |
View all months
| Month | Boston | Houston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C) | 63°/43°F (17.2°/6.2°C) |
| Feb | 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C) | 66°/47°F (19.1°/8.1°C) |
| Mar | 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C) | 73°/53°F (22.8°/11.4°C) |
| Apr | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) | 80°/59°F (26.4°/15.2°C) |
| May | 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C) | 86°/68°F (30.2°/19.8°C) |
| Jun | 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C) | 91°/73°F (33.0°/22.9°C) |
| Jul | 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C) | 94°/75°F (34.3°/23.9°C) |
| Aug | 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C) | 94°/75°F (34.7°/23.8°C) |
| Sep | 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C) | 90°/70°F (32.1°/21.0°C) |
| Oct | 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C) | 82°/61°F (27.8°/16.1°C) |
| Nov | 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C) | 72°/52°F (22.5°/11.2°C) |
| Dec | 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C) | 64°/45°F (17.9°/7.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Texas than Massachusetts?
Yes — Texas is on average about 22% cheaper than Massachusetts. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Texas?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $14,575 in Texas on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Texas safe?
Massachusetts performs better than Texas across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Texas compared to Massachusetts?
Massachusetts performs better than Texas across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Texas compared to Massachusetts?
The average high temperature in Houston is 80°F, compared to 59°F in Boston. Houston receives around 49.8 in of rainfall per year, while Boston gets 43.8 in.
