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PayByTown

Can I afford to live here?

Pick a county, enter your salary and household, and see what is left each month after taxes, housing, childcare, electricity, groceries and sales tax. Every figure names its official source and can be replaced with your own.

Left over each month in Harris County, Texas

$2,557

Take-home pay $4,199 minus the costs below ($1,642).

Children

Example amount: clothes, household goods and other taxable purchases.

Car, transportation, health insurance, debt payments, phone, internet, savings.

  • Take-home pay$4,199

    $60,000 salary after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, 2026 (single). Texas has no state income tax on wages. Local income taxes, dependents and credits are not included. Full Texas paycheck breakdown

  • Rent and utilities, 1-bedroom−$1,261

    HUD Fair Market Rent: the 40th-percentile rent (rent plus utilities except phone and internet) for a standard unit, not a median or an asking rent. Because utilities are included, electricity is not added again below.

    Source: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY 2027. Data period: FY 2027 (federal fiscal year Oct 1, 2026 - Sep 30, 2027); FMR Notice 91 FR 56156. HUD area: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, TX HUD Metro FMR Area.

  • Childcare (no children entered)−$0

    Source: U.S. Department of Labor, National Database of Childcare Prices. Data period: study year 2022 (prices from state childcare market rate surveys; latest year in the file). All prices for Harris County

  • Groceries (USDA Low-Cost plan, 1 person)−$356

    Food at home only. Adults use the average of USDA's male and female 19 to 50 rows; USDA's household-size adjustment applied.

    Source: USDA Food Plans: Cost of Food at Home. Data period: August 2026 (monthly report).

  • Sales tax on $400 of taxable shopping−$25

    6.25% state rate. State base rate only. County and city sales taxes usually add more. State agency page

Empty boxes use the cited figure shown in grey. Everything you change is saved in this page's address, so you can bookmark or share it. Nothing is sent to us.

How this calculator works

  • Take-home pay uses the same 2026 engine as our take-home pay calculators: federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, state income tax and state payroll programs. It is filled in only for states whose 2026 tax rules are fully verified; elsewhere, enter your own. Local income taxes, dependents and credits are not included.
  • Rent is HUD's Fair Market Rent for the county and bedroom count (FY 2027 (federal fiscal year Oct 1, 2026 - Sep 30, 2027); FMR Notice 91 FR 56156). It includes utilities other than phone and internet, so electricity is only added when you buy.
  • Buying adds principal and interest on a 30-year fixed loan, mortgage insurance at 0.5% of the loan a year when you put down less than 20%, the county's effective property tax rate from the Census Bureau (median tax paid ÷ median home value), and the insurance you enter.
  • Childcare is the Department of Labor's median full-time price for each child's age and the type of care you choose. These are 2022 prices, the latest available, and are not adjusted for inflation.
  • Electricity is the EIA's average monthly residential bill for the state (calendar year 2024 (annual)).
  • Groceries follow the USDA food plan you pick (August 2026 (monthly report)), for your household's size and children's ages.
  • Sales tax applies the state's base rate to the taxable shopping you enter. County and city sales taxes are not included.
  • Not included unless you add them: transportation, health insurance, debt payments, phone and internet, renters or homeowners insurance (we don't publish insurance averages), savings.

This is a planning estimate, not financial advice. Sources and data periods are listed on our sources page.

Last updated October 11, 2026.