Oklahoma and Texas at a glance
Moving between Oklahoma and Texas changes more than the scenery. On a $60,000 salary, Oklahoma leaves $30,369 a year after taxes, rent, food, energy and gasoline; Texas leaves $28,311.
Oklahoma comes out ahead by $2,057 a year ($171 a month). The calculation starts from the same gross pay in both states, subtracts federal tax, Social Security and Medicare, then each state's own income tax, and then the population-weighted cost of a one-bedroom rental, groceries, home energy and gasoline across 4,028,634 people in 77 counties in Oklahoma and 30,188,424 people in 254 counties in Texas.
Taxes: what each paycheck loses
Federal income tax ($5,072) and FICA ($4,590) on $60,000 are the same on both sides of the border. Texas does not tax wages, while Oklahoma takes $2,312 of a $60,000 salary in state income tax, so take-home pay is $2,312 higher in Texas.
At $100,000
At $100,000 take-home pay is $74,689 in Oklahoma and $78,901 in Texas, a difference of $4,212. The gap widens with income because graduated state brackets take a growing share.
Living costs
One-bedroom rent averages $914 a month in Oklahoma and $1,247 in Texas, so Oklahoma is $332 a month cheaper for housing. Food costs $3,436 a year in both, because the USDA Thrifty Food Plan is a national figure; home energy $1,845 and $2,297, and gasoline $1,406 and $1,334. Together the basics cost $17,658 a year in Oklahoma and $22,027 in Texas.
What the Census adds
Median household income is $65,039 in Oklahoma and $78,476 in Texas. Homeowners pay a median of $1,599 a year in property tax in Oklahoma and $4,232 in Texas. Commuters travel 22.4 minutes each way on average in Oklahoma and 26.7 in Texas.
Method
Taxes use the 2025 rules for a single filer with wage income only and the standard deduction. Housing and living costs are county figures from HUD (one-bedroom Fair Market Rent), the USDA Thrifty Food Plan and state energy prices from the Energy Information Administration, averaged across each state's counties and weighted by population, so large counties count more. Local income taxes are not included. Counties differ widely inside every state, so use the county pages for a specific place.