StubRate · Guides · 8 min read
California vs Texas Take-Home Pay: Same Salary, Different Stub Rate
Compare California and Texas take-home on the same salary. State tax is the headline—commute and housing decide the rest.
Same $100k is not the same paycheck
California taxes wage income; Texas does not. For a mid salary, that alone can be a car payment. Federal tax and FICA still hit both people. The difference is the state line on the stub.
StubRate’s California and Texas take-home pages run the same sample assumptions so you can see the gap without building a spreadsheet.
Use the state calculators, then layer real life
Start with the California and Texas take-home calculators at your actual salary and filing status. That isolates payroll. Then ask whether Bay Area or LA rent vs Dallas or Austin rent swallows the tax win.
A Texas offer $8,000 lower than a California offer can still be richer after tax. A Texas offer $8,000 lower with $20,000 higher rent (unusual, but metro-specific) can still lose. Do both steps.
Commute culture differs too
Many California tech offers are hybrid; many Texas office parks assume a car. Parking is cheaper in Texas; miles can be longer. Put office days and miles into the full calculator instead of assuming “Sun Belt = cheaper commute.”
True stub rate exists because state tax is only chapter one.
This is an estimate, not a CPA letter
California has brackets, not a single flat rate. StubRate’s effective-rate shortcut is for education and comparison, not filing. SALT caps, local taxes, and equity compensation can change high-earner math.
If the decision is a move or a $20k+ gap, run StubRate for direction, then confirm with a tax professional or a payroll sample from the employer.
FAQ
Is take-home pay higher in Texas than California?
On the same W-2 salary, Texas usually withholds less because it has no state wage income tax, while California does. Housing and other costs can offset some of that paycheck gain depending on the metro.
How much extra does California state tax take?
StubRate uses an approximate 7.5% effective California rate for estimates vs 0% in Texas. On $100k that is on the order of several thousand dollars a year—directionally large, not a legal computation.