Washington vs Texas no income tax

Both states are on the nine-state list. This page holds the household constant — $100,000 single-filer wages, a $400,000 home, $20,000 of taxable spending — then adds paycheck tax, property tax, and sales tax so neither state can look cheaper just by skipping wage PIT.

Washington models the lower total by $1,711 a year. Read the line items — the winner often wins on property or sales, not on the paycheck.

Washington does not tax wages. This vignette includes modeled employee Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML). Washington also levies a separate capital gains excise on certain long-term gains — not a wage income tax. Texas does not tax wages. On this vignette it has the highest combined household bill among the nine: high property tax plus combined sales tax. New Hampshire’s property rate is higher, but New Hampshire has no general sales tax.

Washington: $21,435 paycheck, $3,000 property, $1,914 sales. Texas: $20,820 paycheck, $5,600 property, $1,640 sales.

Take-home is not identical: $78,565 in Washington vs $79,180 in Texas ($615 apart) because modeled employee PFML differs.

As a share of wages the combined bill is 26.4% in Washington vs 28.1% in Texas.

Washington’s COL index is 114.6; Texas’s is 90.7 (US average = 100). A lower household tax total can still sit in a more expensive grocery and rent basket.

Among the nine, Tennessee has the lowest COL index (88.9) and Alaska the highest (129).

Use the tax columns to compare levies and the COL column to compare prices. They answer different questions.

Local city wage taxes are not in play here (none of the nine models a separate city PIT on this vignette). Employer payroll taxes, credits beyond calculator defaults, and Washington’s capital gains excise on certain long-term gains are excluded from the wage household total.

Property uses a statewide effective rate on a fixed $400,000 home — not your county millage or purchase price. Sales tax uses a combined state + average local rate on a fixed $20,000 basket.

The nine-state range at $100,000 is $24,018 (Wyoming) to $28,060 (Texas).

Home value and spending stay fixed, so the ladder mostly moves with paycheck tax. At $75,000, Washington is lower by $1,865. At $150,000, Washington is lower by $1,404.

If you itemize, buy a different-priced home, or spend more on taxable goods, reorder the pair in the property and sales hubs rather than treating this ladder as a forecast.