Dentists, General Salary

Yes — at the median salary of $99K, rent takes 24.3% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,573/month. That stays under the 30% guideline most financial planners use.

The 10th-percentile wage — what new dentists, generals typically earn — is $77K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $4,607/month. At HUD’s $1,573/month FMR, rent would take 34% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.

Local pay runs 42% below the national median — $99K here vs. $171K nationally.

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands pays $99K median vs. the U.S. average of $171K — that’s -42%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 98.63), the purchasing-power equivalent is $100K — below the national median.

The median is $98,570 a year, that works out to about $47 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $76,790, and experienced dentists, generals can clear $306,110. The mean (average) is $156,500, reflecting that some workers earn substantially more. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.

On that salary, you'd take home roughly $6,478/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,573/month, which eats 24.3% of your paycheck. That's under the 30% guideline most financial planners use, so the numbers work.

Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands has a Regional Price Parity of 98.63 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median dentists, general salary is worth about $99,939 in national-average purchasing power.

The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.