2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Abilene, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from Abilene, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$123,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+23.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,796
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$5,796/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Abilene, TX

COL 101.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,564
Discretionary Cash Flow $66,616
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $123,900
Federal Income Tax -$18,470
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,478
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $95,952
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $77,592

EPI family budgets put living costs 23.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Abilene, TX, so $100,000 in Abilene goes about as far as $123,900 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,047 a month in Abilene and $1,530 in Austin, $5,796 a year more. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays the same total tax in both metros. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,796 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $44,340 in Abilene and $56,950 in Austin.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Abilene (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,047$1,530+$483+46.1%
Food & Groceries$323$334+$11+3.4%
Transportation$1,058$1,062+$4+0.4%
Healthcare$561$467-$94-16.8%
Other Necessities$393$585+$192+48.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$483/mo (46.1%)
Abilene: $1,047/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$507/mo (38.7%)
Abilene: $1,310/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.36/hr (23.9%)
Abilene: $22.41/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.52/hr (23.5%)
Abilene: $19.26/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Abilene Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$86,200$117,850+$31,650 (+36.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$103,760$134,120+$30,360 (+29.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$80,240$97,890+$17,650 (+22.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$82,230$102,390+$20,160 (+24.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,410$83,120+$7,710 (+10.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,670$176,990+$41,320 (+30.5%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$96,890$129,470+$32,580 (+33.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,020$151,760+$40,740 (+36.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$47,400$60,390+$12,990 (+27.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$134,920$167,180+$32,260 (+23.9%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,100$164,920+$55,820 (+51.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$81,330$106,600+$25,270 (+31.1%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Abilene, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $123,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.3 in Abilene, TX, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Abilene, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Abilene, TX
Relocation: Abilene, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Abilene, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100,000 in Abilene, TX?

About $123,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.3 in Abilene, TX, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX cheaper than Abilene, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 23.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Abilene, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.