2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Albany-Schenectady, NY to Austin-Round Rock, 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 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$107,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+7.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,860
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,260
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$3,600/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

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY

COL 116.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,860
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,320
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$17,100
Discretionary Cash Flow $57,220
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $107,600
Federal Income Tax -$14,842
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,231
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $84,527
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $66,167

EPI family budgets put living costs 7.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY, so $100,000 in Albany goes about as far as $107,600 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,425 a month in Albany and $1,530 in Austin, $1,260 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,860 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,600 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $58,460 in Albany 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 Albany-Schenectady-Troy (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,425$1,530+$105+7.4%
Food & Groceries$376$334-$42-11.2%
Transportation$1,066$1,062-$4-0.4%
Healthcare$585$467-$118-20.2%
Other Necessities$450$585+$135+30.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,140$1,735-$405-18.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$105/mo (7.4%)
Albany-Schenectady-Troy: $1,425/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$106/mo (6.2%)
Albany-Schenectady-Troy: $1,711/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.95/hr (7.6%)
Albany-Schenectady-Troy: $25.82/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$2.14/hr (-8.3%)
Albany-Schenectady-Troy: $25.92/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 Albany-Schenectady-Troy Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$111,130$117,850+$6,720 (+6.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$127,910$134,120+$6,210 (+4.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,970$97,890-$2,080 (-2.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$109,850$102,390-$7,460 (-6.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$84,660$83,120-$1,540 (-1.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$158,250$176,990+$18,740 (+11.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$163,510$151,760-$11,750 (-7.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$95,920$129,470+$33,550 (+35.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$83,690$106,600+$22,910 (+27.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$150,590$167,180+$16,590 (+11.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$74,890$60,390-$14,500 (-19.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$153,580$164,920+$11,340 (+7.4%)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

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $107,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (116.8 in Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY
Relocation: Albany-Schenectady, NY to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Albany-Schenectady, NY to Austin-Round Rock, TX compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

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

About $107,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (116.8 in Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY, 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 Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 7.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.