2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Allentown Metro, PA-NJ 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 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$118,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+18.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$5,097
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$132
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$4,965/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

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ

COL 105.6
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,070
Local / City Tax -$2,027
Net Annual Take-Home $74,083
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,228
Discretionary Cash Flow $55,855
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $118,900
Federal Income Tax -$17,328
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,096
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $92,476
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $74,116

EPI family budgets put living costs 18.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ, so $100,000 in Allentown goes about as far as $118,900 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,519 a month in Allentown and $1,530 in Austin, $132 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,097 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,965 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,990 in Allentown 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 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,519$1,530+$11+0.7%
Food & Groceries$371$334-$37-10.0%
Transportation$1,004$1,062+$58+5.8%
Healthcare$442$467+$25+5.7%
Other Necessities$436$585+$149+34.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,160$1,735-$425-19.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$11/mo (0.7%)
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton: $1,519/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$22/mo (-1.2%)
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton: $1,839/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.41/hr (18.9%)
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton: $23.36/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.54/hr (6.9%)
Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton: $22.24/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 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$101,260$117,850+$16,590 (+16.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$122,930$134,120+$11,190 (+9.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,440$97,890-$3,550 (-3.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$100,050$102,390+$2,340 (+2.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$78,430$83,120+$4,690 (+6.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$165,660$176,990+$11,330 (+6.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$135,220$151,760+$16,540 (+12.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$99,610$129,470+$29,860 (+30.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$146,030$167,180+$21,150 (+14.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$66,500$60,390-$6,110 (-9.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$153,930$164,920+$10,990 (+7.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$95,780$106,600+$10,820 (+11.3%)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

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $118,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.6 in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ
Relocation: Allentown Metro, PA-NJ to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Allentown Metro, PA-NJ 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 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ?

About $118,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.6 in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ, 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 Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 18.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.