2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Amarillo, 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 Amarillo, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$133,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+33.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,512
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$7,512/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

Amarillo, TX

COL 94.0
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 -$10,848
Discretionary Cash Flow $68,332
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $133,600
Federal Income Tax -$20,798
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,220
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $102,582
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $84,222

EPI family budgets put living costs 33.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Amarillo, TX, so $100,000 in Amarillo goes about as far as $133,600 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $904 a month in Amarillo and $1,530 in Austin, $7,512 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 $7,512 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $44,580 in Amarillo 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 Amarillo (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$904$1,530+$626+69.2%
Food & Groceries$332$334+$2+0.6%
Transportation$1,054$1,062+$8+0.8%
Healthcare$497$467-$30-6.0%
Other Necessities$356$585+$229+64.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$626/mo (69.2%)
Amarillo: $904/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$710/mo (64.1%)
Amarillo: $1,107/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.99/hr (33.6%)
Amarillo: $20.78/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.55/hr (23.7%)
Amarillo: $19.23/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 Amarillo Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$85,770$117,850+$32,080 (+37.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$116,530$134,120+$17,590 (+15.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$86,850$97,890+$11,040 (+12.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$83,210$102,390+$19,180 (+23.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,200$83,120+$6,920 (+9.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$149,990$176,990+$27,000 (+18.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$113,350$151,760+$38,410 (+33.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$82,850$129,470+$46,620 (+56.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$54,360$60,390+$6,030 (+11.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$143,350$167,180+$23,830 (+16.6%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,140$164,920+$45,780 (+38.4%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$82,000$106,600+$24,600 (+30.0%)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

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

About $133,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (94.0 in Amarillo, TX, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Amarillo, 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 Amarillo, TX?

About $133,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (94.0 in Amarillo, 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 Amarillo, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 33.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Amarillo, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.