2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Amherst Town Metro, MA 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 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$103,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+3.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,780
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$756
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$5,536/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

Amherst Town-Northampton, MA

COL 121.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,780
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,400
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,116
Discretionary Cash Flow $55,284
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $103,600
Federal Income Tax -$13,962
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,925
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $81,713
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,353

EPI family budgets put living costs 3.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA, so $100,000 in Amherst Town goes about as far as $103,600 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,593 a month in Amherst Town and $1,530 in Austin, $756 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,780 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,536 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $57,030 in Amherst Town 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 Amherst Town-Northampton (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,593$1,530-$63-4.0%
Food & Groceries$431$334-$97-22.5%
Transportation$1,106$1,062-$44-4.0%
Healthcare$429$467+$38+8.9%
Other Necessities$510$585+$75+14.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,133$1,735-$398-18.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$63/mo (-4.0%)
Amherst Town-Northampton: $1,593/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$217/mo (-10.7%)
Amherst Town-Northampton: $2,034/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$0.96/hr (3.6%)
Amherst Town-Northampton: $26.81/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.67/hr (-6.6%)
Amherst Town-Northampton: $25.45/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 Amherst Town-Northampton Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$98,200$117,850+$19,650 (+20.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$126,670$134,120+$7,450 (+5.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$101,270$97,890-$3,380 (-3.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$85,320$102,390+$17,070 (+20.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$84,390$83,120-$1,270 (-1.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$156,040$176,990+$20,950 (+13.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$95,280$129,470+$34,190 (+35.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,100$151,760+$13,660 (+9.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$76,980$60,390-$16,590 (-21.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$144,950$167,180+$22,230 (+15.3%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$161,020$164,920+$3,900 (+2.4%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$103,610$106,600+$2,990 (+2.9%)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

Amherst Town-Northampton, MA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $103,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (121.2 in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Amherst Town-Northampton, MA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Amherst Town-Northampton, MA
Relocation: Amherst Town Metro, MA to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Amherst Town-Northampton, MA 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: Amherst Town Metro, MA 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 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA?

About $103,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (121.2 in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA, 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 Amherst Town-Northampton, MA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 3.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.