2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$105,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+5.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,332
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$4,332/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

Anchorage, AK

COL 119.2
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 -$14,028
Discretionary Cash Flow $65,152
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $105,300
Federal Income Tax -$14,336
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,055
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $82,909
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $64,549

EPI family budgets put living costs 5.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Anchorage, AK, so $100,000 in Anchorage goes about as far as $105,300 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,169 a month in Anchorage and $1,530 in Austin, $4,332 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 $4,332 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $60,200 in Anchorage 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 Anchorage (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,169$1,530+$361+30.9%
Food & Groceries$428$334-$94-22.0%
Transportation$1,104$1,062-$42-3.8%
Healthcare$727$467-$260-35.8%
Other Necessities$471$585+$114+24.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$361/mo (30.9%)
Anchorage: $1,169/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$288/mo (18.8%)
Anchorage: $1,529/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.40/hr (5.3%)
Anchorage: $26.37/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$3.54/hr (-13.0%)
Anchorage: $27.32/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 Anchorage Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$120,030$117,850-$2,180 (-1.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$104,030$134,120+$30,090 (+28.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$115,290$97,890-$17,400 (-15.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,580$102,390+$2,810 (+2.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,150$83,120+$970 (+1.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$137,990$176,990+$39,000 (+28.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$113,190$129,470+$16,280 (+14.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$100,940$151,760+$50,820 (+50.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$129,220$167,180+$37,960 (+29.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$82,440$60,390-$22,050 (-26.7%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$118,770$164,920+$46,150 (+38.9%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$137,980$102,980-$35,000 (-25.4%)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

Anchorage, AK to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $105,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (119.2 in Anchorage, AK, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

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

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

About $105,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (119.2 in Anchorage, AK, 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 Anchorage, AK?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 5.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Anchorage, AK. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.