2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$101,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+1.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,481
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$2,208
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$5,689/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

Asheville, NC

COL 124.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,481
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,699
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$20,568
Discretionary Cash Flow $55,131
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $101,200
Federal Income Tax -$13,434
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,742
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $80,024
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,664

EPI family budgets put living costs 1.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Asheville, NC, so $100,000 in Asheville goes about as far as $101,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,714 a month in Asheville and $1,530 in Austin, $2,208 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,481 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,689 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $46,870 in Asheville 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 Asheville (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,714$1,530-$184-10.7%
Food & Groceries$389$334-$55-14.1%
Transportation$1,035$1,062+$27+2.6%
Healthcare$530$467-$63-11.9%
Other Necessities$520$585+$65+12.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,025$1,735-$290-14.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$184/mo (-10.7%)
Asheville: $1,714/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$49/mo (-2.6%)
Asheville: $1,866/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$0.32/hr (1.2%)
Asheville: $27.45/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.46/hr (2.0%)
Asheville: $23.32/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 Asheville Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$93,470$117,850+$24,380 (+26.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,350$134,120-$230 (-0.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,590$97,890+$16,300 (+20.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$97,470$102,390+$4,920 (+5.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$80,400$83,120+$2,720 (+3.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$163,290$176,990+$13,700 (+8.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$99,350$129,470+$30,120 (+30.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,670$151,760+$30,090 (+24.7%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$54,590$60,390+$5,800 (+10.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$152,270$167,180+$14,910 (+9.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$150,610$164,920+$14,310 (+9.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$75,990$106,600+$30,610 (+40.3%)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

Asheville, NC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $101,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (124.1 in Asheville, NC, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Asheville, NC 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 Asheville, NC?

About $101,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (124.1 in Asheville, NC, 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 Asheville, NC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 1.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Asheville, NC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.