2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Athens-Clarke County, GA 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 Athens-Clarke County, GA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$111,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+11.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,242
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,124
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$883/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

Athens-Clarke County, GA

COL 112.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,242
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,939
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,236
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,703
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $111,300
Federal Income Tax -$15,656
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,514
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $87,130
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $68,770

EPI family budgets put living costs 11.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Athens-Clarke County, GA, so $100,000 in Athens goes about as far as $111,300 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,103 a month in Athens and $1,530 in Austin, $5,124 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,242 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $883 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $41,220 in Athens 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 Athens-Clarke County (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,103$1,530+$427+38.7%
Food & Groceries$371$334-$37-10.0%
Transportation$1,036$1,062+$26+2.5%
Healthcare$522$467-$55-10.5%
Other Necessities$446$585+$139+31.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,088$1,735-$353-16.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$427/mo (38.7%)
Athens-Clarke County: $1,103/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$532/mo (41.4%)
Athens-Clarke County: $1,285/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.81/hr (11.3%)
Athens-Clarke County: $24.96/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.03/hr (14.6%)
Athens-Clarke County: $20.75/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 Athens-Clarke County Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$81,830$117,850+$36,020 (+44.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$106,870$134,120+$27,250 (+25.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$82,200$97,890+$15,690 (+19.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$82,430$102,390+$19,960 (+24.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,900$83,120+$7,220 (+9.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$137,570$176,990+$39,420 (+28.7%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$88,610$129,470+$40,860 (+46.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$121,530$151,760+$30,230 (+24.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$49,750$60,390+$10,640 (+21.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$137,130$167,180+$30,050 (+21.9%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$131,280$164,920+$33,640 (+25.6%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$101,980$102,980+$1,000 (+1.0%)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

Athens-Clarke County, GA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $111,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (112.9 in Athens-Clarke County, GA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Athens-Clarke County, GA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Athens-Clarke County, GA
Relocation: Athens-Clarke County, GA to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Athens-Clarke County, GA 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: Athens-Clarke County, GA 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 Athens-Clarke County, GA?

About $111,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (112.9 in Athens-Clarke County, GA, 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 Athens-Clarke County, GA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 11.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Athens-Clarke County, GA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.