2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Augusta Metro, GA-SC 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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$122,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+22.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,242
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,936
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$306/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

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

COL 102.2
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 -$14,424
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,515
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $122,800
Federal Income Tax -$18,206
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,394
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $95,200
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $76,840

EPI family budgets put living costs 22.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC, so $100,000 in Augusta goes about as far as $122,800 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,202 a month in Augusta and $1,530 in Austin, $3,936 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 $306 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $45,990 in Augusta 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 Augusta-Richmond County (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,202$1,530+$328+27.3%
Food & Groceries$341$334-$7-2.1%
Transportation$1,100$1,062-$38-3.5%
Healthcare$475$467-$8-1.7%
Other Necessities$375$585+$210+56.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,088$1,735-$353-16.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$328/mo (27.3%)
Augusta-Richmond County: $1,202/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$488/mo (36.7%)
Augusta-Richmond County: $1,329/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.16/hr (22.8%)
Augusta-Richmond County: $22.61/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.92/hr (19.7%)
Augusta-Richmond County: $19.86/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 Augusta-Richmond County Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,360$117,850+$15,490 (+15.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$119,780$134,120+$14,340 (+12.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$87,760$97,890+$10,130 (+11.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,280$102,390+$1,110 (+1.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,710$83,120+$6,410 (+8.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$160,860$176,990+$16,130 (+10.0%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$106,640$129,470+$22,830 (+21.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,690$151,760+$13,070 (+9.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,660$60,390+$730 (+1.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$129,180$167,180+$38,000 (+29.4%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$87,920$106,600+$18,680 (+21.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$146,720$164,920+$18,200 (+12.4%)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

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $122,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (102.2 in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC
Relocation: Augusta Metro, GA-SC to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Augusta Metro, GA-SC 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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC?

About $122,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (102.2 in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC, 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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 22.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.