2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

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

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

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$89,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-10.1%
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

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
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 -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $60,820
Target Market
Destination Location

Athens-Clarke County, GA

COL 112.9
Gross Parity Income $89,900
Federal Income Tax -$10,948
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,877
State Income Tax -$3,738
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $68,337
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,236
Discretionary Cash Flow $55,101

EPI family budgets put living costs 10.1% lower in Athens-Clarke County, GA than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $89,900 in Athens. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,103 in Athens, $5,124 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,242 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Athens. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $883 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $41,220 in Athens.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Athens-Clarke County (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,103-$427-27.9%
Food & Groceries$334$371+$37+11.1%
Transportation$1,062$1,036-$26-2.4%
Healthcare$467$522+$55+11.8%
Other Necessities$585$446-$139-23.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,088+$353+20.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$427/mo (-27.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Athens-Clarke County: $1,103/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$532/mo (-29.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Athens-Clarke County: $1,285/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$2.81/hr (-10.1%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Athens-Clarke County: $24.96/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$3.03/hr (-12.7%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Athens-Clarke County: $20.75/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Athens-Clarke County Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$81,830-$36,020 (-30.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$106,870-$27,250 (-20.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$82,200-$15,690 (-16.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$82,430-$19,960 (-19.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$75,900-$7,220 (-8.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$137,570-$39,420 (-22.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$88,610-$40,860 (-31.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$121,530-$30,230 (-19.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$49,750-$10,640 (-17.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$137,130-$30,050 (-18.0%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$131,280-$33,640 (-20.4%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,980$101,980-$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

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

About $89,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 112.9 in Athens-Clarke County, GA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Athens-Clarke County, GA: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Athens-Clarke County, GA 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 Athens-Clarke County, GA to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $89,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 112.9 in Athens-Clarke County, GA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Athens-Clarke County, GA cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 10.1% lower in Athens-Clarke County, GA than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.