2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Atlanta Metro, 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$111,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+11.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,242
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,068
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$5,310/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

Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA

COL 140.3
Gross Parity Income $111,800
Federal Income Tax -$15,766
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,553
State Income Tax -$4,830
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $82,651
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,428
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,223

EPI family budgets put living costs 11.8% higher in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $111,800 in Atlanta. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,619 in Atlanta, $1,068 a year more. 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 Atlanta. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,310 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $51,170 in Atlanta.

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) Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,619+$89+5.8%
Food & Groceries$334$378+$44+13.2%
Transportation$1,062$1,054-$8-0.8%
Healthcare$467$515+$48+10.3%
Other Necessities$585$611+$26+4.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,088+$353+20.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$89/mo (5.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell: $1,619/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$55/mo (-3.0%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell: $1,762/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$3.26/hr (11.7%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell: $31.03/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.39/hr (5.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell: $25.17/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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$111,410-$6,440 (-5.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$100,490+$2,600 (+2.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$132,960-$1,160 (-0.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$85,820+$2,700 (+3.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$103,400+$1,010 (+1.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$101,220-$5,380 (-5.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$177,970+$980 (+0.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$108,730-$20,740 (-16.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$171,240+$4,060 (+2.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$166,920+$15,160 (+10.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$58,650-$1,740 (-2.9%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$163,500-$1,420 (-0.9%)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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA Relocation FAQs

About $111,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 140.3 in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Atlanta Metro, GA Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Atlanta Metro, 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 Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $111,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 140.3 in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 11.8% higher in Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.