2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Augusta Metro, GA-SC

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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$81,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-18.6%
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

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

Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC

COL 102.2
Gross Parity Income $81,400
Federal Income Tax -$9,078
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,227
State Income Tax -$3,313
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $62,782
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,424
Discretionary Cash Flow $48,358

EPI family budgets put living costs 18.6% lower in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $81,400 in Augusta. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,202 in Augusta, $3,936 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 Augusta. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $306 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $45,990 in Augusta.

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) Augusta-Richmond County (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,202-$328-21.4%
Food & Groceries$334$341+$7+2.1%
Transportation$1,062$1,100+$38+3.6%
Healthcare$467$475+$8+1.7%
Other Necessities$585$375-$210-35.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,088+$353+20.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$328/mo (-21.4%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Augusta-Richmond County: $1,202/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$488/mo (-26.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Augusta-Richmond County: $1,329/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$5.16/hr (-18.6%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Augusta-Richmond County: $22.61/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$3.92/hr (-16.5%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Augusta-Richmond County: $19.86/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 Augusta-Richmond County Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$102,360-$15,490 (-13.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$119,780-$14,340 (-10.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$87,760-$10,130 (-10.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$101,280-$1,110 (-1.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$76,710-$6,410 (-7.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$160,860-$16,130 (-9.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$106,640-$22,830 (-17.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$138,690-$13,070 (-8.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$59,660-$730 (-1.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$129,180-$38,000 (-22.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$87,920-$18,680 (-17.5%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$146,720-$18,200 (-11.0%)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 Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC Relocation FAQs

About $81,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 102.2 in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

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

About $81,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 102.2 in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 18.6% lower in Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.