2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Blacksburg Metro, VA

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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$81,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-18.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,936
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$5,760
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$824/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

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA

COL 101.9
Gross Parity Income $81,100
Federal Income Tax -$9,012
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,204
State Income Tax -$3,849
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $62,035
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,600
Discretionary Cash Flow $49,435

EPI family budgets put living costs 18.9% lower in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $81,100 in Blacksburg. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,050 in Blacksburg, $5,760 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,936 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Blacksburg. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $824 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $48,120 in Blacksburg.

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) Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,050-$480-31.4%
Food & Groceries$334$371+$37+11.1%
Transportation$1,062$1,021-$41-3.9%
Healthcare$467$403-$64-13.7%
Other Necessities$585$403-$182-31.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,146+$411+23.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$480/mo (-31.4%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford: $1,050/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$477/mo (-26.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford: $1,340/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$5.24/hr (-18.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford: $22.53/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$3.22/hr (-13.5%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford: $20.56/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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$97,480-$20,370 (-17.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$111,630-$22,490 (-16.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$81,230-$16,660 (-17.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$85,070-$17,320 (-16.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$74,800-$8,320 (-10.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$157,250-$19,740 (-11.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$112,820-$16,650 (-12.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$160,830+$9,070 (+6.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$62,490+$2,100 (+3.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$139,800-$27,380 (-16.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$119,420-$45,500 (-27.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$95,940-$10,660 (-10.0%)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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA Relocation FAQs

About $81,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 101.9 in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Blacksburg Metro, VA Overview

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

About $81,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 101.9 in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 18.9% lower in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.