2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Boston-Newton, MA

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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$129,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+29.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,780
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$11,856
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$16,636/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

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

COL 162.7
Gross Parity Income $129,500
Federal Income Tax -$19,814
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,907
State Income Tax -$6,255
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $93,524
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$30,216
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,308

EPI family budgets put living costs 29.5% higher in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $129,500 in Boston. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $2,518 in Boston, $11,856 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,780 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Boston. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $16,636 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $66,620 in Boston.

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) Boston-Cambridge-Newton (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$2,518+$988+64.6%
Food & Groceries$334$418+$84+25.1%
Transportation$1,062$1,080+$18+1.7%
Healthcare$467$413-$54-11.6%
Other Necessities$585$832+$247+42.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,133+$398+22.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$988/mo (64.6%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $2,518/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,191/mo (65.5%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $3,008/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$8.20/hr (29.5%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $35.97/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$7.65/hr (32.2%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $31.43/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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$133,800+$15,950 (+13.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$106,180+$8,290 (+8.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$166,090+$31,970 (+23.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$100,150+$17,030 (+20.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$114,990+$12,600 (+12.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$135,640+$29,040 (+27.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$214,960+$37,970 (+21.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$209,780+$42,600 (+25.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$206,610+$54,850 (+36.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$79,910+$19,520 (+32.3%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$213,910+$48,990 (+29.7%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$126,110$136,760+$10,650 (+8.4%)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

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Relocation FAQs

About $129,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Boston-Newton, MA Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH: 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 Boston-Newton, MA 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $129,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 29.5% higher in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.