2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$84,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-15.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,860
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$3,924
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$936/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

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

COL 105.7
Gross Parity Income $84,100
Federal Income Tax -$9,672
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,434
State Income Tax -$3,944
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $64,050
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,436
Discretionary Cash Flow $49,614

EPI family budgets put living costs 15.9% lower in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $84,100 in Buffalo. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,203 in Buffalo, $3,924 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,860 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Buffalo. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $936 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $50,790 in Buffalo.

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) Buffalo-Cheektowaga (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,203-$327-21.4%
Food & Groceries$334$376+$42+12.6%
Transportation$1,062$971-$91-8.6%
Healthcare$467$504+$37+7.9%
Other Necessities$585$417-$168-28.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,140+$405+23.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$327/mo (-21.4%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,203/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$394/mo (-21.7%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,423/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$4.41/hr (-15.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $23.36/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.79/hr (-3.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $22.99/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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$103,280-$14,570 (-12.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$127,850-$6,270 (-4.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$99,060+$1,170 (+1.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$101,180-$1,210 (-1.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$82,120-$1,000 (-1.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$172,650-$4,340 (-2.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$163,090+$11,330 (+7.5%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$104,700-$24,770 (-19.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$164,230-$2,950 (-1.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$77,930+$17,540 (+29.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$84,710-$21,890 (-20.5%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$144,390-$20,530 (-12.4%)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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Relocation FAQs

About $84,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 105.7 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY: 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $84,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 105.7 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 15.9% lower in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.