2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Charlotte-Concord, NC-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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$109,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+9.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$3,481
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,320
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$4,801/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

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

COL 137.2
Gross Parity Income $109,300
Federal Income Tax -$15,216
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,361
State Income Tax -$3,852
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $81,870
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,680
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,190

EPI family budgets put living costs 9.3% higher in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $109,300 in Charlotte. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,640 in Charlotte, $1,320 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,481 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Charlotte. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,801 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $49,990 in Charlotte.

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) Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,640+$110+7.2%
Food & Groceries$334$375+$41+12.3%
Transportation$1,062$1,044-$18-1.7%
Healthcare$467$465-$2-0.4%
Other Necessities$585$609+$24+4.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,025+$290+16.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$110/mo (7.2%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia: $1,640/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$32/mo (-1.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia: $1,785/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.57/hr (9.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia: $30.34/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.19/hr (0.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia: $23.97/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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$112,730-$5,120 (-4.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$135,920+$1,800 (+1.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$90,620-$7,270 (-7.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$92,910+$9,790 (+11.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$105,200+$2,810 (+2.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$176,840-$150 (-0.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$172,760+$5,580 (+3.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$162,000+$10,240 (+6.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$102,920-$3,680 (-3.5%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$110,790-$18,680 (-14.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$59,080-$1,310 (-2.2%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,980$107,200+$4,220 (+4.1%)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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Relocation FAQs

About $109,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 137.2 in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Charlotte-Concord, NC-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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $109,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 137.2 in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 9.3% higher in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.