2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to College Station, TX

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 College Station-Bryan, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$80,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-19.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$5,676
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$5,676/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

College Station-Bryan, TX

COL 100.9
Gross Parity Income $80,300
Federal Income Tax -$8,836
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,143
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $65,321
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,684
Discretionary Cash Flow $52,637

EPI family budgets put living costs 19.7% lower in College Station-Bryan, TX than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $80,300 in College Station. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,057 in College Station, $5,676 a year less. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays the same total tax in both metros. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,676 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $44,470 in College Station.

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) College Station-Bryan (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,057-$473-30.9%
Food & Groceries$334$314-$20-6.0%
Transportation$1,062$1,010-$52-4.9%
Healthcare$467$487+$20+4.3%
Other Necessities$585$419-$166-28.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$473/mo (-30.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo College Station-Bryan: $1,057/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$666/mo (-36.7%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo College Station-Bryan: $1,151/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$5.46/hr (-19.7%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr College Station-Bryan: $22.31/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$4.71/hr (-19.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr College Station-Bryan: $19.07/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 College Station-Bryan Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$87,910-$29,940 (-25.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$101,910-$32,210 (-24.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$83,090-$14,800 (-15.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$76,380-$26,010 (-25.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$71,810-$11,310 (-13.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$135,540-$41,450 (-23.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$88,500-$40,970 (-31.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$104,900-$46,860 (-30.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$48,410-$11,980 (-19.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$132,280-$34,900 (-20.9%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$121,780-$43,140 (-26.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$78,980-$27,620 (-25.9%)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 College Station-Bryan, TX Relocation FAQs

About $80,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 100.9 in College Station-Bryan, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to College Station-Bryan, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: College Station-Bryan, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to College Station, TX Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to College Station-Bryan, TX: 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 College Station, TX 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 College Station-Bryan, TX to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $80,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 100.9 in College Station-Bryan, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is College Station-Bryan, TX cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 19.7% lower in College Station-Bryan, TX than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.