2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Davenport-Moline, IA-IL

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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$75,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-24.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$3,148
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$8,136
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$4,988/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

Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL

COL 94.3
Gross Parity Income $75,100
Federal Income Tax -$7,692
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,745
State Income Tax -$2,202
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $59,461
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,224
Discretionary Cash Flow $49,237

EPI family budgets put living costs 24.9% lower in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $75,100 in Davenport. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $852 in Davenport, $8,136 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,148 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Davenport. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,988 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $48,550 in Davenport.

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) Davenport-Moline-Rock Island (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$852-$678-44.3%
Food & Groceries$334$345+$11+3.3%
Transportation$1,062$1,031-$31-2.9%
Healthcare$467$483+$16+3.4%
Other Necessities$585$327-$258-44.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,997+$262+15.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$678/mo (-44.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $852/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$761/mo (-41.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $1,056/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$6.92/hr (-24.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $20.85/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$3.60/hr (-15.1%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Davenport-Moline-Rock Island: $20.18/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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$91,140-$26,710 (-22.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$115,780-$18,340 (-13.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$77,150-$20,740 (-21.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$102,880+$490 (+0.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$77,600-$5,520 (-6.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$159,590-$17,400 (-9.8%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$110,640-$18,830 (-14.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$128,420-$23,340 (-15.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$76,950+$16,560 (+27.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$139,150-$28,030 (-16.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$141,300-$23,620 (-14.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$93,530-$13,070 (-12.3%)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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL Relocation FAQs

About $75,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 94.3 in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Davenport-Moline, IA-IL Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Davenport-Moline, IA-IL 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 Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $75,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 94.3 in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 24.9% lower in Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.