2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Denver-Aurora, CO

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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$109,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+9.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$3,761
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,612
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$7,373/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

Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO

COL 137.1
Gross Parity Income $109,200
Federal Income Tax -$15,194
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,354
State Income Tax -$4,096
Local / City Tax -$69
Net Annual Take-Home $81,487
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$21,972
Discretionary Cash Flow $59,515

EPI family budgets put living costs 9.2% higher in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $109,200 in Denver. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,831 in Denver, $3,612 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,761 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Denver. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $7,373 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $62,320 in Denver.

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) Denver-Aurora-Centennial (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,831+$301+19.7%
Food & Groceries$334$384+$50+15.0%
Transportation$1,062$1,047-$15-1.4%
Healthcare$467$436-$31-6.6%
Other Necessities$585$628+$43+7.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,048+$313+18.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$301/mo (19.7%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Denver-Aurora-Centennial: $1,831/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$352/mo (19.4%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Denver-Aurora-Centennial: $2,169/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.55/hr (9.2%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Denver-Aurora-Centennial: $30.32/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.35/hr (18.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Denver-Aurora-Centennial: $28.13/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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$142,330+$24,480 (+20.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$137,610+$3,490 (+2.6%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$101,130+$3,240 (+3.3%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$116,740+$14,350 (+14.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$100,020+$16,900 (+20.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$203,340+$26,350 (+14.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$160,520+$31,050 (+24.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$63,150+$2,760 (+4.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$102,620-$3,980 (-3.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$181,580+$29,820 (+19.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$193,400+$26,220 (+15.7%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,980$128,850+$25,870 (+25.1%)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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Relocation FAQs

About $109,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 137.1 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Denver-Aurora, CO Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO: 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 Denver-Aurora, CO 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 Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $109,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 137.1 in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 9.2% higher in Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.