2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Fargo, ND-MN

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 Fargo, ND-MN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$68,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-31.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$669
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$7,524
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$6,855/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

Fargo, ND-MN

COL 86.2
Gross Parity Income $68,700
Federal Income Tax -$6,284
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,256
State Income Tax -$59
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $57,101
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,836
Discretionary Cash Flow $46,265

EPI family budgets put living costs 31.3% lower in Fargo, ND-MN than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $68,700 in Fargo. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $903 in Fargo, $7,524 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $669 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Fargo. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $6,855 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $51,050 in Fargo.

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) Fargo (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$903-$627-41.0%
Food & Groceries$334$361+$27+8.1%
Transportation$1,062$1,033-$29-2.7%
Healthcare$467$399-$68-14.6%
Other Necessities$585$328-$257-43.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,791+$56+3.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$627/mo (-41.0%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Fargo: $903/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$713/mo (-39.2%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Fargo: $1,104/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$8.70/hr (-31.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Fargo: $19.07/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$5.30/hr (-22.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Fargo: $18.48/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 Fargo Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$96,410-$21,440 (-18.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$105,980-$28,140 (-21.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$82,120-$15,770 (-16.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$97,430-$4,960 (-4.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$76,420-$6,700 (-8.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$152,990-$24,000 (-13.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$78,840-$50,630 (-39.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$119,990-$31,770 (-20.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$76,950+$16,560 (+27.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$136,970-$30,210 (-18.1%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$126,790-$38,130 (-23.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$90,220-$16,380 (-15.4%)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 Fargo, ND-MN Relocation FAQs

About $68,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 86.2 in Fargo, ND-MN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Fargo, ND-MN: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Fargo, ND-MN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Fargo, ND-MN Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Fargo, ND-MN: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same salary.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Fargo, ND-MN to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $68,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 86.2 in Fargo, ND-MN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Fargo, ND-MN cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 31.3% lower in Fargo, ND-MN than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.