2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Flagstaff, AZ

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 Flagstaff, AZ.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$110,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+10.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$2,098
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$300
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,398/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

Flagstaff, AZ

COL 138.4
Gross Parity Income $110,200
Federal Income Tax -$15,414
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,430
State Income Tax -$2,353
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $84,003
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,660
Discretionary Cash Flow $65,343

EPI family budgets put living costs 10.2% higher in Flagstaff, AZ than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $110,200 in Flagstaff. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,555 in Flagstaff, $300 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $2,098 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Flagstaff. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,398 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $47,500 in Flagstaff.

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) Flagstaff (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,555+$25+1.6%
Food & Groceries$334$369+$35+10.5%
Transportation$1,062$1,155+$93+8.8%
Healthcare$467$541+$74+15.8%
Other Necessities$585$600+$15+2.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,910+$175+10.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$25/mo (1.6%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Flagstaff: $1,555/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$88/mo (-4.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Flagstaff: $1,729/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.83/hr (10.2%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Flagstaff: $30.60/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.76/hr (7.4%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Flagstaff: $25.54/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 Flagstaff Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$77,740-$40,110 (-34.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$113,580-$20,540 (-15.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$100,780+$2,890 (+3.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$77,940-$24,450 (-23.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$77,980-$5,140 (-6.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$134,700-$42,290 (-23.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$97,470-$32,000 (-24.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$107,960-$43,800 (-28.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$61,330+$940 (+1.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$104,580-$62,600 (-37.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$119,300-$45,620 (-27.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$94,520-$12,080 (-11.3%)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 Flagstaff, AZ Relocation FAQs

About $110,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 138.4 in Flagstaff, AZ, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Flagstaff, AZ: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Flagstaff, AZ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Flagstaff, AZ Overview

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

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

About $110,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 138.4 in Flagstaff, AZ, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Flagstaff, AZ cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 10.2% higher in Flagstaff, AZ than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.