2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Grand Forks, 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 Grand Forks, ND-MN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$71,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-28.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$669
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$8,508
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$7,839/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

Grand Forks, ND-MN

COL 90.0
Gross Parity Income $71,700
Federal Income Tax -$6,944
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,485
State Income Tax -$117
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $59,153
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$9,852
Discretionary Cash Flow $49,301

EPI family budgets put living costs 28.3% lower in Grand Forks, ND-MN than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $71,700 in Grand Forks. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $821 in Grand Forks, $8,508 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 Grand Forks. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $7,839 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $49,760 in Grand Forks.

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) Grand Forks (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$821-$709-46.3%
Food & Groceries$334$339+$5+1.5%
Transportation$1,062$1,026-$36-3.4%
Healthcare$467$441-$26-5.6%
Other Necessities$585$347-$238-40.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,791+$56+3.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$709/mo (-46.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Grand Forks: $821/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$803/mo (-44.2%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Grand Forks: $1,014/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$7.86/hr (-28.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Grand Forks: $19.91/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$4.97/hr (-20.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Grand Forks: $18.81/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 Grand Forks Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$85,420-$32,430 (-27.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$92,120-$42,000 (-31.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$79,070-$18,820 (-19.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$90,140-$12,250 (-12.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$74,740-$8,380 (-10.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$141,440-$35,550 (-20.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$76,360-$53,110 (-41.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$99,770-$51,990 (-34.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$69,710+$9,320 (+15.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$130,130-$37,050 (-22.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$122,390-$42,530 (-25.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$89,480-$17,120 (-16.1%)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 Grand Forks, ND-MN Relocation FAQs

About $71,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 90.0 in Grand Forks, ND-MN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

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

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Grand Forks, ND-MN: 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 Grand Forks, ND-MN to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $71,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 90.0 in Grand Forks, ND-MN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

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

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 28.3% lower in Grand Forks, ND-MN than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.