2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Grand Island, NE

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 Island, NE.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$72,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-27.4%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$3,670
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$8,040
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$4,370/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 Island, NE

COL 91.2
Gross Parity Income $72,600
Federal Income Tax -$7,142
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,554
State Income Tax -$2,424
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $57,480
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,320
Discretionary Cash Flow $47,160

EPI family budgets put living costs 27.4% lower in Grand Island, NE than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $72,600 in Grand Island. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $860 in Grand Island, $8,040 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,670 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Grand Island. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,370 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $49,410 in Grand Island.

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 Island (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$860-$670-43.8%
Food & Groceries$334$320-$14-4.2%
Transportation$1,062$1,059-$3-0.3%
Healthcare$467$566+$99+21.2%
Other Necessities$585$339-$246-42.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,041+$306+17.6%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$670/mo (-43.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Grand Island: $860/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$737/mo (-40.6%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Grand Island: $1,080/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$8.87/hr (-31.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Grand Island: $18.90/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$13.02/hr (54.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Grand Island: $36.80/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 Island Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$79,520-$38,330 (-32.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$96,260-$37,860 (-28.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$82,590-$15,300 (-15.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$77,730-$24,660 (-24.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$68,090-$15,030 (-18.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$123,040-$53,950 (-30.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$134,750-$17,010 (-11.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$52,470-$7,920 (-13.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$137,100-$30,080 (-18.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$76,060-$30,540 (-28.6%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,980$98,880-$4,100 (-4.0%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,810$55,850-$6,960 (-11.1%)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 Island, NE Relocation FAQs

About $72,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 91.2 in Grand Island, NE, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Grand Island, NE: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Grand Island, NE to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Grand Island, NE Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Grand Island, NE: 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 Island, NE to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $72,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 91.2 in Grand Island, NE, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Grand Island, NE cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 27.4% lower in Grand Island, NE than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.