2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Idaho Falls, ID

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 Idaho Falls, ID.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$87,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-12.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,192
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$5,592
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,400/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

Idaho Falls, ID

COL 110.1
Gross Parity Income $87,700
Federal Income Tax -$10,464
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,709
State Income Tax -$3,540
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $66,987
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,768
Discretionary Cash Flow $54,219

EPI family budgets put living costs 12.3% lower in Idaho Falls, ID than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $87,700 in Idaho Falls. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,064 in Idaho Falls, $5,592 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,192 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Idaho Falls. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,400 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $46,800 in Idaho Falls.

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) Idaho Falls (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,064-$466-30.5%
Food & Groceries$334$363+$29+8.7%
Transportation$1,062$1,133+$71+6.7%
Healthcare$467$414-$53-11.3%
Other Necessities$585$434-$151-25.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,084+$349+20.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$466/mo (-30.5%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Idaho Falls: $1,064/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$543/mo (-29.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Idaho Falls: $1,274/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$3.42/hr (-12.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Idaho Falls: $24.35/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$3.24/hr (-13.6%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Idaho Falls: $20.54/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 Idaho Falls Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$80,380-$37,470 (-31.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$123,450-$10,670 (-8.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$84,110-$13,780 (-14.1%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$102,250-$140 (-0.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$74,410-$8,710 (-10.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$166,110-$10,880 (-6.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$102,960-$26,510 (-20.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$131,680-$20,080 (-13.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$65,350+$4,960 (+8.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$128,500-$38,680 (-23.1%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$135,560-$29,360 (-17.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$82,690-$23,910 (-22.4%)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 Idaho Falls, ID Relocation FAQs

About $87,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 110.1 in Idaho Falls, ID, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Idaho Falls, ID: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Idaho Falls, ID to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Idaho Falls, ID Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Idaho Falls, ID: 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 Idaho Falls, ID to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $87,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 110.1 in Idaho Falls, ID, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Idaho Falls, ID cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 12.3% lower in Idaho Falls, ID than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.