2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Indianapolis-Greenwood, IN

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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$80,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-19.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,920
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$2,328
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$2,592/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

Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN

COL 100.7
Gross Parity Income $80,200
Federal Income Tax -$8,814
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,135
State Income Tax -$2,336
Local / City Tax -$1,600
Net Annual Take-Home $61,314
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,032
Discretionary Cash Flow $45,282

EPI family budgets put living costs 19.8% lower in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $80,200 in Indianapolis. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,336 in Indianapolis, $2,328 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,920 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Indianapolis. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,592 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $49,340 in Indianapolis.

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) Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,336-$194-12.7%
Food & Groceries$334$336+$2+0.6%
Transportation$1,062$1,031-$31-2.9%
Healthcare$467$420-$47-10.1%
Other Necessities$585$401-$184-31.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,145+$410+23.6%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$194/mo (-12.7%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood: $1,336/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$281/mo (-15.5%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood: $1,536/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$5.51/hr (-19.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood: $22.26/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$2.68/hr (-11.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood: $21.10/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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$120,480+$2,630 (+2.2%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$84,230-$13,660 (-14.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$106,870-$27,250 (-20.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$79,290-$3,830 (-4.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$99,710-$2,680 (-2.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$155,230-$21,760 (-12.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$137,410-$14,350 (-9.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$65,130+$4,740 (+7.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$97,020-$9,580 (-9.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$146,620-$20,560 (-12.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$101,780-$27,690 (-21.4%)View Dossier
Quality Control InspectorIndustrial ManufacturingIndustrial Manufacturing$48,260$47,980-$280 (-0.6%)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 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN Relocation FAQs

About $80,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 100.7 in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Indianapolis-Greenwood, IN Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Indianapolis-Greenwood, IN compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $80,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 100.7 in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 19.8% lower in Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.