2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Ithaca, NY

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 Ithaca, NY.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$109,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+9.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,860
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$1,236
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$3,624/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

Ithaca, NY

COL 137.7
Gross Parity Income $109,700
Federal Income Tax -$15,304
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$8,392
State Income Tax -$5,455
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $80,549
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$17,124
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,425

EPI family budgets put living costs 9.7% higher in Ithaca, NY than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $109,700 in Ithaca. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,427 in Ithaca, $1,236 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,860 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Ithaca. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,624 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $58,130 in Ithaca.

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) Ithaca (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,427-$103-6.7%
Food & Groceries$334$405+$71+21.3%
Transportation$1,062$1,023-$39-3.7%
Healthcare$467$800+$333+71.3%
Other Necessities$585$536-$49-8.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,140+$405+23.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$103/mo (-6.7%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Ithaca: $1,427/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$108/mo (-5.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Ithaca: $1,709/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$2.69/hr (9.7%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Ithaca: $30.46/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$6.65/hr (28.0%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Ithaca: $30.43/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 Ithaca Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$103,220-$14,630 (-12.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$122,730-$11,390 (-8.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$100,320+$2,430 (+2.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$96,870-$5,520 (-5.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$83,800+$680 (+0.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$168,410-$8,580 (-4.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$156,140+$4,380 (+2.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$70,720+$10,330 (+17.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$152,410-$14,770 (-8.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$167,480+$2,560 (+1.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$89,630-$16,970 (-15.9%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,810$64,460+$1,650 (+2.6%)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 Ithaca, NY Relocation FAQs

About $109,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 137.7 in Ithaca, NY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Ithaca, NY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Ithaca, NY Overview

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

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

About $109,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 137.7 in Ithaca, NY, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Ithaca, NY cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 9.7% higher in Ithaca, NY than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.