2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Jackson, MS

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 Jackson, MS.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$89,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-10.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$3,268
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$5,100
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,832/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

Jackson, MS

COL 112.8
Gross Parity Income $89,800
Federal Income Tax -$10,926
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,870
State Income Tax -$2,860
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $69,144
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,260
Discretionary Cash Flow $55,884

EPI family budgets put living costs 10.2% lower in Jackson, MS than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $89,800 in Jackson. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,105 in Jackson, $5,100 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,268 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Jackson. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,832 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $42,850 in Jackson.

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) Jackson (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,105-$425-27.8%
Food & Groceries$334$358+$24+7.2%
Transportation$1,062$1,100+$38+3.6%
Healthcare$467$538+$71+15.2%
Other Necessities$585$436-$149-25.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,007+$272+15.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$425/mo (-27.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Jackson: $1,105/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$528/mo (-29.1%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Jackson: $1,289/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$2.83/hr (-10.2%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Jackson: $24.94/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$2.88/hr (-12.1%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Jackson: $20.90/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 Jackson Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$114,190-$3,660 (-3.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$96,990-$37,130 (-27.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$82,630-$15,260 (-15.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$78,150-$24,240 (-23.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$70,720-$12,400 (-14.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$128,800-$48,190 (-27.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$89,380-$40,090 (-31.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$123,700-$28,060 (-18.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$52,310-$8,080 (-13.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$119,580-$47,600 (-28.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$59,030-$47,570 (-44.6%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$103,280-$61,640 (-37.4%)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 Jackson, MS Relocation FAQs

About $89,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 112.8 in Jackson, MS, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Jackson, MS to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Jackson, MS Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Jackson, MS: 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 Jackson, MS to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $89,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 112.8 in Jackson, MS, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Jackson, MS cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 10.2% lower in Jackson, MS than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.