2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA

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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$72,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-28.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$8,220
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$8,220/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

Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA

COL 90.5
Gross Parity Income $72,000
Federal Income Tax -$7,010
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,508
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $59,482
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,140
Discretionary Cash Flow $49,342

EPI family budgets put living costs 28.0% lower in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $72,000 in Kingsport. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $845 in Kingsport, $8,220 a year less. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays the same total tax in both metros. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $8,220 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $45,240 in Kingsport.

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) Kingsport-Bristol (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$845-$685-44.8%
Food & Groceries$334$345+$11+3.3%
Transportation$1,062$1,064+$2+0.2%
Healthcare$467$460-$7-1.5%
Other Necessities$585$336-$249-42.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$685/mo (-44.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Kingsport-Bristol: $845/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$726/mo (-40.0%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Kingsport-Bristol: $1,091/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$7.76/hr (-27.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Kingsport-Bristol: $20.01/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$5.67/hr (-23.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Kingsport-Bristol: $18.11/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 Kingsport-Bristol Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$97,450-$20,400 (-17.3%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$115,310-$18,810 (-14.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$76,730-$21,160 (-21.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$87,290-$15,100 (-14.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$75,940-$7,180 (-8.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$130,830-$46,160 (-26.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$71,880-$57,590 (-44.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$132,950-$18,810 (-12.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$60,070-$320 (-0.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$132,280-$34,900 (-20.9%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$136,240-$28,680 (-17.4%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$93,610-$12,990 (-12.2%)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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA Relocation FAQs

About $72,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 90.5 in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA 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 Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $72,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 90.5 in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 28.0% lower in Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.