2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to La Crosse Metro, WI-MN

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 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$80,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-19.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,428
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$6,036
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,608/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

La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN

COL 101.0
Gross Parity Income $80,500
Federal Income Tax -$8,880
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,158
State Income Tax -$3,270
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $62,192
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,324
Discretionary Cash Flow $49,868

EPI family budgets put living costs 19.5% lower in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $80,500 in La Crosse. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,027 in La Crosse, $6,036 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,428 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in La Crosse. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,608 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $48,260 in La Crosse.

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) La Crosse-Onalaska (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,027-$503-32.9%
Food & Groceries$334$379+$45+13.5%
Transportation$1,062$1,044-$18-1.7%
Healthcare$467$517+$50+10.7%
Other Necessities$585$373-$212-36.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,104+$369+21.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$503/mo (-32.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo La Crosse-Onalaska: $1,027/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$474/mo (-26.1%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo La Crosse-Onalaska: $1,343/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$5.42/hr (-19.5%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr La Crosse-Onalaska: $22.35/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.65/hr (-2.7%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr La Crosse-Onalaska: $23.13/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 La Crosse-Onalaska Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$102,670-$15,180 (-12.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$102,110-$32,010 (-23.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$98,370+$480 (+0.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$94,990-$7,400 (-7.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$76,680-$6,440 (-7.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$141,100-$35,890 (-20.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$81,600-$47,870 (-37.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$127,740-$24,020 (-15.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$78,760+$18,370 (+30.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$133,280-$33,900 (-20.3%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$130,230-$34,690 (-21.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$82,890-$23,710 (-22.2%)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 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN Relocation FAQs

About $80,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 101.0 in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to La Crosse Metro, WI-MN Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN: 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 La Crosse Metro, WI-MN 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 La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $80,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 101.0 in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 19.5% lower in La Crosse-Onalaska, WI-MN than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.