2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Las Cruces, NM

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 Las Cruces, NM.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$78,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-21.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$3,569
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$6,660
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$3,091/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

Las Cruces, NM

COL 98.8
Gross Parity Income $78,700
Federal Income Tax -$8,484
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,021
State Income Tax -$2,533
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $61,662
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,700
Discretionary Cash Flow $49,962

EPI family budgets put living costs 21.3% lower in Las Cruces, NM than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $78,700 in Las Cruces. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $975 in Las Cruces, $6,660 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,569 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Las Cruces. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,091 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $42,070 in Las Cruces.

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) Las Cruces (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$975-$555-36.3%
Food & Groceries$334$326-$8-2.4%
Transportation$1,062$1,018-$44-4.1%
Healthcare$467$681+$214+45.8%
Other Necessities$585$331-$254-43.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,032+$297+17.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$555/mo (-36.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Las Cruces: $975/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$744/mo (-40.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Las Cruces: $1,073/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$5.92/hr (-21.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Las Cruces: $21.85/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$2.80/hr (-11.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Las Cruces: $20.98/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 Las Cruces Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$85,770-$32,080 (-27.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$107,300-$26,820 (-20.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$83,310-$14,580 (-14.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$82,110-$20,280 (-19.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$67,470-$15,650 (-18.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$128,360-$48,630 (-27.5%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$109,430-$20,040 (-15.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$101,610-$50,150 (-33.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$53,980-$6,410 (-10.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$117,540-$49,640 (-29.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$73,320-$33,280 (-31.2%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,980$106,350+$3,370 (+3.3%)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 Las Cruces, NM Relocation FAQs

About $78,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 98.8 in Las Cruces, NM, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Las Cruces, NM: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Las Cruces, NM to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Las Cruces, NM Overview

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

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

About $78,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 98.8 in Las Cruces, NM, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Las Cruces, NM cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 21.3% lower in Las Cruces, NM than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.