2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Modesto, CA

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 Modesto, CA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$91,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-8.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$6,211
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$1,824
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$4,387/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

Modesto, CA

COL 114.7
Gross Parity Income $91,400
Federal Income Tax -$11,278
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,992
State Income Tax -$4,111
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $67,831
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$16,536
Discretionary Cash Flow $51,295

EPI family budgets put living costs 8.6% lower in Modesto, CA than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $91,400 in Modesto. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,378 in Modesto, $1,824 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $6,211 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Modesto. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,387 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $50,610 in Modesto.

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) Modesto (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,378-$152-9.9%
Food & Groceries$334$365+$31+9.3%
Transportation$1,062$1,093+$31+2.9%
Healthcare$467$525+$58+12.4%
Other Necessities$585$464-$121-20.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,253+$518+29.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$152/mo (-9.9%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Modesto: $1,378/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$14/mo (-0.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Modesto: $1,803/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$2.40/hr (-8.6%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Modesto: $25.37/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.08/hr (-4.5%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Modesto: $22.70/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 Modesto Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$104,330-$13,520 (-11.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$119,770-$14,350 (-10.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$132,590+$34,700 (+35.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$102,490+$100 (+0.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$83,560+$440 (+0.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$159,720-$17,270 (-9.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$98,550-$53,210 (-35.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$101,720-$27,750 (-21.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$76,710+$16,320 (+27.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$160,180-$7,000 (-4.2%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$160,520-$4,400 (-2.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$96,120-$10,480 (-9.8%)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 Modesto, CA Relocation FAQs

About $91,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 114.7 in Modesto, CA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Modesto, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Modesto, CA Overview

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

About $91,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 114.7 in Modesto, CA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Modesto, CA cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 8.6% lower in Modesto, CA than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.