2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to New Orleans-Metairie, LA

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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$84,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-15.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$2,614
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$3,612
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$998/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

New Orleans-Metairie, LA

COL 105.8
Gross Parity Income $84,200
Federal Income Tax -$9,694
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,441
State Income Tax -$2,140
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $65,925
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,748
Discretionary Cash Flow $51,177

EPI family budgets put living costs 15.8% lower in New Orleans-Metairie, LA than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $84,200 in New Orleans. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,229 in New Orleans, $3,612 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $2,614 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in New Orleans. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $998 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $47,290 in New Orleans.

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) New Orleans-Metairie (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,229-$301-19.7%
Food & Groceries$334$365+$31+9.3%
Transportation$1,062$955-$107-10.1%
Healthcare$467$457-$10-2.1%
Other Necessities$585$446-$139-23.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,953+$218+12.6%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$301/mo (-19.7%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo New Orleans-Metairie: $1,229/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$337/mo (-18.5%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo New Orleans-Metairie: $1,480/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$4.38/hr (-15.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr New Orleans-Metairie: $23.39/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$2.62/hr (-11.0%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr New Orleans-Metairie: $21.16/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 New Orleans-Metairie Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$105,110-$12,740 (-10.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$106,950-$27,170 (-20.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$81,850-$16,040 (-16.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$85,410-$16,980 (-16.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$77,940-$5,180 (-6.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$94,520-$34,950 (-27.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$131,570-$45,420 (-25.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$118,540-$33,220 (-21.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$62,490+$2,100 (+3.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$134,110-$33,070 (-19.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$95,100-$11,500 (-10.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$126,740-$38,180 (-23.2%)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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA Relocation FAQs

About $84,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 105.8 in New Orleans-Metairie, LA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to New Orleans-Metairie, LA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: New Orleans-Metairie, LA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to New Orleans-Metairie, LA Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to New Orleans-Metairie, LA: 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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA 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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $84,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 105.8 in New Orleans-Metairie, LA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is New Orleans-Metairie, LA cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 15.8% lower in New Orleans-Metairie, LA than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.