2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Phoenix-Mesa, AZ

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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$99,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-0.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$2,098
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$444
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,654/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

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

COL 124.8
Gross Parity Income $99,400
Federal Income Tax -$13,038
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,604
State Income Tax -$2,083
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $76,675
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$17,916
Discretionary Cash Flow $58,759

EPI family budgets put living costs 0.6% lower in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $99,400 in Phoenix. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,493 in Phoenix, $444 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $2,098 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Phoenix. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,654 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $51,380 in Phoenix.

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) Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,493-$37-2.4%
Food & Groceries$334$343+$9+2.7%
Transportation$1,062$1,021-$41-3.9%
Healthcare$467$402-$65-13.9%
Other Necessities$585$582-$3-0.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,910+$175+10.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$37/mo (-2.4%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler: $1,493/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$83/mo (-4.6%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler: $1,734/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$0.18/hr (-0.6%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler: $27.59/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.17/hr (0.7%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler: $23.95/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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$98,610-$19,240 (-16.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$100,830+$2,940 (+3.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$131,750-$2,370 (-1.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$100,780-$1,610 (-1.6%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$80,820-$2,300 (-2.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$61,210+$820 (+1.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$169,720-$7,270 (-4.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$148,320-$3,440 (-2.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$94,900-$11,700 (-11.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$145,940-$21,240 (-12.7%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,810$63,750+$940 (+1.5%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$102,980$118,350+$15,370 (+14.9%)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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ Relocation FAQs

About $99,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 124.8 in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Phoenix-Mesa, AZ Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ: 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 Phoenix-Mesa, AZ 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $99,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 124.8 in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 0.6% lower in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.