2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Portland Metro, ME

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 Portland-South Portland, ME.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$103,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+3.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$5,129
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,008
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$9,137/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

Portland-South Portland, ME

COL 130.5
Gross Parity Income $103,900
Federal Income Tax -$14,028
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,948
State Income Tax -$5,432
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $76,491
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$22,368
Discretionary Cash Flow $54,123

EPI family budgets put living costs 3.9% higher in Portland-South Portland, ME than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $103,900 in Portland. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $1,864 in Portland, $4,008 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,129 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Portland. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $9,137 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $56,960 in Portland.

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) Portland-South Portland (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$1,864+$334+21.8%
Food & Groceries$334$403+$69+20.7%
Transportation$1,062$1,069+$7+0.7%
Healthcare$467$518+$51+10.9%
Other Necessities$585$553-$32-5.5%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,162+$427+24.6%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$334/mo (21.8%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Portland-South Portland: $1,864/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$536/mo (29.5%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Portland-South Portland: $2,353/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$1.10/hr (4.0%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Portland-South Portland: $28.87/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.17/hr (17.5%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Portland-South Portland: $27.95/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 Portland-South Portland Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$105,390-$12,460 (-10.6%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$128,710-$5,410 (-4.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$88,470-$9,420 (-9.6%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$105,530+$3,140 (+3.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$79,790-$3,330 (-4.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$167,100-$9,890 (-5.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$113,760-$15,710 (-12.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$174,990+$23,230 (+15.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$71,660+$11,270 (+18.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$138,590-$28,590 (-17.1%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$135,380-$29,540 (-17.9%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,810$64,500+$1,690 (+2.7%)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 Portland-South Portland, ME Relocation FAQs

About $103,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 130.5 in Portland-South Portland, ME, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Portland-South Portland, ME: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Portland-South Portland, ME to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Portland Metro, ME Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Portland-South Portland, ME: 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 Portland Metro, ME 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 Portland-South Portland, ME to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $103,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 130.5 in Portland-South Portland, ME, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Portland-South Portland, ME cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 3.9% higher in Portland-South Portland, ME than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.