2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to San Jose-Sunnyvale, 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 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$158,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+58.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$6,211
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$14,976
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$21,187/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

San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA

COL 198.6
Gross Parity Income $158,200
Federal Income Tax -$26,702
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$12,102
State Income Tax -$10,323
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $107,016
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$33,336
Discretionary Cash Flow $73,680

EPI family budgets put living costs 58.2% higher in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $158,200 in San Jose. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $2,778 in San Jose, $14,976 a year more. 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 San Jose. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $21,187 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $84,050 in San Jose.

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) San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$2,778+$1,248+81.6%
Food & Groceries$334$414+$80+24.0%
Transportation$1,062$1,139+$77+7.3%
Healthcare$467$503+$36+7.7%
Other Necessities$585$938+$353+60.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,253+$518+29.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,248/mo (81.6%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: $2,778/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,455/mo (80.1%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: $3,272/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$16.15/hr (58.2%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: $43.92/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$16.40/hr (69.0%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara: $40.18/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 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$213,110+$78,990 (+58.9%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$163,860+$46,010 (+39.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$216,740+$118,850 (+121.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$291,660+$114,670 (+64.8%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$135,120+$32,730 (+32.0%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$184,430+$54,960 (+42.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$121,700+$38,580 (+46.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$201,780+$50,020 (+33.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$136,670+$30,070 (+28.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$225,280+$58,100 (+34.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$231,370+$66,450 (+40.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$91,030+$30,640 (+50.7%)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 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA Relocation FAQs

About $158,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 198.6 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to San Jose-Sunnyvale, CA 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 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $158,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 198.6 in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 58.2% higher in San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.