2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Topeka, KS

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 Topeka, KS.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$76,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-23.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,780
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$7,404
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$2,624/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

Topeka, KS

COL 96.3
Gross Parity Income $76,700
Federal Income Tax -$8,044
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,868
State Income Tax -$3,480
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $59,308
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,956
Discretionary Cash Flow $48,352

EPI family budgets put living costs 23.3% lower in Topeka, KS than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $76,700 in Topeka. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $913 in Topeka, $7,404 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,780 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Topeka. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $2,624 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $49,540 in Topeka.

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) Topeka (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$913-$617-40.3%
Food & Groceries$334$349+$15+4.5%
Transportation$1,062$1,056-$6-0.6%
Healthcare$467$492+$25+5.4%
Other Necessities$585$340-$245-41.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,133+$398+22.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$617/mo (-40.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Topeka: $913/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$645/mo (-35.5%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Topeka: $1,172/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$6.47/hr (-23.3%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Topeka: $21.30/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$4.39/hr (-18.5%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Topeka: $19.39/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 Topeka Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$85,080-$32,770 (-27.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$111,870-$22,250 (-16.6%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$81,820-$16,070 (-16.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$100,000-$2,390 (-2.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$76,280-$6,840 (-8.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$143,320-$33,670 (-19.0%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$154,970+$3,210 (+2.1%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$97,680-$31,790 (-24.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$65,520+$5,130 (+8.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$66,710-$39,890 (-37.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$145,950-$21,230 (-12.7%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$205,310+$40,390 (+24.5%)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 Topeka, KS Relocation FAQs

About $76,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 96.3 in Topeka, KS, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Topeka, KS to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Topeka, KS Overview

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

About $76,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 96.3 in Topeka, KS, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Topeka, KS cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 23.3% lower in Topeka, KS than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.