2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV

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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$126,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+26.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$5,532
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$8,088
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$13,620/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

Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV

COL 158.9
Gross Parity Income $126,600
Federal Income Tax -$19,118
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,685
State Income Tax -$7,793
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $90,005
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$26,448
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,557

EPI family budgets put living costs 26.6% higher in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $126,600 in Washington. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $2,204 in Washington, $8,088 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $5,532 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Washington. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $13,620 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $71,060 in Washington.

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) Washington-Arlington-Alexandria (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$2,204+$674+44.1%
Food & Groceries$334$413+$79+23.7%
Transportation$1,062$1,045-$17-1.6%
Healthcare$467$389-$78-16.7%
Other Necessities$585$753+$168+28.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$2,196+$461+26.6%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$674/mo (44.1%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $2,204/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$621/mo (34.2%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $2,438/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$7.38/hr (26.6%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $35.15/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$5.49/hr (23.1%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Washington-Arlington-Alexandria: $29.27/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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$156,460+$38,610 (+32.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$154,930+$20,810 (+15.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$126,830+$20,230 (+19.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$102,710+$4,820 (+4.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$127,030+$24,640 (+24.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$102,140+$19,020 (+22.9%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$185,270+$18,090 (+10.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$195,190+$18,200 (+10.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$75,930+$15,540 (+25.7%)View Dossier
Cybersecurity AnalystTechnologyTechnology$134,100$148,950+$14,850 (+11.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$175,820+$24,060 (+15.9%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$126,110$140,670+$14,560 (+11.5%)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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Relocation FAQs

About $126,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 158.9 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Austin-Round Rock, TX to Washington, DC-VA-MD-WV 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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $126,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 158.9 in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 26.6% higher in Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.