2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Wichita Falls, TX

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 Wichita Falls, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$77,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-22.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$6,972
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$6,972/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

Wichita Falls, TX

COL 97.0
Gross Parity Income $77,300
Federal Income Tax -$8,176
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,913
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $63,211
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,388
Discretionary Cash Flow $51,823

EPI family budgets put living costs 22.7% lower in Wichita Falls, TX than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, so $100,000 in Austin goes about as far as $77,300 in Wichita Falls. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,530 a month in Austin and $949 in Wichita Falls, $6,972 a year less. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays the same total tax in both metros. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $6,972 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $56,950 in Austin and $43,210 in Wichita Falls.

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) Wichita Falls (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,530$949-$581-38.0%
Food & Groceries$334$326-$8-2.4%
Transportation$1,062$1,052-$10-0.9%
Healthcare$467$589+$122+26.1%
Other Necessities$585$357-$228-39.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$581/mo (-38.0%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo Wichita Falls: $949/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$672/mo (-37.0%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo Wichita Falls: $1,145/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$6.31/hr (-22.7%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr Wichita Falls: $21.46/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$4.64/hr (-19.5%)
Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr Wichita Falls: $19.14/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 Wichita Falls Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,850$76,320-$41,530 (-35.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$134,120$108,260-$25,860 (-19.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,890$83,280-$14,610 (-14.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,390$80,070-$22,320 (-21.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$83,120$76,050-$7,070 (-8.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,990$124,540-$52,450 (-29.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$129,470$89,420-$40,050 (-30.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,760$100,970-$50,790 (-33.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$60,390$45,570-$14,820 (-24.5%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$167,180$127,490-$39,690 (-23.7%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$164,920$108,620-$56,300 (-34.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$106,600$95,570-$11,030 (-10.3%)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 Wichita Falls, TX Relocation FAQs

About $77,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 97.0 in Wichita Falls, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Wichita Falls, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX
Relocation: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Wichita Falls, TX Overview

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Wichita Falls, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Wichita Falls, TX to match $100,000 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

About $77,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, 97.0 in Wichita Falls, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Wichita Falls, TX cheaper than Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 22.7% lower in Wichita Falls, TX than in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.