2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Baltimore-Columbia, MD to Austin-Round Rock, 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 Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$101,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+1.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$7,377
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$1,140
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$8,517/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

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD

COL 123.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,386
Local / City Tax -$2,990
Net Annual Take-Home $71,803
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,500
Discretionary Cash Flow $52,303
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $101,800
Federal Income Tax -$13,566
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,788
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $80,446
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,086

EPI family budgets put living costs 1.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, so $100,000 in Baltimore goes about as far as $101,800 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,625 a month in Baltimore and $1,530 in Austin, $1,140 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $7,377 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $8,517 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $59,070 in Baltimore and $56,950 in Austin.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Baltimore-Columbia-Towson (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,625$1,530-$95-5.8%
Food & Groceries$384$334-$50-13.0%
Transportation$1,036$1,062+$26+2.5%
Healthcare$358$467+$109+30.4%
Other Necessities$556$585+$29+5.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,350$1,735-$615-26.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$95/mo (-5.8%)
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: $1,625/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$189/mo (-9.4%)
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: $2,006/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$0.50/hr (1.8%)
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: $27.27/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$1.47/hr (-5.8%)
Baltimore-Columbia-Towson: $25.25/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $23.78/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Baltimore-Columbia-Towson Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,040$117,850+$810 (+0.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,550$97,890-$1,660 (-1.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$138,900$134,120-$4,780 (-3.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$103,720$102,390-$1,330 (-1.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$85,160$83,120-$2,040 (-2.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$135,600$129,470-$6,130 (-4.5%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$168,520$176,990+$8,470 (+5.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$157,990$167,180+$9,190 (+5.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$117,750$106,600-$11,150 (-9.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$65,590$60,390-$5,200 (-7.9%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$124,990$126,110+$1,120 (+0.9%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$140,180$164,920+$24,740 (+17.6%)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

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $101,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.3 in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD
Relocation: Baltimore-Columbia, MD to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Baltimore-Columbia, MD to Austin-Round Rock, TX 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 Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100,000 in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?

About $101,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (123.3 in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX cheaper than Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 1.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.