2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Beckley, WV to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, 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 Beckley, WV to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$141,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+41.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,885
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$9,000
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$5,115/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

Beckley, WV

COL 88.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,885
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,295
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$9,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $65,935
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $141,900
Federal Income Tax -$22,790
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,855
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $108,255
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $89,895

EPI family budgets put living costs 41.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Beckley, WV, so $100,000 in Beckley goes about as far as $141,900 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $780 a month in Beckley and $1,530 in Austin, $9,000 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,885 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,115 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $41,850 in Beckley 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 Beckley (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$780$1,530+$750+96.2%
Food & Groceries$316$334+$18+5.7%
Transportation$1,042$1,062+$20+1.9%
Healthcare$778$467-$311-40.0%
Other Necessities$318$585+$267+84.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,059$1,735-$324-15.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$750/mo (96.2%)
Beckley: $780/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$857/mo (89.3%)
Beckley: $960/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$9.97/hr (56.0%)
Beckley: $17.80/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$10.72/hr (-31.1%)
Beckley: $34.50/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 Beckley Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$79,770$117,850+$38,080 (+47.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$100,840$134,120+$33,280 (+33.0%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$78,680$97,890+$19,210 (+24.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$76,230$102,390+$26,160 (+34.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$72,120$83,120+$11,000 (+15.3%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$125,600$176,990+$51,390 (+40.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$103,520$129,470+$25,950 (+25.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$85,630$151,760+$66,130 (+77.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$63,060$60,390-$2,670 (-4.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$115,130$167,180+$52,050 (+45.2%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$94,520$106,600+$12,080 (+12.8%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$50,140$62,810+$12,670 (+25.3%)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

Beckley, WV to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $141,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (88.5 in Beckley, WV, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Beckley, WV
Relocation: Beckley, WV to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

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

About $141,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (88.5 in Beckley, WV, 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 Beckley, WV?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 41.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Beckley, WV. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.