2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Billings, MT 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 Billings, MT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$118,700
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+18.7%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,289
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$4,776
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$487/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

Billings, MT

COL 105.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,289
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,891
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,584
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,307
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $118,700
Federal Income Tax -$17,284
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,081
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $92,335
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $73,975

EPI family budgets put living costs 18.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Billings, MT, so $100,000 in Billings goes about as far as $118,700 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,132 a month in Billings and $1,530 in Austin, $4,776 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,289 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $487 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,060 in Billings 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 Billings (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,132$1,530+$398+35.2%
Food & Groceries$351$334-$17-4.8%
Transportation$1,076$1,062-$14-1.3%
Healthcare$374$467+$93+24.9%
Other Necessities$424$585+$161+38.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,092$1,735-$357-17.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$398/mo (35.2%)
Billings: $1,132/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$385/mo (26.9%)
Billings: $1,432/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.38/hr (18.7%)
Billings: $23.39/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$2.02/hr (9.3%)
Billings: $21.76/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 Billings Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$96,980$117,850+$20,870 (+21.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$100,440$134,120+$33,680 (+33.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$82,300$97,890+$15,590 (+18.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$85,540$102,390+$16,850 (+19.7%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,780$83,120+$7,340 (+9.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$129,280$176,990+$47,710 (+36.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$91,920$129,470+$37,550 (+40.9%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,970$151,760+$33,790 (+28.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$80,980$60,390-$20,590 (-25.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$137,240$167,180+$29,940 (+21.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$212,760$164,920-$47,840 (-22.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,060$106,600+$7,540 (+7.6%)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

Billings, MT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $118,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.8 in Billings, MT, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Billings, MT
Relocation: Billings, MT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Billings, MT 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 Billings, MT?

About $118,700. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.8 in Billings, MT, 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 Billings, MT?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 18.7% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Billings, MT. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.