2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Billings, MT to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$171,100
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+71.1%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
-$4,012
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$19,164
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$23,176/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

New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

COL 181.0
Gross Parity Income $171,100
Federal Income Tax -$29,798
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$13,089
State Income Tax -$9,623
Local / City Tax -$6,197
Net Annual Take-Home $112,393
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$32,748
Discretionary Cash Flow $79,645

EPI family budgets put living costs 71.1% higher in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ than in Billings, MT, so $100,000 in Billings goes about as far as $171,100 in New York. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,132 a month in Billings and $2,729 in New York, $19,164 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,012 more a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in New York. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $23,176 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,060 in Billings and $61,430 in New York.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

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

Expenditure Category Billings (Monthly) New York-Newark-Jersey City (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,132$2,729+$1,597+141.1%
Food & Groceries$351$426+$75+21.4%
Transportation$1,076$693-$383-35.6%
Healthcare$374$748+$374+100.0%
Other Necessities$424$879+$455+107.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,092$2,427+$335+16.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,597/mo (141.1%)
Billings: $1,132/mo New York-Newark-Jersey City: $2,729/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$1,539/mo (107.5%)
Billings: $1,432/mo New York-Newark-Jersey City: $2,971/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$16.64/hr (71.1%)
Billings: $23.39/hr New York-Newark-Jersey City: $40.03/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$12.43/hr (57.1%)
Billings: $21.76/hr New York-Newark-Jersey City: $34.19/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

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

Occupation Title Industry Sector Billings Median New York-Newark-Jersey City Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$82,300$119,720+$37,420 (+45.5%)View Dossier
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$96,980$157,000+$60,020 (+61.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$100,440$166,830+$66,390 (+66.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$75,780$105,650+$29,870 (+39.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$137,240$221,010+$83,770 (+61.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$85,540$126,660+$41,120 (+48.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,060$124,390+$25,330 (+25.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$129,280$215,300+$86,020 (+66.5%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$212,760$192,840-$19,920 (-9.4%)View Dossier
Financial AnalystFinanceFinance$101,200$128,930+$27,730 (+27.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$117,970$215,150+$97,180 (+82.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$80,980$79,020-$1,960 (-2.4%)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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Relocation FAQs

About $171,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.8 in Billings, MT, 181.0 in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Billings, MT to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ to Billings, MT
Relocation: Billings, MT to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ Overview

Billings, MT to New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ: 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 New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ to match $100,000 in Billings, MT?

About $171,100. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.8 in Billings, MT, 181.0 in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ cheaper than Billings, MT?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 71.1% higher in New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ than in Billings, MT. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.