2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Bismarck, ND 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 Bismarck, ND to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$133,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+33.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$669
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,236
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$6,567/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

Bismarck, ND

COL 94.1
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$669
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $78,511
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,124
Discretionary Cash Flow $67,387
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $133,500
Federal Income Tax -$20,774
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,213
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $102,513
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $84,153

EPI family budgets put living costs 33.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Bismarck, ND, so $100,000 in Bismarck goes about as far as $133,500 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $927 a month in Bismarck and $1,530 in Austin, $7,236 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $669 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $6,567 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $52,560 in Bismarck 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 Bismarck (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$927$1,530+$603+65.0%
Food & Groceries$350$334-$16-4.6%
Transportation$1,105$1,062-$43-3.9%
Healthcare$406$467+$61+15.0%
Other Necessities$366$585+$219+59.8%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,791$1,735-$56-3.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$603/mo (65.0%)
Bismarck: $927/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$750/mo (70.3%)
Bismarck: $1,067/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$6.97/hr (33.5%)
Bismarck: $20.80/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.85/hr (25.6%)
Bismarck: $18.93/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 Bismarck Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$93,540$117,850+$24,310 (+26.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$106,020$134,120+$28,100 (+26.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,120$97,890+$16,770 (+20.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$88,650$102,390+$13,740 (+15.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,910$83,120+$6,210 (+8.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$151,020$176,990+$25,970 (+17.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$86,840$129,470+$42,630 (+49.1%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$101,660$151,760+$50,100 (+49.3%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$61,900$60,390-$1,510 (-2.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$133,370$167,180+$33,810 (+25.4%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$90,590$106,600+$16,010 (+17.7%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$101,230$102,980+$1,750 (+1.7%)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

Bismarck, ND to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $133,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (94.1 in Bismarck, ND, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Bismarck, ND
Relocation: Bismarck, ND to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Bismarck, ND 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 Bismarck, ND?

About $133,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (94.1 in Bismarck, ND, 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 Bismarck, ND?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 33.5% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Bismarck, ND. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.