2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Blacksburg Metro, VA 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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$123,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+23.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,936
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$5,760
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$824/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

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA

COL 101.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,936
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,244
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$12,600
Discretionary Cash Flow $61,644
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $123,300
Federal Income Tax -$18,326
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,432
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $95,542
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $77,182

EPI family budgets put living costs 23.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA, so $100,000 in Blacksburg goes about as far as $123,300 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,050 a month in Blacksburg and $1,530 in Austin, $5,760 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,936 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $824 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $48,120 in Blacksburg 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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,050$1,530+$480+45.7%
Food & Groceries$371$334-$37-10.0%
Transportation$1,021$1,062+$41+4.0%
Healthcare$403$467+$64+15.9%
Other Necessities$403$585+$182+45.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,146$1,735-$411-19.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$480/mo (45.7%)
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford: $1,050/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$477/mo (35.6%)
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford: $1,340/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.24/hr (23.3%)
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford: $22.53/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$3.22/hr (15.7%)
Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford: $20.56/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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$97,480$117,850+$20,370 (+20.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$111,630$134,120+$22,490 (+20.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,230$97,890+$16,660 (+20.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$85,070$102,390+$17,320 (+20.4%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$74,800$83,120+$8,320 (+11.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$157,250$176,990+$19,740 (+12.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$112,820$129,470+$16,650 (+14.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$160,830$151,760-$9,070 (-5.6%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,490$60,390-$2,100 (-3.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$139,800$167,180+$27,380 (+19.6%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$119,420$164,920+$45,500 (+38.1%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$95,940$106,600+$10,660 (+11.1%)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

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $123,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.9 in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA
Relocation: Blacksburg Metro, VA to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Blacksburg Metro, VA 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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA?

About $123,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.9 in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA, 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 Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 23.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.