2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Bloomington, IL 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 Bloomington, IL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$118,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+18.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,805
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$6,408
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$1,603/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

Bloomington, IL

COL 105.7
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,805
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,375
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$11,952
Discretionary Cash Flow $62,423
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $118,800
Federal Income Tax -$17,306
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,088
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $92,406
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $74,046

EPI family budgets put living costs 18.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Bloomington, IL, so $100,000 in Bloomington goes about as far as $118,800 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $996 a month in Bloomington and $1,530 in Austin, $6,408 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,805 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,603 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $53,140 in Bloomington 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 Bloomington (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$996$1,530+$534+53.6%
Food & Groceries$352$334-$18-5.1%
Transportation$1,074$1,062-$12-1.1%
Healthcare$677$467-$210-31.0%
Other Necessities$348$585+$237+68.1%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,135$1,735-$400-18.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$534/mo (53.6%)
Bloomington: $996/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$530/mo (41.2%)
Bloomington: $1,287/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.40/hr (18.8%)
Bloomington: $23.37/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.95/hr (-3.8%)
Bloomington: $24.73/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 Bloomington Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$93,250$117,850+$24,600 (+26.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$123,320$134,120+$10,800 (+8.8%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$79,970$97,890+$17,920 (+22.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,110$102,390+$1,280 (+1.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,510$83,120+$6,610 (+8.6%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$169,720$176,990+$7,270 (+4.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$154,300$151,760-$2,540 (-1.6%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$156,240$167,180+$10,940 (+7.0%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$79,430$60,390-$19,040 (-24.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$113,110$106,600-$6,510 (-5.8%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$97,500$102,980+$5,480 (+5.6%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$77,700$62,810-$14,890 (-19.2%)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

Bloomington, IL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $118,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.7 in Bloomington, IL, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Bloomington, IL
Relocation: Bloomington, IL to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

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

About $118,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.7 in Bloomington, IL, 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 Bloomington, IL?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 18.8% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Bloomington, IL. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.