2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Boise City, ID 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 Boise City, ID to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$103,600
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+3.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,192
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$2,820
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$1,372/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

Boise City, ID

COL 121.3
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,192
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,988
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$15,540
Discretionary Cash Flow $59,448
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $103,600
Federal Income Tax -$13,962
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,925
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $81,713
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $63,353

EPI family budgets put living costs 3.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Boise City, ID, so $100,000 in Boise City goes about as far as $103,600 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,295 a month in Boise City and $1,530 in Austin, $2,820 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,192 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $1,372 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,100 in Boise City 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 Boise City (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,295$1,530+$235+18.1%
Food & Groceries$394$334-$60-15.2%
Transportation$1,075$1,062-$13-1.2%
Healthcare$388$467+$79+20.4%
Other Necessities$526$585+$59+11.2%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,084$1,735-$349-16.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$235/mo (18.1%)
Boise City: $1,295/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$277/mo (18.0%)
Boise City: $1,540/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$0.95/hr (3.5%)
Boise City: $26.82/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.15/hr (-0.6%)
Boise City: $23.93/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 Boise City Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$83,680$117,850+$34,170 (+40.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$131,590$134,120+$2,530 (+1.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$97,880$97,890+$10 (0.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$98,580$102,390+$3,810 (+3.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$76,700$83,120+$6,420 (+8.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$161,990$176,990+$15,000 (+9.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$141,440$151,760+$10,320 (+7.3%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$101,330$129,470+$28,140 (+27.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$61,610$60,390-$1,220 (-2.0%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$131,130$167,180+$36,050 (+27.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$86,390$106,600+$20,210 (+23.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$159,930$164,920+$4,990 (+3.1%)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

Boise City, ID to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $103,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (121.3 in Boise City, ID, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Boise City, ID to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Boise City, ID
Relocation: Boise City, ID to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Boise City, ID 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 Boise City, ID?

About $103,600. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (121.3 in Boise City, ID, 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 Boise City, ID?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 3.6% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Boise City, ID. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.