2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Boston-Newton, MA 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$77,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-22.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,780
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$11,856
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$16,636/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

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

COL 162.7
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,780
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,400
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$30,216
Discretionary Cash Flow $44,184
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $77,200
Federal Income Tax -$8,154
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$5,906
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $63,140
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $44,780

EPI family budgets put living costs 22.8% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, so $100,000 in Boston goes about as far as $77,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $2,518 a month in Boston and $1,530 in Austin, $11,856 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,780 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $16,636 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $66,620 in Boston 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$2,518$1,530-$988-39.2%
Food & Groceries$418$334-$84-20.1%
Transportation$1,080$1,062-$18-1.7%
Healthcare$413$467+$54+13.1%
Other Necessities$832$585-$247-29.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,133$1,735-$398-18.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$988/mo (-39.2%)
Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $2,518/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,191/mo (-39.6%)
Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $3,008/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$8.20/hr (-22.8%)
Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $35.97/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$7.65/hr (-24.3%)
Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $31.43/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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,800$117,850-$15,950 (-11.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$106,180$97,890-$8,290 (-7.8%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$166,090$134,120-$31,970 (-19.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$100,150$83,120-$17,030 (-17.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$114,990$102,390-$12,600 (-11.0%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$135,640$106,600-$29,040 (-21.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$214,960$176,990-$37,970 (-17.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$209,780$167,180-$42,600 (-20.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$206,610$151,760-$54,850 (-26.5%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$79,910$60,390-$19,520 (-24.4%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$213,910$164,920-$48,990 (-22.9%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$136,760$126,110-$10,650 (-7.8%)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

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $77,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Relocation: Boston-Newton, MA to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Boston-Newton, MA 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?

About $77,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 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 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 22.8% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.