2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Bozeman, MT 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 Bozeman, MT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$91,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-8.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,289
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$984
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$5,273/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

Bozeman, MT

COL 136.8
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,289
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,891
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,344
Discretionary Cash Flow $55,547
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $91,800
Federal Income Tax -$11,366
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,023
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $73,411
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $55,051

EPI family budgets put living costs 8.2% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Bozeman, MT, so $100,000 in Bozeman goes about as far as $91,800 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,612 a month in Bozeman and $1,530 in Austin, $984 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,289 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,273 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $54,830 in Bozeman 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 Bozeman (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,612$1,530-$82-5.1%
Food & Groceries$401$334-$67-16.7%
Transportation$1,159$1,062-$97-8.4%
Healthcare$468$467-$1-0.2%
Other Necessities$574$585+$11+1.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,092$1,735-$357-17.1%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$82/mo (-5.1%)
Bozeman: $1,612/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$292/mo (-13.8%)
Bozeman: $2,109/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$2.49/hr (-8.2%)
Bozeman: $30.26/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$3.48/hr (-12.8%)
Bozeman: $27.26/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 Bozeman Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,210$117,850+$14,640 (+14.2%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$126,110$134,120+$8,010 (+6.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,310$97,890-$1,420 (-1.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$99,090$102,390+$3,300 (+3.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,400$83,120+$5,720 (+7.4%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$162,680$176,990+$14,310 (+8.8%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$123,750$151,760+$28,010 (+22.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$77,000$129,470+$52,470 (+68.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$78,230$60,390-$17,840 (-22.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$136,990$167,180+$30,190 (+22.0%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$120,960$164,920+$43,960 (+36.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$115,130$106,600-$8,530 (-7.4%)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

Bozeman, MT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $91,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (136.8 in Bozeman, MT, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Bozeman, MT
Relocation: Bozeman, MT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Bozeman, MT 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 Bozeman, MT?

About $91,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (136.8 in Bozeman, MT, 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 Bozeman, MT?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 8.2% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Bozeman, MT. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.