2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Brownsville Metro, TX 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 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$152,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+52.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
$0
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$7,752
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$7,752/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

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX

COL 82.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$0
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $79,180
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,608
Discretionary Cash Flow $68,572
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $152,200
Federal Income Tax -$25,262
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$11,643
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $115,295
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $96,935

EPI family budgets put living costs 52.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, so $100,000 in Brownsville goes about as far as $152,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $884 a month in Brownsville and $1,530 in Austin, $7,752 a year more. On a $100,000 salary a single filer pays the same total tax in both metros. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $7,752 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $36,490 in Brownsville 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 Brownsville-Harlingen (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$884$1,530+$646+73.1%
Food & Groceries$281$334+$53+18.9%
Transportation$1,075$1,062-$13-1.2%
Healthcare$383$467+$84+21.9%
Other Necessities$294$585+$291+99.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$1,735$1,735$00.0%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$646/mo (73.1%)
Brownsville-Harlingen: $884/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$775/mo (74.4%)
Brownsville-Harlingen: $1,042/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$9.52/hr (52.2%)
Brownsville-Harlingen: $18.25/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$7.35/hr (44.7%)
Brownsville-Harlingen: $16.43/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 Brownsville-Harlingen Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$75,350$117,850+$42,500 (+56.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$106,990$134,120+$27,130 (+25.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$81,090$97,890+$16,800 (+20.7%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$73,050$102,390+$29,340 (+40.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$66,440$83,120+$16,680 (+25.1%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$137,880$176,990+$39,110 (+28.4%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$95,550$151,760+$56,210 (+58.8%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$94,380$129,470+$35,090 (+37.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$46,080$60,390+$14,310 (+31.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$129,820$167,180+$37,360 (+28.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$113,220$164,920+$51,700 (+45.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$86,750$106,600+$19,850 (+22.9%)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

Brownsville-Harlingen, TX to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $152,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (82.5 in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Brownsville-Harlingen, TX
Relocation: Brownsville Metro, TX to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

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

About $152,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (82.5 in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX, 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 Brownsville-Harlingen, TX?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 52.2% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Brownsville-Harlingen, TX. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.