2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$118,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+18.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,860
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$3,924
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$936/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

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY

COL 105.7
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,860
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,320
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$14,436
Discretionary Cash Flow $59,884
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $118,900
Federal Income Tax -$17,328
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,096
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $92,476
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $74,116

EPI family budgets put living costs 18.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, so $100,000 in Buffalo goes about as far as $118,900 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,203 a month in Buffalo and $1,530 in Austin, $3,924 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,860 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $936 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $50,790 in Buffalo 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,203$1,530+$327+27.2%
Food & Groceries$376$334-$42-11.2%
Transportation$971$1,062+$91+9.4%
Healthcare$504$467-$37-7.3%
Other Necessities$417$585+$168+40.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,140$1,735-$405-18.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$327/mo (27.2%)
Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,203/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$394/mo (27.7%)
Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $1,423/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$4.41/hr (18.9%)
Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $23.36/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$0.79/hr (3.4%)
Buffalo-Cheektowaga: $22.99/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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,280$117,850+$14,570 (+14.1%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$127,850$134,120+$6,270 (+4.9%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,060$97,890-$1,170 (-1.2%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$101,180$102,390+$1,210 (+1.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,120$83,120+$1,000 (+1.2%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$172,650$176,990+$4,340 (+2.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$163,090$151,760-$11,330 (-6.9%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$104,700$129,470+$24,770 (+23.7%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$164,230$167,180+$2,950 (+1.8%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$77,930$60,390-$17,540 (-22.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$84,710$106,600+$21,890 (+25.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$144,390$164,920+$20,530 (+14.2%)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

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $118,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.7 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY
Relocation: Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY 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: Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY?

About $118,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (105.7 in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY, 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 Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 18.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.