2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Burlington Metro, VT 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 Burlington-South Burlington, VT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$86,200
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-13.8%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,089
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$2,268
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$6,357/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

Burlington-South Burlington, VT

COL 145.6
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,089
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,091
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$20,628
Discretionary Cash Flow $54,463
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $86,200
Federal Income Tax -$10,134
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$6,594
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $69,472
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $51,112

EPI family budgets put living costs 13.8% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Burlington-South Burlington, VT, so $100,000 in Burlington goes about as far as $86,200 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,719 a month in Burlington and $1,530 in Austin, $2,268 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,089 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $6,357 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $60,020 in Burlington 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 Burlington-South Burlington (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,719$1,530-$189-11.0%
Food & Groceries$405$334-$71-17.5%
Transportation$1,148$1,062-$86-7.5%
Healthcare$882$467-$415-47.1%
Other Necessities$554$585+$31+5.6%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,076$1,735-$341-16.4%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$189/mo (-11.0%)
Burlington-South Burlington: $1,719/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$348/mo (-16.1%)
Burlington-South Burlington: $2,165/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$4.43/hr (-13.8%)
Burlington-South Burlington: $32.20/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$10.82/hr (-31.3%)
Burlington-South Burlington: $34.60/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 Burlington-South Burlington Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$98,430$117,850+$19,420 (+19.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$126,940$134,120+$7,180 (+5.7%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$98,330$97,890-$440 (-0.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$85,410$102,390+$16,980 (+19.9%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$82,510$83,120+$610 (+0.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$162,070$176,990+$14,920 (+9.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$121,850$129,470+$7,620 (+6.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$131,840$151,760+$19,920 (+15.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$134,650$167,180+$32,530 (+24.2%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$66,860$60,390-$6,470 (-9.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$118,270$106,600-$11,670 (-9.9%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$103,450$102,980-$470 (-0.5%)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

Burlington-South Burlington, VT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $86,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (145.6 in Burlington-South Burlington, VT, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Burlington-South Burlington, VT to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Burlington-South Burlington, VT
Relocation: Burlington Metro, VT to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Burlington-South Burlington, VT 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: Burlington Metro, VT 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 Burlington-South Burlington, VT?

About $86,200. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (145.6 in Burlington-South Burlington, VT, 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 Burlington-South Burlington, VT?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 13.8% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Burlington-South Burlington, VT. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.