2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Cedar Rapids, IA 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 Cedar Rapids, IA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$135,900
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+35.9%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,306
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$8,688
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$5,382/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

Cedar Rapids, IA

COL 92.4
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,148
Local / City Tax -$157
Net Annual Take-Home $75,874
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$9,672
Discretionary Cash Flow $66,202
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $135,900
Federal Income Tax -$21,350
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$10,396
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $104,154
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $85,794

EPI family budgets put living costs 35.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Cedar Rapids, IA, so $100,000 in Cedar Rapids goes about as far as $135,900 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $806 a month in Cedar Rapids and $1,530 in Austin, $8,688 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,306 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $5,382 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,360 in Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$806$1,530+$724+89.8%
Food & Groceries$356$334-$22-6.2%
Transportation$1,117$1,062-$55-4.9%
Healthcare$393$467+$74+18.8%
Other Necessities$322$585+$263+81.7%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,010$1,735-$275-13.7%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$724/mo (89.8%)
Cedar Rapids: $806/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$763/mo (72.4%)
Cedar Rapids: $1,054/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$7.33/hr (35.9%)
Cedar Rapids: $20.44/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$4.88/hr (25.8%)
Cedar Rapids: $18.90/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 Cedar Rapids Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$90,620$117,850+$27,230 (+30.0%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$114,340$134,120+$19,780 (+17.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$78,370$97,890+$19,520 (+24.9%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$93,760$102,390+$8,630 (+9.2%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$77,180$83,120+$5,940 (+7.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$129,910$176,990+$47,080 (+36.2%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$106,750$129,470+$22,720 (+21.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$131,510$151,760+$20,250 (+15.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$50,230$60,390+$10,160 (+20.2%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$134,020$167,180+$33,160 (+24.7%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,330$164,920+$31,590 (+23.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$96,670$106,600+$9,930 (+10.3%)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

Cedar Rapids, IA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $135,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (92.4 in Cedar Rapids, IA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Cedar Rapids, IA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Cedar Rapids, IA
Relocation: Cedar Rapids, IA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Cedar Rapids, IA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs compared on the same.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to match $100,000 in Cedar Rapids, IA?

About $135,900. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (92.4 in Cedar Rapids, IA, 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 Cedar Rapids, IA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 35.9% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Cedar Rapids, IA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.