2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Charleston Metro, SC 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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$92,000
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-8.0%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,244
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$2,412
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$6,656/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

Charleston-North Charleston, SC

COL 136.5
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,244
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,936
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$20,772
Discretionary Cash Flow $54,164
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $92,000
Federal Income Tax -$11,410
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,038
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $73,552
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $55,192

EPI family budgets put living costs 8.0% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Charleston-North Charleston, SC, so $100,000 in Charleston goes about as far as $92,000 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,731 a month in Charleston and $1,530 in Austin, $2,412 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,244 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $6,656 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,150 in Charleston 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 Charleston-North Charleston (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,731$1,530-$201-11.6%
Food & Groceries$380$334-$46-12.1%
Transportation$1,060$1,062+$2+0.2%
Healthcare$429$467+$38+8.9%
Other Necessities$609$585-$24-3.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,089$1,735-$354-16.9%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$201/mo (-11.6%)
Charleston-North Charleston: $1,731/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$67/mo (-3.6%)
Charleston-North Charleston: $1,884/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$2.41/hr (-8.0%)
Charleston-North Charleston: $30.18/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.33/hr (-1.4%)
Charleston-North Charleston: $24.11/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 Charleston-North Charleston Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$109,260$117,850+$8,590 (+7.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$132,150$134,120+$1,970 (+1.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$92,800$97,890+$5,090 (+5.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$94,730$102,390+$7,660 (+8.1%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$79,350$83,120+$3,770 (+4.8%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$167,000$176,990+$9,990 (+6.0%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$131,600$129,470-$2,130 (-1.6%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$139,830$151,760+$11,930 (+8.5%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$104,650$106,600+$1,950 (+1.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,010$60,390+$1,380 (+2.3%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$147,170$167,180+$20,010 (+13.6%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$138,790$164,920+$26,130 (+18.8%)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

Charleston-North Charleston, SC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $92,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (136.5 in Charleston-North Charleston, SC, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Charleston-North Charleston, SC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Charleston-North Charleston, SC
Relocation: Charleston Metro, SC to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Charleston-North Charleston, SC 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: Charleston Metro, SC 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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC?

About $92,000. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (136.5 in Charleston-North Charleston, SC, 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 Charleston-North Charleston, SC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 8.0% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Charleston-North Charleston, SC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.