2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Charleston, WV 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 Charleston, WV to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$123,300
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
+23.3%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,041
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$8,232
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
-$4,191/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, WV

COL 101.9
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,885
Local / City Tax -$156
Net Annual Take-Home $75,139
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$10,128
Discretionary Cash Flow $65,011
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $123,300
Federal Income Tax -$18,326
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$9,432
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $95,542
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $77,182

EPI family budgets put living costs 23.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Charleston, WV, so $100,000 in Charleston goes about as far as $123,300 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $844 a month in Charleston and $1,530 in Austin, $8,232 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,041 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,191 a year worse off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $45,830 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 (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$844$1,530+$686+81.3%
Food & Groceries$332$334+$2+0.6%
Transportation$985$1,062+$77+7.8%
Healthcare$778$467-$311-40.0%
Other Necessities$328$585+$257+78.4%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,072$1,735-$337-16.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$686/mo (81.3%)
Charleston: $844/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$769/mo (73.4%)
Charleston: $1,048/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) +$5.24/hr (23.3%)
Charleston: $22.53/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) +$1.24/hr (5.5%)
Charleston: $22.54/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 Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$83,190$117,850+$34,660 (+41.7%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$122,980$134,120+$11,140 (+9.1%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$80,230$97,890+$17,660 (+22.0%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$89,600$102,390+$12,790 (+14.3%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$66,560$83,120+$16,560 (+24.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$101,560$176,990+$75,430 (+74.3%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$91,920$151,760+$59,840 (+65.1%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$64,830$60,390-$4,440 (-6.8%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$116,300$167,180+$50,880 (+43.7%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$94,210$106,600+$12,390 (+13.2%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$79,050$102,980+$23,930 (+30.3%)View Dossier
Plumber & PipefitterSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$58,940$62,810+$3,870 (+6.6%)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, WV to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $123,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.9 in Charleston, WV, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Charleston, WV
Relocation: Charleston, WV to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Charleston, WV 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 Charleston, WV?

About $123,300. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (101.9 in Charleston, WV, 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, WV?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 23.3% higher in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Charleston, WV. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.