2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Charlotte-Concord, NC-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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$91,500
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-8.5%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$3,481
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$1,320
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$4,801/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

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC

COL 137.2
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$3,481
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $75,699
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$19,680
Discretionary Cash Flow $56,019
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $91,500
Federal Income Tax -$11,300
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,000
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $73,200
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $54,840

EPI family budgets put living costs 8.5% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, so $100,000 in Charlotte goes about as far as $91,500 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,640 a month in Charlotte and $1,530 in Austin, $1,320 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $3,481 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $4,801 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $49,990 in Charlotte 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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,640$1,530-$110-6.7%
Food & Groceries$375$334-$41-10.9%
Transportation$1,044$1,062+$18+1.7%
Healthcare$465$467+$2+0.4%
Other Necessities$609$585-$24-3.9%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,025$1,735-$290-14.3%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$110/mo (-6.7%)
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia: $1,640/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$32/mo (1.8%)
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia: $1,785/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$2.57/hr (-8.5%)
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia: $30.34/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.19/hr (-0.8%)
Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia: $23.97/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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$112,730$117,850+$5,120 (+4.5%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$135,920$134,120-$1,800 (-1.3%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$90,620$97,890+$7,270 (+8.0%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$92,910$83,120-$9,790 (-10.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$105,200$102,390-$2,810 (-2.7%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$176,840$176,990+$150 (+0.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$172,760$167,180-$5,580 (-3.2%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$162,000$151,760-$10,240 (-6.3%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$102,920$106,600+$3,680 (+3.6%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$110,790$129,470+$18,680 (+16.9%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$59,080$60,390+$1,310 (+2.2%)View Dossier
Construction ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$107,200$102,980-$4,220 (-3.9%)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

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $91,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (137.2 in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC
Relocation: Charlotte-Concord, NC-SC to Austin-Round Rock, TX Overview

Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX: 2026 federal, state & local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents & EPI living costs. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Charlotte-Concord, NC-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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC?

About $91,500. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (137.2 in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-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 Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 8.5% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.