2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Charlottesville, VA 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 Charlottesville, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$97,800
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-2.2%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$4,936
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
+$1,056
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$3,880/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

Charlottesville, VA

COL 128.4
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,936
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,244
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$17,304
Discretionary Cash Flow $56,940
Target Market
Destination Location

Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX

COL 125.6
Gross Parity Income $97,800
Federal Income Tax -$12,686
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,482
State Income Tax $0 (No State Tax)
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $77,632
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$18,360
Discretionary Cash Flow $59,272

EPI family budgets put living costs 2.2% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Charlottesville, VA, so $100,000 in Charlottesville goes about as far as $97,800 in Austin. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,442 a month in Charlottesville and $1,530 in Austin, $1,056 a year more. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $4,936 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Austin. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $3,880 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $55,180 in Charlottesville 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 Charlottesville (Monthly) Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$1,442$1,530+$88+6.1%
Food & Groceries$390$334-$56-14.4%
Transportation$1,092$1,062-$30-2.7%
Healthcare$403$467+$64+15.9%
Other Necessities$557$585+$28+5.0%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,146$1,735-$411-19.2%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$88/mo (6.1%)
Charlottesville: $1,442/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,530/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent +$175/mo (10.7%)
Charlottesville: $1,642/mo Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $1,817/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$0.62/hr (-2.2%)
Charlottesville: $28.39/hr Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos: $27.77/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$0.50/hr (-2.1%)
Charlottesville: $24.28/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 Charlottesville Median Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$107,200$117,850+$10,650 (+9.9%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$128,520$134,120+$5,600 (+4.4%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$99,320$97,890-$1,430 (-1.4%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$97,680$102,390+$4,710 (+4.8%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$81,530$83,120+$1,590 (+2.0%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$163,230$176,990+$13,760 (+8.4%)View Dossier
Solutions ArchitectTechnologyTechnology$144,580$129,470-$15,110 (-10.5%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$169,390$151,760-$17,630 (-10.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$62,980$60,390-$2,590 (-4.1%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$170,250$167,180-$3,070 (-1.8%)View Dossier
Marketing ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$165,980$164,920-$1,060 (-0.6%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$87,100$106,600+$19,500 (+22.4%)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

Charlottesville, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Relocation FAQs

About $97,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (128.4 in Charlottesville, VA, 125.6 in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

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

Reverse Route: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX to Charlottesville, VA
Relocation: Charlottesville, VA to Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX Overview

Charlottesville, VA 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 Charlottesville, VA?

About $97,800. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (128.4 in Charlottesville, VA, 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 Charlottesville, VA?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 2.2% lower in Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX than in Charlottesville, VA. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.